“The Word presents itself, in its vowels and its diphthongs, like flesh; and, in its consonants, like a skeleton to dissect.” —Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898).
Jon Lynn McCallum celebrates the near attainment of a Masters of Fine Arts degree in photography from California State University, Chico, with this culminating exhibition of photographs and poems.
The Saying and the Said calls attention to the human voice. Difficulty in speaking and in being understood as a child greatly informed McCallum’s sense of self and his perceived ability to navigate through the world. A strong and mysterious force, the human voice has thus become a lifelong curiosity and is understood as both transmitter and metaphor of our human essence.
Within the photographs McCallum positions himself as a subject of exploration. For him, photography is practiced ironically as the medium is bound to the material surfaces of our visible world, while he is more intrigued by the internal and intangible matters of human being, the invisible world. He works in a subtle and poetic manner, mixing both digital and hands-on processes to convey his unique and personal vision. Accompanying poems converse with the imagery, relaying further depths of thought and feeling.
Recently, two of McCallum’s images were accepted into The Alternative Approach, an exhibition in Lexington, Virginia, juried by the internationally known artist, Christopher James, author of The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, a practical bible on the subject.
Sheeted Figure in Room with Cone,
2013, photograph (toner, plastic, aluminum foil, polymer, varnish, wood panel), 40 x 40 inches
