Photographs by Steve Giovinco Investigate the Edge of Darkness in Exhibit at the Sheldon Art Galleries

The Sheldon Art Galleries presents Edge of Darkness: Photographs by Steve Giovinco and Tim Simmons, February 17 – May 12, 2012 in the Gallery of Photography.  This exhibition pairs the work of two contemporary fine art photographers who have each independently investigated the quality of light and its psychological implications in the moment that is the edge of darkness.  Please join us for an opening reception on Friday, February 17 from 5 – 7 p.m.!  Gallery hours are Tuesdays, Noon – 8 p.m.; Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, Noon – 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and one hour prior to Sheldon performances and during intermission.  Admission is free.  For more information on the exhibition, visit the galleries’ website at www.thesheldon.org/galleries.asp.

New York-based contemporary landscape photographer Steve Giovinco renders the mysterious qualities of ambient light, producing works that are both cinematic and literary.  Many of the photographs in the exhibition were made while on a residency at Yaddo, an artist’s community in Saratoga Springs, New York. Giovinco holds an MFA in photography fromYaleUniversity (1989), and a BA in history fromWashingtonUniversity inSt. Louis (1982).  His photographs have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the California Museum of Photography; Fotogalerie Wien,Vienna; Jim Kempner Fine Art and Dru Arstark Fine Art, both inNew York. He has also been included in group exhibitions at theBrooklynMuseum; theContemporaryArtCenter,Cincinnati; Sadler’s Wells,London; and White Columns. Giovinco received artist residency fellowships to Yaddo in 2001, 2002 and 2010.  His works are in the collections of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Brooklyn Museum of Art; and Yale University Museum of Art.

Tim Simmons’ hauntingly beautiful landscapes examine the multilayered relationship we have with our physical environment. Taken in natural settings and lit artificially, his pictures have a surreal, otherworldly quality that places them in a realm beyond immediate recognition. This illusive atmosphere invokes a sense of the spirit of the earth, inspiring quiet reflection in the viewer and prompting questions about mortality and our place in the world. Born in 1955 inLondon,England, Simmons has exhibited his work internationally, including a solo show at the Galerie Christa Klubert,Berlin; The Fine Art Society,London; The Blue Gallery,London, and the Galerie Made Paris, Paris, among others. Installations and projections of his work have been shown as part of the 2011 Urban Land Project, a three-part, bi-coastal installation featuring murals, billboards and projections inLos AngelesandPhiladelphia; at Art Prize Grand Rapids, Michigan and at the Kaunas Photo Festival inLithuania, (2010), among other places. He lives and works inNorfolk,England.

The not-for-profit SheldonArtGalleriesexhibits works by local, national, and international artists in all media.  Over 6,000 square feet of the galleries’ spaces on the 2^nd floor are permanently devoted to rotating exhibits of photography, architecture, jazz art and history, and children’s art.  A sculpture garden, seen from both the atrium lobby and the connecting glass bridge, features periodic rotations and installations, and the Nancy Spirtas Kranzberg Gallery on the lower level features art of all media.  The Sheldon actively supports the work ofSt. Louis artists in all mediums and features a dedicated gallery with museum-quality exhibits bySt. Louis artists, past and present.

Financial Assistance for this project has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.  Support is provided by the Regional Arts Commission and the Arts and Education Council.