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Romaunt
Antarctica
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At the turn of the twentieth century, exploration of Antarctica
was at the limit of possibilities: a limit of resources, of physical
endurance, and of technological capacity. It became a stage
whereupon some of the bravest and worthy of explorers ever to have
lived would meet some of the harshest conditions ever endured. In
1768, the famed explorer Captain James Cook would voyage close to
Antarctica, but disappointed by the colossal and futile feat, would
concede that it was nothing more than a barren wasteland unworthy of
discovery. Even though for Cook Antarctica was nothing more than a
continent of nothingness, it would be for other explorers, such as
Sir Earnest Shackleton and Roald Amundson, the site of grand and
romantic exploration. Their journeys would capture the spirit of the
modern day “Heroic Age.”
In Romaunt Antarctica, Christopher Simmons photographs this
uninhabitable yet glorious terrain in his large-scale
black-and-white images. For Simmons, the month-long voyage aboard
The Hanseatic was not necessarily one of scientific exploration, but
one of an artistic journey confronting nature. The images document
the hostile environment’s raw beauty, giving the viewer an
opportunity to experience the landscapes in the same amazement as
the explorers had witnessed it over 100 years ago.
By 2003, Simmons had traveled to all but one of the world’s seven
continents and, with his father as traveling companion, would set
out to Antarctica. “The grandeur, the monochromatic vastness and the
clear, cold beauty of Antarctica appealed to me,” says Simmons. As
The Hanseatic navigated painstakingly slow through the fields of
icebergs, the ship would often come to a complete stop in order to
avoid collision. This and the fortune of good weather provided
Simmons an invaluable opportunity to set up his camera and shoot the
landscape as it unfolded.
The trip to Antarctica was the last time the artist was to use
his favorite 35mm Canon AE-1 single lens reflex film camera. Over
the years, Simmons had been using a unique film that had become a
signature style. No longer manufactured by Kodak, Technical Pan film
is able to capture fine details and produce high contrast imagery.
The suite of images was printed on a thick Hahnemühle paper from
a centuries-old German paper house. The paper possesses a beautiful
torchon surface with a distinctive undulating finish producing deep
velvety blacks and a beautiful softness in the lighter shades of
grey when the ink is applied. There is a meditative quality to these
images, particularly in the haze of the horizons, as the heavens and
earth dissolve into one another. A new found peace is experienced
through the reflections of the landscapes into the still, velvety
black waters, evident in such works as Romantic Reflections #1 and
#2. The softness of the low-lying clouds through which the sun has
gently broken in Sun Through Fog provides a near celestial
experience. The images are captivating and tell of the wonder of a
newly discovered world.
Romaunt Antarctica marks Simmons’ fourth solo exhibition and
second solo exhibition with Island Weiss Gallery. Simmons has
received critical acclaim in such publications as The Washington
Post, Washington Review, Washington CityPaper, Where-Washington, as
well as on PBS’ television program, Around Town. Simmons’ work is in
three public collections: the U.S. State Department, The Washington
Post Company, and the Cold War Museum.
Born in 1963, Simmons majored in history at Duke University and
holds a BFA degree in fine arts and art history from Tufts
University. He also has a degree with a concentration in painting
and drawing from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
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