While most photographers are concerned with pictorial information, documentation and representation in their work, Eileen Quinlan is interested in ghosts and making pictures of nothing. Her models are smoke, mirrors, reflections, surfaces and photographic film. The resulting images are not about something, stand in for naught and tell very little. The pictures themselves have more to do with constructivist abstract painting and the process of photography than to any photographic reference.
Quinlan's ongoing series, “Smoke and Mirrors,” began in 2004 with an interest in paranormal and spirit photography. Initially, Quinlan sought a narrative bend to her photographs, attempting to manifest spirits and specters with smoke. During this process she began using mirrors, reflectors, foil and mylar in the hopes of adding volume and dimension to her unruly subject. During these experiments Quinlan began to focus less on narrative and more on the formal aspects of her subjects eventually arriving at her current body of work: non-objective photographs.
There are elements of Quinlan's that do reference a few photographers before her. Quinlan's bold colors and stark geometric shapes recall the work of Barbara Kasten and her use of reflections and foil certainly corresponds to the early work of James Welling. In the end, though, Quinlan's work only superficially parallels the work of both these artists; Kasten's work wholeheartedly references architecture and Welling's early work (while somewhat no-referential) relies heavily on form and the sculptural quality of the material. Quinlan's work, however, seldom refers to her materials or references them; her true subject-matter is the process of photography and the nature of image-making. Even though both Kasten and Welling deal with photography as a subject in their respective works, neither photographer allow their photographs to speak directly to the viewer as Quinlan does. Where Kasten and Welling's prints are beautiful, pristine wonderful photographic records they do not always break the mold of precious object. Quinlan's images, themselves lush and gorgeous, do not hide flaws, scratches and dust. The images are fully grounded in photography and its ability to record. There is no hidden flaw in Quinlan's photographs, no need to hide what is there - no misrepresentation, because the photos do not in fact represent anything. Here is where Quinlan's work is most successful, she has taken these tools of representation (the camera. and indeed photography) and created a totally non-representational response.
In our world where image is everything, truth can be veiled by pictures that totally misrepresent the facts, images can be manipulated to obfuscate and mislead and we simply cannot trust everything that we see, Eileen Quinlan's work is a visual breath of fresh air. Her “Smoke and Mirrors,” hide nothing and reveal all they have about
themselves to us. Because the images represent no ideals; mask no meanings and offer no theories they can be looked upon without being gazed. They are remarkable little spirits framed and hung for our pleasure.
Eileen Quinlan's current body of work is on view now through December 9 at Miguel Abreu gallery in New York.
You may see some of it here:
miguelabreugallery.com
You can also find more work here:
suttonlane.com/artist.php?a=eq&p=home
And an interview here:
zoozoom.com/magazine.aspx#type=story&id=414
S. Boonchai
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