Michelle Zassenhaus / Denise Amses at The Yard Herald Square

Sep 28, 2017 – FEB 6, 2018

Michelle Zassenhaus

As a photographer, particularly a long-exposure photographer, I’m interested in the essence of a place – the signature – which emerges when the surface ephemera give way to the underlying structure.

In cities like New York and Chicago – cluttered with people, buildings and things – the horizon is obscured. The periphery reveals the horizon, and like a cross-cut section, the nature of the ground on which the city is built.

These images are portraits of the periphery. During exposures of [often] several minutes, what’s fleeting escapes the lens; what’s fundamental bores into the image. Much as a painter manipulates paint, I exploit the physical properties of film to tease out the subtle beauty of place.

Like portraits of people, these images are an exploration of the spaces' essence, discrete vocabulary, mannerisms, structures, shapes, colors, climates and stories told by the elements left behind: failed piers, jetties, efforts to manage the transitions between land and water. They are also a celebration of the beautiful surprises found within the city limits at the water’s edge.

Denise Amses

My artistic practice traverses painting, prints, and public glass and light installations. Though working in numerous media, a few themes permeate my artwork. I engage with natural and geometric forms, plant and biological structures, and the imagery of the cosmos.

I draw from observation, visual interpretations of scientific phenomena, and the boundaries between representation and abstraction. These are points of departure. Central to my approach is the creation of a personalized universe, where I visually explore everything from the details of a dandelion seed to the geometric expression of an exploding star. In my process, I mask, cut, and use translucent layering to create depth and interplay between shape, surface, and color.