“On Light, Time, and Materiality” by James Florio opens at pinkcomma gallery in Boston

On Light, Time, and Materiality documents the photography Florio produced with Ensamble Studio to capture their entrancing site-specific projects that blend architecture, fabrication methods, landscapes, and typology research. The Julius Shulman Institute’s Executive Director, Barbara Bestor shares: “James Florio has used photography to take us on an adventure of discovery [...] Collaborating with the architects, Florio reveals the slow and experimental process in the making of unique architecture and landscape disruption.”

Florio’s photographic works capture the intimate details of the built environment in nature and within cityscapes. Many of his past works and projects document how time, nature, and climate impact architecture and landscapes. While the photographs shown at pinkcomma highlight his latest work with Ensamble Studio, other projects such as the Cervantes Theatre, Exeter Library, and Gio Ponti Denver Art Museum exhibit Florio’s eye for investigating structure, materials, texture, and shadow from a macro to micro-scale.

From the photographer

I work to capture a stillness and a depth that is outside the rapid and hurried frame in which architecture is so often depicted and shared. Over the course of three years, I immersed myself in Ensamble Studio’s projects to gain a more profound understanding of their spatial qualities and the elements that shape and transform them. This body of work is a reflection and an exploration of Ensamble’s practice over the past twenty years as well as the themes of light, time, and materiality. The images serve as windows into these elements to foster a deeper understanding and connection to the structures around us.The first part of this work was done in collaboration with MAS Context and Iker Gil, and the remaining is a work in progress that has been made possible through the help and generous support of a long term artist residency at Tippet Rise Art Center in Fishtail, Montana.

Opening reception with James Florio
Thursday, September 29, 2022, 7–9PM

pinkcomma gallery
46 Waltham Street
Courtyard One
Boston, MA 02118