The S K Josefsberg Studio is pleased to present the work of Portland photographer Loren Nelson, on view at the gallery June 5 – July 12, 2003.

This current exhibition of Loren Nelson’s work is of his ongoing series of Visqueen wrapped buildings and constructions—a kind of hommage à Christo. All of the swathed structures featured are time-restricted novelties of the Portland Metropolitan area. Whether the construction is newly erected or remodeled by fate of historical restoration, these hearty monuments take on a feminine grace when draped during vulnerable periods of fabrication or repair. Nelson’s fascination and documentation of these brief episodes during assemblage evoke a sense of tragedy—these edifices are cloaked because of their vulnerability to the elements. There is a palpable moodiness in these images of monolithic forms—the billowy nature of the plastic that sheathes the inert buildings leads us to think of the delicacy of their embryonic stages prior to completion. This series is a commentary on transition.

Nelson, who has lived in Portland for 35 years, has been a free-lance photographer for more than two decades. Drawn to photography in early adulthood by the work of Minor White and Wynn Bullock, Nelson is a self-taught craftsman. Known in regional artistic circles more so for his photographs of the Oregon Coast—particularly the Arch Cape area—the plastic-wrapped building series stems from his commercial work for local architects.

Loren Nelson’s photographs are in the permanent collections of the Portland Art Museum; IBM Corporation; Intel Corporation; E.R. Jackman Foundation for Oregon State University; and the Beaverton Arts Commission, among others. His work continues to be exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States.

 

Reception with the Artist
Wednesday June 4, 2003
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.