Richard Kagan
Hermaphrodite Caliper
1992

Name: Hermaphrodite Caliper
Brand: Richard Kagan
Price: 2000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Richard Kagan, born in Philadelphia, followed a circuitous path to become a photographer. Beginning with street photography using a meterless Asahi Pentax as a student at Temple University, to leaving college to practice Zen Buddhism in New York City. Becoming so inspired by the silent eloquence of handmade objects, he pawned the camera to buy woodworking tools and after several years of apprenticeships, he opened his own workshop, creating one-of-a-kind and limited production furniture. A chronic back condition put a premature end to his woodworking career and led the return to photography, thus bringing him back to where he began. Tools have been essential to our growth and evolution as a species. No one would question their vital need for any task at hand, but Kagan’s portfolio "Iron Portraits" forces us to us pay attention to these strange and beautiful objects that often no longer have a use in our daily lives. “I am less interested in the tools as tools… I respond to their incredible sculptural qualities — their surface, tone, balance, line, and geometry” says Kagan. This series of 24 works, created from a traditional 4×5 film camera and complex lighting, create a compelling body of work that illustrates a great sense of wonder, humor and whimsy. It allows the viewer to look a bit deeper than the surface to discover “the secret lives of tools.” Gallery 270 represents distinguished photographers of the 20th Century and the emergent photographers of the 21st Century from around the world. We place particular emphasis on modern emerging photographers employing traditional processes such as platinum/palladium, cyanotype, and gum bichromate, where the hand of the artist is much more intimately engaged.

Creator:

Richard Kagan (1945, American)

Creation Year:

1992

Dimensions:

Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

20th Century

Condition:

Gallery Location: