For more than
twenty years, Richard Misrach has been photographing the American desert,
revealing a complex landscape that is as captivating as it is mysterious.Through
his numerous cantos's [groups of pictures] Misrach has created one of
the most extensive projects in contemporary photography.
For most people, the desert defines itself as a place
where little happens, except the occasional glimpse of tumbleweed blowing
across the sand. There are no movie theaters, coffee shops, malls or cars.
There are no visible towns for miles and few noises, except the sound
of your own breathing. In Misrach's desert, the land vibrates with underground
nuclear testing and the sky illuminates with radiation seeping into the
atmosphere, creating fantastic colors at every glance.
Whether photographing a flooded town, a desert fire,
an abandoned nuclear test site or the colors on the horizon emanating
from a small town miles away, Richard Misrach draws the viewer into his
world through his mastery of color. Ranging from beautiful lakes to secret
military bunkers to speed racing on the Utah salt flats, Misrach's work
chronicles mans involvement in the desert, while always paying homage
to the intrinsic beauty provided by nature. It's through beauty that Misrach's
social concerns are most revealed. By pulling the viewer into a glowing
light or calm body of water, he presents situations which leave us asking
questions about the American desert -- a desert which continues to heal
and revive itself regardless of mans actions.
Richard Misrach's work has been exhibited throughout
the world and is included in most museum collections including the Metropolitan
Museum of Art [New York], Museum of Modern Art [New York], Center National
d'Art at de Culture Georges Pompidou [Paris], National Museum of American
Art [Washington, DC] and Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art [Japan].
