Underground Gallery

2nd Friday Art Walk Reception:
* September 14, 5pm–8pm

Exhibit dates:  September 14—October 6

[Pictured: The Sorrows © Eric Kelly]

Victorian Photography Takes A Surreal Turn In San Rafael Art Installation

Drawing from his extensive collection of peculiar 19th century photography as well as classic public domain images, Eric Kelly uses digital processing to combine and transform antique images into surreal dreamscapes and assemblages.

He constructs the artwork in layers of metal leaf, digital prints, found objects, and resin, mounted on wooden panels or antique printers trays.

Some of his artworks use multiple layers of clear resin to float images and objects in three dimensional space, creating the illusion of being suspended in liquid.

The end result can be unsettling, with the viewer finding themselves face to face with the unflinching gaze of portrait sitters long since forgotten, but now revivified within a strange dream tableau. Described as “curiously grim” by SF Station, his art can also be darkly humorous – one print series transforms unintentionally absurd old photos into storybook illustrations, complete with florid Victorian-style captions.

Resembling a theater set more than the whitewashed space of a typical art gallery, the installation showcasing the art is designed by Rodney Griffin, for many years associated with the Edwardian Ball, and a founding member of Le Mysterium Art Collective. His whimsical lamps, often with antique cameras as the base, perform dual duty as gallery lighting and decor.