Opening! Gallery Carte Blanche Exhibits Mattias Heiderich’s Architectural Photography
Author:Dara KerrGallery Carte Blanche’s newest photography exhibit is a must-go for architecture buffs – especially those into a German aesthetic. “Spektrum Berlin” features eye-popping, geometric, and pattern-filled architectural images by German-based photographer Mattias Heiderich.
“It’s architecture photography but with a twist,” says Gwen Lafage, owner of Carte Blanche. “Close-ups of buildings and colors are very important for him in this series.”
It’s hard to imagine East Berlin’s industrial buildings looking so vibrant, bold, and captivating. But somehow Heiderich manages to carefully compose each photograph so that what is normally mundane in a concrete block structure becomes interesting. Straight lines become angular and shapes and patterns fill with bright orange, yellow, and green color blocks.
This is Heiderich’s first solo show in the U.S. The 30-year-old photographer currently lives and works in Berlin. His influences stem from photographer Bernd Bechers’ tradition of snapping shots of industrial buildings and structures. His work is also reminiscent of 1950s and ’60s color photography and Polaroid images infused with saturated colors.
“Sometimes he uses a filter to alter the colors so they really pop out,” Lafage says. “A lot of times the photos are abstract. Actually, a lot of people are surprised they are not paintings.”
Carte Blanche is a newly opened photography-only gallery in San Francisco’s Mission district. Lafage’s goal with the gallery is to feature international artists that aren’t yet well known in the U.S. Besides regular exhibitions, limited-edition prints and a vast selection of photography books are also available at the gallery.
“Spektrum Berlin” is open through September 13, 2012 at Gallery Carte Blanche located at 973 Valencia Street in San Francisco.
