Zoe Leonard: Observation Point

NEW York artist, Zoe Leonard, is due to transform Gallery Three of the Camden Arts Centre into a ‘camera obscura’ this spring. The term refers to a ‘dark chamber’, which pre-dates photography and makes use of natural phenomena. Leonard will be filtering daylight through a lens so that it projects an image of the outside world onto the floor, walls and ceiling of the gallery, with the aim of creating a spatially immersive experience.

Leonard will also be using Gallery One to display a series of new photographs depicting the sun, as well as Gallery Two to exhibit a sculptural installation of found images. All three galleries function together to combine experience, image and object, thus encapsulating three distinct photographic forms. The major exhibition acts as a way of pushing the boundaries of photographic medium and practice. 

The north-south axis of Gallery three ensure consistent light throughout the day, which in turn provides a shifting and cinematic event. Leonard hopes to use the ‘camera obscura’ as a way of questioning the traditional limits associated with photography. Her work attempts to capture time and space whilst shooting directly into the sun, defying the golden rules of conventional photographic practice and representation. The sun becomes the subject rather than a factor, a tool, or a hindrance.

A concern with perception and visual experience is the running theme throughout the three galleries. Expect to reflect upon how we relate to the world around us after the subversion of a traditional visual experience.

The Camden Arts Centre is renowned for encouraging visitors to engage in the creative process of making art. Zoe Leonard’s exhibition will be no exception in terms of advocating contemporary art and ideas, as well as the involvement with the creative process.

31 March - 24 June 2012

Camden Arts Centre,

Arkwright Road,

NW3 6DG


020 7472 5500

Twitter: @CamdenArtsCtr

www.camdenartscentre.org