The Sun Placed in the Abyss

The Sun Placed in the Abyss brings together the work of more than 50 contemporary artists who, since 1970, have explored the essential relationship between photography and the sun. Delving into the historical, social, and technological conditions of photography, this dynamic exhibition highlights our enduring interest in our closest star.

The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections. In the first section, “Archaeologies of Knowledge,” artists re-contextualize pictures of solar phenomena from the nineteenth century to today, reflecting on the intertwined histories of photographic technologies and scientific inquiry. The second section, “Into the Light,” showcases artists who have pointed their camera directly at the sun or used sunlight as a medium. In the final section, “New Romantics,” artists incorporate images of sunrises and sunsets to highlight issues of aesthetic taste and the material conditions of photographic technologies, from postcards and tourist snapshots to magazines and cell phones. The romantic trope of the rising or setting sun becomes a poetic mediation on the politics of photographic representation and meaning.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.