Liz Liguori: Light of Hand
By Liz Liguori
Curated by Elæ Moss
La Mama Galleria is pleased to present the solo exhibition Liz Liguori: Light of Hand, which traces the evolution of the artist’s exploration of light in space through her electromagnetogram process. The exhibition, curated by Elæ Moss, will be on view March 4 – April 16, 2022.
Liguori deconstructs the elements of photography to create cameraless images in the darkroom through a process she calls the electromagnetogram. The artist paints with light, exposing photosensitive paper to its ephemeral movements through space. Although she approaches each piece with a plan, this process invites countless opportunities for chance and discovery in the pitch black of the darkroom.
Light of Hand features never before seen unique gelatin silver prints, whose massive shifts in scale—from 7 x 8-foot diptychs to more intimate pieces only a few inches across—highlight the painterly capacities of light refraction and optical amplification of water and sound frequency. These abstract works, focusing on the artist’s newest experimental darkroom procedures, showcase the depth and tonal possibilities achieved through Liguori’s experimentation with objects, photochemistry, and paper.
Employing a strategy borne out of Liguori’s background creating immersive light experiences in New York City nightclubs, electromagnetograms reveal the transformative, meditative power of light and sound the artist learned to manipulate in those spaces. Visitors will reconsider their own relationship with not only the invisible but also the intangible—the ineffable qualities of light, water, and sound that shape our world.
In addition to the prints, Light of Hand includes a documentary short on Liguori’s studio process. A book on Liguori’s work will also be produced to coincide with the exhibition.
Image one: Liz Liguori. Slits and Water #01 (2020) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
Image two: Liz Liguori. Shutters with Diffractions (2020) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
Image three: Liz Liguori. Shutter Test with Solar Marks (2020) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 12 x 12 in. (30.48 x 30.48 cm)
Image four: Liz Liguori. Human Frequencies in a TeaCup (2021) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
Image five: Liz Liguori. Polarized Diffraction Grating with Solar Marks (2020) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 42 x 72 in. (106.6 x 182.8 cm)
Image six: Liz Liguori. Shadows That Form Light DCE (2021) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)
Liz Liguori (b. 1979) is an artist and light designer based in New York City. She received her MFA in Creative Technologies from Virginia Tech and her BFA in Studio Art from Drew University. Her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Lazy Susan Gallery and 222 Bowery Art in New York City and she has shown at museums and galleries across the country.
Elæ Moss (b. 1979) is a nonbinary multimodal artist-researcher, producer, and educator. They recently co-curated [move semantics]: rules of unfolding with Jeff Kasper at EFA Project Space in New York City. Moss’s projects and performances have shown at STWST/Ars Electronica, Usdan Gallery, Judson Church, the Segal Center’s Performing Knowledge Festival, SOHO20, Dixon Place, and the Exponential Festival, among others. They are a Professor at Pratt Institute and the Founder and Creative Director of The Operating System & Liminal Lab, and publish widely.
Image: Liz Liguori, Double Path (2019) Unique Gelatin Silver Print, 24 x 48 in.
La MaMa Galleria
Founded in 1984, La Galleria is a nonprofit gallery committed to nurturing experimentation in the visual arts. La Galleria encourages an active dialogue between new media, performance, the plastic and visual arts, curatorial projects, and educational initiatives. It serves the East Village community by offering diverse programming to an inter-generational audience, and expanding the parameters of a traditional gallery space. As a non-profit, La Galleria is able to provide artists and curators with unique exhibition opportunities that are largely out of reach in a commercial gallery setting.