Rob Lancaster Photography - Abstract Solo Show

Photo: Jordan Polonsky

Rob Lancaster is an abstract photographer who bends textured surfaces into abstract images. The trajectory of his pursuit began with the thrill of removing something mundane - peeling paint, rusting metal, a crack in the sidewalk - from its context to create an image. He was hooked on the thrill of the ignored, commonplace objects transformed into abstract art. A scene lifted out of its context became something completely new. From there, he spent a season layering images on top of each other to create something new again. He forced the textures and surfaces to fold in on themselves. One image, duplicated. Flipped. Doubled over on itself. A singular image, now a multiplicity. Finally, he began to chop a singular image into pieces and layer the pieces together in collage.

This exhibition follows the three phases of Lancaster’s abstract photography journey, showcasing images of each approach.

Landscape No. 1 is an example of his most recent synthesis of these three approaches, and the direction he sees his work taking. There is something resonant about moving through a distinctly abstract phase into what feels more like a nod to the impressionist era.

Lancaster took his first film photography class at the age of 15, and lost track of the art form for a decade or more. When his first son was born, his camera became an everyday carry. While he is still committed to film and editing in his basement darkroom, digital photography offers him a practical way to pursue art making while parenting, in a season when time in the darkroom is hard to find.