Joey Lehman Morris
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Joey Lehman Morris emphasizes the physical properties
of photographic material to invigorate a renewed dialogue
between photography and the presence of place. Highlighting
the sculptural element of their construction, Morris exhibits
his large-format prints in deliberate and surprising positions.
Depicting his native South West landscape and its occasionally
absurd man-made constructions, Morris’ work reflects his
investigation of the possibilities for disrupting language’s
dominion over associated image, evoking such early Southern
California conceptual artists as Robert Cumming, who
juxtaposes references of art history and science. An emphasis
on the sculptural presence of his installed photographic works
also provides Morris a means to explore the nature of time and
attention, and to convey a willing embrace of the ambiguities
of photographic practice. As he observes, “A photograph can
only prolong a very small and very altered variant of the thing
that it wishes to fix and preserve. My images do not promote
preservation, but they do opt for a type of stillness.” In Black
Mountain Detachment: Two Nights, From Waxing to Fully
Stated (2008), photographed by moonlight with long exposure
over two nights, Morris contrasts the pitch-dark face of the
mountain with the bright craggy
surface of the desert floor,
paring down his subject to its minimal surfaces and textures
in a process he calls “photographic subtraction”. Applying the
stillness of prolonged attention to the scene of an extreme
yet actual horizon, Morris heightens our awareness of the
landscape. By offering an evocative sense of place, he expands
the sense of possibility for new meaning.
BIOGRAPHY
Joey Lehman Morris was born and raised in Los Angeles, California,
where he currently lives and works. He earned his B.F.A. at the
University of Southern California, Los Angeles (2004) and his M.F.A.
from the University of California, Irvine (2008). Working primarily
with photography, he employs, in his sculptural concerns for the
medium, an examination of he said is “the sway of time and language
on landscape.” His recent solo and group projects include
Landlot, Galería Perdida/Project Row Houses, Houston; Infrastructure,
Wignall Museum, Rancho Cucamonga, California; Wreckers,
Records and Redeemers, LA>< Art, Los Angeles; Alternative Places,
Los Angeles International Airport; Oranges and Paper: MFA Thesis
Exhibition, University of California, Irvine; The Doubt Can Just Roll
off the Tongue, Shotgun Space, Los Angeles; and A Face in the
Crowd, in collaboration with Marcus Civin, Catalyst Gallery, Irvine