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Christopher Colville

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Beyond Reckoning 2

Christopher Colville: Untitled (Dove Dish), 2016

Christopher Colville: Hanging Doves, 2015

Christopher Colville: Projectile B, 2015

Christopher Colville: Projectile C, 2015

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Christopher Colville Bio

Chronology
	Christopher Colville is an artist working to push the boundaries of the photographic medium in both experimental and traditional forms. Born in 1974 in Tucson Arizona Christopher received his BFA in Anthropology and Photography from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and his MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. After leaving New Mexico, he returned home to the Sonoran Desert and is currently living in Phoenix. Chris has spent his time in Phoenix exploring the desert where he has taught at multiple institutions including as a visiting Assistant Professor at Arizona State University. Christopher’s work has been included in both national and international publications and exhibitions including Paris Photo and SCOPE Basel. Recent awards include the Ernst Cabat Award through the Tucson Museum of Art, Critical Mass top 50, the Humble Art Foundations New Photography Grant, an Arizona Commission on the Arts Artist Project Grant, a Public Art Commission from the Phoenix Commission on the Arts and an artist fellowship through the American Scandinavian Foundation. Christopher’s work has been reviewed in national and international publications including Art in America, the L.A. Times, the Boston Globe and GUP Magazine and Vice.

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Awards
2015	Top 50 Emerging Talents, Lens Culture

2014	Nominee, Baum Award

2013	Ernst Cabat Award, Tucson Museum of Art

2012	Photolucida, Critical Mass Top 50

2011	Photography Book Now, International Juried Competition, Honorable Mention

2010	Picturing Maricopa, Virginia F. Piper Charitable Trust

2009	New Photography Grant, Humble Art Foundation

2008	Artist Project Grant, Arizona Commission on the Arts

2008	Public Art Commission, Phoenix Commission on the Arts

2006	Artist Fellowship to create work in Iceland, American Scandinavian Foundation / Thor Thors Memorial Fund

2006	Professional Development Grant, Arizona Commission on the Arts

2003	Van Daren Coke/Beaumont Newhall Fellowship for Demonstrated Artistic Excellence, University of New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM

	Nominee, John Gutmann Fellowship

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Solo Exhibitions
2019	Flux, photo-eye Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2017	Dark Hours, Citizens and other Works, KMR Arts, Washington Depot, CT

2016	Beyond Reckoning, Rick Wester Fine Art, New York, New York

2016	Works of Fire, Robert and Elaine Stein Gallerie, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio

2015	Foto Fever, Photo Week, Photography Festival Solo Booth, Paris France

2015	The Dark Hours, Duncan Miller Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2015	Scope Basel, Contemporary Art Festival Solo Booth, Basel Switzerland

2014	Christopher Colville, Etherton Gallery, In House Pop up Gallery, Tucson AZ

2013	Meditations, Duncan Miller Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2013	Selections from Works of Fire, The Monorchid Bokeh Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona

2011	Instar, Glendale Community College, Glendale, Arizona

2011	Nothing is the Rule, The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, Massachusetts

2011	Instar, @Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, Arizona

2009	Christopher Colville: Selections from the Sonoran Project, Emanations and the Iceland Trilogy, Foto Week DC, Insomniac Design, Washington DC

2008	Since Returning Home, The Kitchenette, Phoenix, Arizona

2007	The Kitchenette, Movements, Phoenix, Arizona

2006	Dark Emanations., The Kitchenette, Phoenix, Arizona

2005	Dark Emanations, 1101 Gallery, University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale, Carbondale, IL

2004	ristopher S. Colville, Selected New Works from Trace Identities, North Light Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

2004	Lost Images, @Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, Arizona

2003	Trace Identities, John Sommers, Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Group Exhibitions
2019	Shots in the Dark, New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM

2019	Out of the Box: Camera-Less Photography, Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, FL

2018	Not of This World: Transcending Reality In Photography, Rick Wester Fine Art, New York City, NY

2017	Terra Matter, Etherton Gallery, Tucson, AZ

2017	Tremelo, Rick Wester Fine Art, New York City, NY

2017	Photoplay: Lucid Objects, JP Morgan Private Bank Art Collection, Paris Photo

2017	The Landscape Show, Cattle Track, Scottsdale, AZ

2016	Celestial Terrestrial, Print Center, Philadelphia, PA

2016	Houston Center for Photography, Sight Lines, Houston, TX

2016	Respite, Modified Arts, Phoenix AZ

2016	This is a Photograph, Penland Gallery, Penland, PA

2016	Into the Night: Modern and Contemporary Art and the Nocturne Tradition, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2016	Scope Basel, Duncan Miller Gallery, Basel, Switzerland

2016	The Photography Show, Presented by AIPAD, Etherton Gallery, New York City, NY

2015	Bullet Points, The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA

2015	One of A Kind, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

2015	Cameraless, New Mexico State Museum, Santa Fe. NM

2015	Heat, San Francisco Camera Works, San Francisco CA

2015	Emerging Talents, Lens Culture, San Francisco Camera Works, San Francisco CA

2015	Infocus Exhibition, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

2015	The Photography Show, Presented by AIPAD, Etherton Gallery, New York City, NY

2014	Infocus Exhibition, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

2014	PAC L.A., Leica Gallery L.A., Los Angeles, CA

2014	Exposure, Wright State University, Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries, Dayton, OH

2013	The Fixed Shadow, Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries, Dayton, OH

2013	Infocus Exhibition, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

2013	Arizona Biennial, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ

2013	Critical Mass 2012, Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, FL

2013	Critical Mass 2012, Jennifer Schwartz Gallery, Atlanta, GA

2013	One of a Kind, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, CA

2013	What Are We Doing Here?, Modified Gallery, Phoenix, AZ

2013	Alternatives: Borders and Boundaries, Ohio State University, Athens, OH

2013	The Physical Photograph, Art Intersection, Gilbert, AZ

2012	Looking at The Land, 21st Century American Views, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Desi, Rhode Island

2012	Center for Photography at Woodstock Benefit Exhibition, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY

2012	Terra Cognita, Noorderlicht Photo Festival, Noorderlicht Photography, Netherlands

2012	Not Kansas, . RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, CA

2012	Forecast: A new wave of creative talent, Penland Gallery, Penland, PA

2012	Surface Tension, The Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY

2011	No Mirrors: Juried Camera-less photography exhibition, RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, CA

2011	Three Fold: Selections form the Independent Photo Book Library, Photographic Research Center at Boston University, Boston, MA

2011	The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography Vol. 2, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, New York City, NY

2011	Arizona State University Faculty Exhibition, ASU Art Museum, Tempe, AZ

2010	Permanent Impermanence, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC

2010	Picturing Maricopa, @Central Gallery, Burton Barr Central Library, Phoenix, AZ

2010	Texas National 2010, Cole Art Center, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, TX

2008	WPA Auction Gala, Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC

2008	Retrospective, Tilt Gallery, Phoenix, AZ

2007	From Sun Pictures to Mega Pixels, W.A.H. Center, Harlem, NY

2007	Member Exhibition, The Kitchenette, Phoenix, AZ

2006	Three Pulses, a three-person exhibition, Tilt Gallery, Phoenix, AZ

2006	Antiphon, North Light Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

2006	Member Exhibition, Art Detour 2006, The Kitchenette, Phoenix, AZ

2006	Faculty Exhibition, Phoenix Community College, Phoenix, AZ

2005	Food is Good, The Kitchenette, Phoenix, AZ

2005	Faculty Show, Scottsdale Community College Department of Art, Scottsdale, AZ

2004	First to See the Light, Quay School of Art Gallery, Whanganui, New Zealand

2004	Illuminated, Afif Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2004	Faculty Show, Scottsdale Community College Department of Art, Scottsdale, AZ

2004	Art for Art Sake, Eye Lounge, Phoenix, AZ

2003	Faculty Show, Scottsdale Community College Department of Art, Scottsdale, Arizona

2003	Digital Experimental III, Period Gallery, Lincoln, Nebraska

2003	Inside8, Center of Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2003	9th Annual Graduate Juried Exhibition, Johnson Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2003	Small Packages, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

2002	Student Photography Initiative, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

2002	Small Works, John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2002	Persuasion, North Light Gallery, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

2002	Latent Discoveries: Exploring Identity Through Environment, Travelling Exhibition,

2001	Memory and In(ter)vention, Geoffrey Batchen, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

2001	Small Works, John Sommers Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

2001	505 Salon, John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

2000	Small Works, John Sommers Gallery, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

2000	Sixth Annual Graduate Juried Exhibition, The University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM

1999	6th Annual Silent Art Auction, Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, NM

1999	New Arrivals, John Sommers Gallery, Albuquerque, NM

1999	Group Exhibition, Penrose Gallery, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA

1999	Graduate Exhibition, Tyler Gallery, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA

	SF Camera Works Benefit Exhibition, San Francisco Camera Works, San Francisco CA

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Collections

Museum of Fine Art Houston, Houston, TX

JP Morgan Chase, New York NY

Princeton Museum of Art, Princeton, NJ

Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ

Maine Museum of Art, Bangor ME

Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA

Sir Elton John Collection

Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida

Wright State University, Dayton, OH

Freeport McMoRan, Phoenix, AZ

City of Phoenix Portable Works, Phoenix, AZ

City of Phoenix Public Art, Permanent Installation, Phoenix, Arizona

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Education
1997	Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, BFA Anthropology/Photography

2003	University of New Mexico, MFA

Christopher Colville Statement

Artist Statement

The Dark Hours
This work, which started as an exploration pulling at the base elements of photographic medium, evolved to explore energy, fluid, motion, light, chaos, reactive materials and violence. The work in this exhibition follows this line but it is a reprieve from many of these endeavors, offering a move toward meditative simplicity. Seduced by the reduction of fire and chaos into a single line, a delineation, a separation and horizon that resonates with desert landscape, the storms that give pause and the western states that are on fire. This single line disrupting the traditional flat surface of the paper, pulls attention to its creation while opening the possibility of discovery through suggestion of depth. I followed these images, night after night repeating, refining, small explosions, meditating on a single evolving line until the suns reflection on the moon was too bright to work. As shadows grew around me I could once again sit back and enjoy the explosion of white in my conspirators blossoms and wait for the moon to wane into darkness.

Works of Fire
When I look into the night sky I am awestruck by the darkness that is the universe. As the sparse light of the stars descends, I am entangled in a state of wonder, searching for a better understanding of who I am and where I fit in to this world. Carl Sagan wrote, “…the universe is mainly made of nothing, something is the exception. Nothing is the rule. That darkness is commonplace; it is light that is the rarity.” This sense of wonder cast by light in the otherwise impenetrable darkness is a driving force behind this current work.

Christopher Colville Beyond Reckoning “The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning.”
Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West
Throughout my career, I have harnessed energy, fluid, motion, light and the chaos of volatile reactions. This attempt to reconfigure the photographic medium, has aligned with my interest in the dual nature of creation and destruction. Recently however, my attention has been redirected as I try to comprehend our increasingly divided and violent American culture. Suspended in a state wonder and dread, my time in the landscape has shifted from a search for transformative experiences to a reckoning with the residue of American volatility.
Beyond Reckoning is the antiphon to a continuous cycle of violence imbedded in American culture, reflecting our polarized population. The images are made with targets I have collected from desert hillsides, abandoned by recreational shooters. The targets include commercially produced bulls-eyes, life size human forms, predators, mannequin heads, and wedding photographs as well as more divisive, crudely drawn political caricatures. These objects are cultural relics of a violent era, reduced to delicate lace by the onslaught of gunfire, revealing complex motives of hero fantasies, fear, frustration and hatred.
In the darkness of night I place the targets on gelatin silver paper and ignite measured portions of gunpowder on their surface. The explosive energy imprints the negative form of the target on the light sensitive paper while fire burns through the voids of bullet holes, scaring and pitting the surface of the print, creating luminous shadows whose clarity refute their violent creation. Forms rise from the flames as mythological apparitions haunting a landscape that holds a compressed history of violence. The targets are consumed in the process of creation but the images generated reveal triumphant revenant forms bearing the wounds of their creation.
This ongoing body of work has grown to include multi panel assailants, whose filmic repetition reference comic book cells, clustered installations of bulls-eye targets along with the human scale silhouettes titled “Citizens.” I have spent the last year and a half scouring the land surrounding my home, gathering objects and orchestrating nighttime interventions. Engulfed in billowing smoke, I sift through debris, repeating and refining small explosions, layering violence upon violence with the hope of finding clarity. The further I dive in to this work the more emotionally fraught it becomes and more determined I am to follow this path into uncharted territories.

Process Statement
The images are created outdoors by igniting a small portion of gunpowder on the surface of silver gelatin paper. In the resulting explosion, light and energy abrade and burn the surface while simultaneously exposing the light-sensitive silver emulsion. I loosely control the explosion by placing objects I have gathered in the field on the paper’s surface, but the results are often surprising and unpredictable as the explosive energy of gunpowder is the true generative force creating the image. I believe that by working in these ways, the images push the material and symbolic limitations of the medium. They turn the photograph inside out while creating something that is both serendipitous and elemental. The images are the residue of both creation and obliteration, generated from a single spark.