Jeremy Chandler Camouflage Interview

Jeremy Chandler is traveling to Atlanta this week in support of his latest photographic installation titled, “Camouflage,” at the Hagedorn Foundation. Jeremy’s body of work exhibits photographic images that address the feminization of masculinity with visual antidotes featuring male’s mythological role in society. (Above, AJ Walking, 2008)

I caught up with Jeremy Chandler and asked him a couple of questions to get ready for this great exhibition. (Above, Sid and Eric, 2008)

mM : Your work was recently chosen by the Hagedorn Foundation Gallery in a thematic exhibition titled, Camouflage January 5 through February 12 in Atlanta, Georgia. Please share a little bit about the exhibition’s title, Camouflage.

JEREMY : Hagedorn approached me about doing a show after I met the gallery director this summer during a portfolio review in Atlanta. It is a two-person show with another artist, Kristine Potter, who is showing a series of black and white portraits of West Point cadets. In both Kristine’s and my own work, the figures are dressed in some form of camouflage, whether it is traditional military uniforms, hunting “camo” or some type of covering that cloaks/conceals. So taken literally, the show’s title refers to the dress of the subjects in the images. However, metaphorically, I think it refers to the concealing of one’s identity by aligning with some greater cultural archetype. This is an idea present in both of our work independently and I think contextualizing our photos together creates an interesting dialogue. (Pictured above: Eric in a Ghillie Suit/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50")

mM : How many photographic pieces will you be presenting? Describe your process in evolving your themes revealed in the hunter and Ghillie Suit series.

JEREMY : I’m showing seven pieces total - four hunting photos and three large ghillie suit prints. The process of taking the photos remains similar. I still use my friends in the photos and scout locations in advance of the shoot. The main difference is the amount of labor put into making the props. While I have long made props and costumes for my narrative images, the suits require a higher level of craft and much more time to construct. The suits themselves become sculptural objects and the images become more about the prop than in previous works. There is also the shift of having one man in the image rather than two. This definitely changes how the images read, as there is the loss of tension between the two characters. However, I like the ambiguity of the suit pictures because the character could be stalking something or hiding from something that might be hunting him. Through that uncertainty, I feel the space outside the frame is activated and there is tension created by that. (Pictured above: Ghillie Suit 3/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50")

mM : What are you up to these days? And what is next for Jeremy Chandler?

JEREMY : I’m mostly keeping busy with my artwork and teaching. I recently made a couple new photos that I’m excited about, one new ghillie suit and another on a recent trip to the Appalachian Mountains. Last year, I collaborated on a short film titled “Coventry” with my friend Shawn Cheatham. The film is being shown at the Beloit International Film Festival this February in Wisconsin. Shawn and I are flying up for the festival and I’m really looking forward to it. It should be a unique experience to see our film shown in that context. (Above, Pot Hunters, 2008).

Kind thanks to Jeremy Chanlder for sharing his vision. You can see meet Jeromy and see more of his work in person this week at the Hagedorn Foundation Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia. “Camouflage” features photographic work by Jeromy Chandler and Kristine Potter with an artist reception on Thursday, January 12 from 6 to 8:30PM and artist lecture on Saturday, January January 14 from 1 to 4PM. Visit Hagedorn Foundation Gallery for more information, contact the Mindy Solomon Gallery for available work or read the 2011 interview with Jeremy Chandler. Enjoy. (Pictured above: Ghillie Suit 1/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50")

Jeremy Chandler Contemporary Photography

“Hero Worship” is a new group show receiving quite a bit of notice at the Mindy Solomon Gallery in Florida. The exhibition features: Pavel Amromin, Jeremy Chandler, David Hilliard, Mark Newport, Gilad Ratman, Matthew Shaffer who present an array of creative works that address the role of male identity in society. (Pictured above: Eric in a Ghillie Suit/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50").

Florida based contemporary photographer, Jeremy Chandler is featured in “Hero Worship” and presents three 50” x 40” photographic prints from his “Ghillie Suit,” (Flowers), created specifically for the exhibition. Jeremy’s collection of recent works is based on research driven by a curiosity in people’s relationship with nature and the environment. And as a result, the visuals create a narrative that contradicts traditional notions of masculinity—a juxtaposition of beauty vs. the viewer’s feelings of anxiety and anticipation. (Pictured above: Ghillie Suit 3/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50").

Jeremy Chandler has exhibited in California, New York and all around his home state of Florida. I caught up with Jeremy just before the exhibit’s opening and proudly share this exclusive interview.

mM : What serviced as a point of inspiration for the series you are presenting at the Mindy Solomon Gallery?

J Chandler : The initial idea for the pieces in Hero Worship, came from the camouflage suits worn by snipers and hunters called Ghillie suits. Basically, whoever is making the suit, will pull plant matter from whatever terrain they’re trying to blend into and create a garment out of it. I like the idea of being able to wear the land and how the suits are this seamless visual merger between a human being and the landscape. (Pictured above: Ghillie Suit 1/Flowers, 2011, archival pigment print, 40x50").

mM : Do you reference art history or a particular artist of the past in your works?

J Chandler : I don’t know that there are any overt art historical references in my work. I actually try not to do that, although I do have many influences. I look at a lot American landscape painting; particularly the Hudson River School as I’m really interested in the idea of the sublime even if many of my photos don’t necessarily represent that idea. I look at a lot pre-photographic illustrations and depictions of hunting. I watch a lot of contemporary westerns and get most of my ideas for compositions from cinema. In regards to other photographers I like, I really like Collier Schorr’s work for how she plays with gender roles within the context of nature, but I also love pictorialist photography for it’s romantic, dreamlike aesthetic. I love the held breath quality and over-the-top drama of Jesper Just’s videos. I pull from a lot of things to make my work and am a fan of so many people. I could go on and on. (Pictured above: samples of Thomas Cole, 1801-1848, part of the Hudson River School art movement).

mM : When did you discover originally discover photography as an artistic medium?

J Chandler : I first got into photography when I moved back to Florida during my second year of college. I took pictures as a hobby for a while and eventually made it my major. At that time I don’t think I was really interested in being an “artist”, I just liked making photographs. Although, that eventually changed as I became more serious about my studies and a more sophisticated viewer. (Pictured above: Craig, 2008, 40x30").

mM : How do you interpret photography as a medium for contemporary art?

J Chandler : That is a big question and one that is complicated to answer. However, I will just say, for me, the photographic medium is the most appropriate way of making the images in my head. I wish I was one those photographers who could also draw and paint because I probably would do those things too. Certainly, photography has inherent qualities, such it’s privileged relationship with the “real” and its ability to act as a document and reference cinema. These things help to inform my work, but I also like how photography can be used to tell lies, which is something else I do. I have different slants to my work. I create fictional narratives, but I also make environmental portraits. Photography allows me to do both of things effectively. (Pictured above: Twilight Tent, 2010).

Kind thanks to Jeremy Chanlder who is getting ready to exhibit at the (e)merge art fair held at the Capital Skyline Hotel in Washington, D.C. September 22 through September 25. Please contact the Mindy Solomon Gallery for more information on Jeremy or to check out a complete list of available works. Creative Loafing review of “Hero Worship.” (Pictured above: River Fire, 2011).