Laura Richard Janku is editor-in-chief of Artweek, a monthly publication that has been covering contemporary visual art on the West Coast for thirty-six years. A freelance writer and curator, Laura contributes to many catalogues, magazines and Web sites.
Laura Richard Janku on Alana Celii
Light is what photographs are made of—literally. And in the work of Alana Celii, it’s also the main subject, as her camera captures interior moments and outdoor scenes characterized by their illumination. In each, areas of flat, near-overexposure offer pure abstract contrast to the saturated colors, details and textures of everyday vignettes.
In the interior shots, walls act as a canvas and lighting sets the mood. The cold, stark-white room in Birthday Party underscores a girl’s disappointment and suggests the oft-dashed expectations of special occasions. By contrast, 1 PM CST is suffused with a warmer natural light that pronounces every feather and knot in the dreamcatcher that hangs over the slumberer below. And the Virgin Mary Night Light emanates an immediate yellow otherworldly aura that melts into surrounding bluish darkness. To opposite effect, in Television, the cathode smolder of an old black-and-white set adds to the jaundiced and stale atmosphere established by the yellow-striped wallpaper and domestic detritus.
Celii’s outdoor eye tends toward cerulean backdrops and stark geometric buildings. Throughout, the daytime brightness flattens the sky and architecture and calls out the scene’s strange particulars: pavement cracks, hanging antlers, chain-link fences, dried mud, a slanted sign, variegated brick, a seagull, a bouquet of cloud-like balloons.
Whether in an apartment in Florence or a parking lot in Maine, all of Celii’s photographs illustrate how light colors the way in which we see and perceive the world. In a dim room all hope can evaporate, while a sunny day can transform the most depressing facts into interesting stories.
