KEVIN COOLEY

Kevin Cooley in conversation with Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator of Photography at LACMA, on Friday, September 27 at 6:30 pm.

These images focus on elemental forces of nature, manipulating light to freeze explosive movement and render phenomena in hyper-realistic detail. Acting as art director to the four states of matter—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma—Cooley’s interventions produce photographs and videos embodying the tension between our desire for dominion and a planet reeling from our actions.

Frozen black-and-white smoke clouds are rendered as solid form, the physics of pyrotechnics are captured moments after ignition, breaking waves appear equal parts natural wonder and constructed spectacle, and an exothermic reaction creates an ephemeral foam sculpture in the landscape. Also on view are images of iridescent rocks, part of a collaboration with Bridget Batch.

The works in FORCE MAJEURE come from distinctly different projects, yet together they form a clear lens into Cooley’s practice, highlighting his skillful use of light and enriching the narrative of our collective relationship with the natural world.