Couple #1, 2015. 44 x 60" Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
As one of Michael Massaia's self-professed biggest fans (see here, here, here, here, here, and here), it's redundant to say how excited I am about his first solo show at ClampArt, which opens this week.
"Michael Massaia is a fine art photographer and printmaker who has crafted an enviable body of work comprising fifteen portfolios by depicting ordinary and often overlooked subjects close at hand. Isolation and quietude are a constant in all of his work. He focuses primarily on large format, black-and-white film, utilizing a variety of highly modified proprietary analog and digital printing techniques. Massaia always works alone and is the sole craftsman from the instant the negative is exposed to the moment the final print is produced."
Couple #7, 2014. 44 x 60" Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
"Utilizing slow black-and-white film, Massaia meticulously prints and tones his large-scale analog photographs in his darkroom back in New Jersey, which has been customized to produce prints up to 3.5 x 4.5 feet. The impressively rich, detailed gelatin silver prints exhibit a breathtaking tonal scale due to a stain developer called Pyro (notorious for its toxicity)." Brian Clamp
They must be seen to be believed. On view, and for sale, "Deep In A Dream" at ClampArt from September 28 - November 25, 2017. Opening Reception: Thursday, September 28, 2017, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Sleeper #1, 2013. 22 x 28" Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
Himself
Westside Sunrise, 2009. 22 x 28" Split-toned gelatin silver print
The Mall, 4am, 2012. 30 x 40" Split-toned gelatin silver print
Zoo Entrance, 2016. 44 x 60" Selenium-toned gelatin silver print. All images © Michael Massaia