The upcoming exhibition at Mercantile Coffee House is Push/Pull: Abstract Polaroid Photographs by Patrick Murphy. Patrick Murphy is an artist and musician from Dallas, Texas. While working as a recording engineer in the late 90s, Murphy witnessed the evolution from analog to digital recording techniques. While most were excited about the possibilities of digital sound, he became enamored with its limitations. Murphy’s most recent work with Polaroid photographs builds on his interest in obsolete technologies and mechanical failure.
These photographs are all made with the type of instant analog photography popularized in the 1970s—technologies pushed aside in the digital age. Using a variety of techniques and semi-functional instant cameras, the artist spotlights the happy accidents inherent in technology that has been largely abandoned. By manipulating the cameras and film, Murphy blurs the line between photography and painterly abstraction.
The opening reception of Push/Pull will be Thursday June 2, 2011 from 6:00pm-7:30pm and will be on view through August 6th.