Contact Sheet 181: Letha Wilson

Letha Wilsons photographic, sculptural work begins as an exploration into our understanding of landscape. By alluding to conventions of romanticism and mythology, and expanding the possibilities of interpretation through abstraction, Wilson exposes the photographs inability to truly contain the place it represents. Her images of the American Westvast canyons, desert plants, and skyare formed into sculptural objects that utilize the physical space of the gallery. At times embedded into walls, floors, and ceilings, even wrapping around (or through) architectural details, her inventive and playful approach to installation informs the tactile experience of her work. Wilson intervenes the static image by folding, distorting, and bending iconic landscapes into complex forms that elicit the sheer weight and beauty of the sublime. Wilson spent the month of February 2015 as an Artist-in-Residence at Light Work in Syracuse, where she produced a selection of new works for the exhibition Sight Specific (March 17 July 18, 2015). This catalogue includes an essay by Light Works director Shane Lavalette.