MFA VS '14 Alum Rachel Wolf Interviewed on Oregon Artswatch
June 11, 2019
Visual Studies '14 Alumna, Rachel Wolf, recently chatted with David Bates from the Oregon Artswatch about her exhibition Unconditional that is up at the Chehalem Cultural Center through August 3rd. Wolf creates her work using cameraless photography, a process where she distills the photographic process down to light and chemical reaction.
An excerpt from Bates and Wolf:
"Looking at Wolf’s dazzling mix of splashes, drizzles, and speckles of color, it’s easy to assume the images (printed on archival paper) were made on a computer screen. But no. They were “painted” in Wolf’s darkroom. You can watch her do it here.
She likens it to alchemy, describing it this way in her artistic statement:
“The art of alchemy is the transmutation of matter, a process wherein something is changed from one state to another in order to achieve a higher or more valuable form,” she writes. “My photographic work takes from the alchemists this idea of transmutative elevation, which in my projects is achieved through light and chemical action.”"
They go on to talk about the strengths that Portland offers a cultural hub compared to other places and the importance of art education in this work and beyond.
Read the full article here and check out the exhibition at the Chehalem Cultural Center through August 3rd!W
