FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shane Huffman: Smiling with a mouth of the Ocean

September 9 - October 8, 2005

Opening Reception: Friday, September 9, 2005 5:00 - 8:00pm

Skestos Gabriele Gallery is pleased to present Smiling with a mouth of the Ocean, the first solo exhibition by Chicago-based artist Shane Huffman in a commercial gallery. This exhibition will feature new photographic works and drawings executed in the past year. In his work, the artist investigates the fundamentals of photography -- light, space-time and movement -- through experimental processes while simultaneously addressing scientific theories and personal experiences. For Huffman, photography is an investigative tool in which the camera and light are used "in new mechanical means to mysterious phenomenal ends." It is his aim to use photographic materials and processes to produce something completely new in the world, rather than to reproduce what already exists.

Huffman has a primary interest in examining and revealing what is internal and private in external and public ways. His ideas are influenced by scientific findings, medical journals, Renaissance literature, art history, and the writings of astronomers and astrologers. Cosmic order and how we as individuals relate to the universe is a foundation for much of his creative investigations. It is the artist's intent to demonstrate that we as individuals have a reflexive relationship with the universe, in that we are an integral part of the whole. Our actions and emotions are influenced by the world around us, while our behaviors and thoughts influence our surroundings.

In much of Huffman's work, physical action, such as imitating swimming strokes or repeating personal mantras, is used to create the imagery and the process. For the artist, the intimate procedures that are involved in making the photographs are just as vital to the work as the resulting image. In his photographic images and drawings and through his unique systems of artmaking the artist investigates his personal place in the universe and the how he is influenced by it. Water and the moon are reoccurring themes in his work, both in subject matter and process. For Huffman, these elements are integral parts of his personal being, both physically and psychologically, but also essential forces that influence the universe.

For more information, please contact the gallery at 312.243.1112 or info@skestosgabriele.com.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 11:00am - 6:00pm, Saturday 12:00 - 5:00pm.