Photographic Retrospective by Philip Chudy Explores Rarely Documented Landscapes and People of Europe and Africa
Reception: Sunday, March 28, 2010, 4:00 pm -7:00 pm at HALL St. Helena,
401 St. Helena Highway South, St. Helena, CA 94574.
Philip was born in what was Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). His childhood was spent in what was a raw and sometimes brutal colonial environment. There was little doubt from very early in his childhood that he would produce art when he grew up. Then, as a young man, a progressively deteriorating racial and political scenario caused him to depart for Europe. Although, on arrival the 'old world' art scene did not beckon, a new interest inphotography allowed him to reconnect to Africa on short trips which he made regularly from the 70's - mid 90's. He typically travelled to very remote places, or braved racially segregated townships with large (4"x5"and 8"x10") plate cameras which hardly anyone in the country had ever seen. He tried to capture a sense of 'connection' and 'normality', whether shooting undocumented landscapes or connecting with isolated individuals, some of whose only physical legacy may be their impressions in these photos.
During the early 90's, Philip worked on high-end advertising accounts from a loft in London's docklands. He relocated to Scotland and later to Germany, where he developed a new personal photographic connection with the European landscape. Searching for a sense of Africa's space, he began to photograph bleak environments in the far North. Visits to Lapland by road, as well as numerous photo expeditions to the Scottish Highlands, culminated in many of the photos featured in this collection.
"I like to photograph things which are not obviously photogenic. Shooting fine art photography is a voyage of discovery for me. I seek out new aesthetics and learn more about seeing. I am a firm believer that improving one's understanding of visual imagery enhances one's ability to construct more elaborate advertising images. In turn, understanding the careful contrivance of advertising improves the 'fine art adventure'".
More recent work can be seen on philipchudy.com including color digital photos from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.
This retrospective of 38 handcrafted 20"x16" selenium/gold toned silver prints comprises part of a collection of images which were featured in a series of solo gallery shows in Scotland, England, Holland and Germany.
Chudy continues to produce fine art photography as well as highly specialized imagery for advertising from his studio in Marin County.
www.philipchudy.com - advertising, automotive, CGI special effects and photo art
www.philipchudyfineart.com – images in the show
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HALL St. Helena is conveniently located on Highway 29, just south of the town of St. Helena. Focused primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon, HALL is developing a reputation for the best Cabernet in Napa Valley.
As winegrowers and visionaries, the Halls have a strong respect for the environment and a commitment to a portfolio of wines which express the unique and diverse character of Napa Valley's soils and climate. HALL St. Helena is the first gold LEED Certified Winery in the State of California.
