Press Release

Here is one trajectory. It begins with a creation myth and ends with speculation:

In 1826 Nicéphore Niépce prepared, exposed, and processed what is believed to be one of the oldest surviving photographs, A View from the Window at Le Gras.

In 1871, forty-five years later, a coalition of working class Parisians organized a socialist democracy that governed France for just three months. When the Paris Commune went under siege in May, the daily newspaper Le Temps stopped production for thirteen consecutive days.

In 2012, interested in photojournalism’s role in shaping historical perceptions of uncertainty and upheaval, Weldzius used a utility knife, wheat paste, and dismal socio-economic news culled from the daily paper Le Monde to construct a series of collage works. Weldzius made these works while he was an artist resident at the Terra Foundation for American Art in Giverny, France. He affixed the collages to the walls of his studio and photographed them periodically—often late in the day, in soft, Impressionistic light.

Incidentally, entrepreneur Daniel J. Terra, the founder of the Terra Foundation, amassed his fortune after patenting a quick-drying print ink. Terra’s ink was first applied to the pages of Life, an American picture-magazine that debuted in November 1936.

In 2013, Weldzius printed five photographic documents of his newspaper collages at Otis College of Art’s photo facility. For his exhibition “45 Year Lapse,” Weldzius has displayed his photographs at the site of their production.

It is unclear whether the dabs of color on Weldzius’ inkjet prints contain resins, vehicles, or additives that can be attributed to Terra’s corporate namesake, Lawter International Inc.

KMIV Gallery in the Audrey & Sydney Irmas Photography Lab
Otis College of Art & Design
Ahmanson Building, 6th Floor
9045 Lincoln Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045

KMIV Gallery is located within the Audrey & Sydney Irmas Photography Lab. The gallery is a malleable space within and surrounding the industrial imaging equipment throughout the production facilities. Exhibitions are organized by Ian James, Assistant Professor in Fine Arts at Otis College. David Weldzius’ “45 Year Lapse” is the second semester-long exhibition, preceded respectively by Brica Wilcox’s “3 Works.”