LUCID, a solo exhibition by Shaina Gates, is part of Gallery 263’s Exhibition Proposal Series, a program in which shows are selected by a competitive jurying process. This exhibition reflects the artist’s interest in the transfer and translation of images across surfaces, systematized processes, and theories related to dimensionality and the organization of space. In LUCID, a body of lumen prints on both paper and film are on view. Lumen prints, or sun prints made on black and white photography paper, are a camera-less photographic process. The works in LUCID, which conjure a joy similar to what one may experience when looking through a kaleidoscope, map the physical experience of how the prints were systematically folded by the artist, materializing the medium’s memory as a visible record. In this way, the material becomes lucid.

The lumen prints on view are made by folding and tucking silver gelatin paper or orthochromatic sheet film according to specific geometric principles that make the surfaces lie flat without tearing. After much trial and error learning how folds react to adjacent folds and vertices, Gates is able to anticipate and guide the seemingly random crease structure. By applying these theories and utilizing a background in drawing and painting, the artist is able to create unique and dynamic compositions.

Shaina Gates, who was born in Massachusetts and lives and works in New Hampshire, shares that New England’s weather has a large effect on the rhythms of her practice. With the artist’s lumen prints, folded paper or film is exposed to the sun for hours or days. This process results in the distinctive crease structure of the prints. The notable differences in the colors—from delicate blushes, to strong umbers, to vibrant yellows—are the result of varying emulsion formulas and environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, and time of year. In LUCID, the work demonstrates the breadth and depth of these variables. The consideration of seasons also plays into the experience of the exhibition itself. In addition to small and large-scale works on the wall, large-scale, translucent prints hanging in the front storefront windows will capture the strong spring light and project it into the gallery space.

About the Artist

Shaina Gates graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2005, an MAT from the School of Visual Arts in 2008, and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Her work has been exhibited in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and many places in New England. In both 2019 and 2020, Gates was a finalist for the Piscataqua Region Artist Advancement Grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. In conjunction with the grant, Gates’ work was included in a three-person show at the University of New Hampshire Museum of Art in 2020 and will be exhibited there again in 2021.

This virtual experience was made possible thanks to the generosity of rtangent. rtangent’s interactive platform, Guided, allows interpreters to virtually lead a group of people through a guided experience of a physical or virtual space. When a narrator is not present, users are able to explore the space on their own.

About the exhibition

This exhibition is part of Gallery 263’s Exhibition Proposal Series, a competitive program juried by the staff and board of the gallery.

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