KATE CORDSEN Ravine

KATE CORDSEN R A V I N E

On the cover: Ravine 9, 2012 c-type print 40 x 50 in.

Edition of 4

KATE CORDSEN

R a v i n e

October 22 – November 28, 2015

Artist Statement I am inspired by the ephemeral qualities in the landscape, particularly those created by water. Vapor becomes clouds, falls back as rain and is channeled again in ever changing forms. This idea of an impermanent, dynamic world is the core of the Buddhist concept of nature. Those fleeting, magical moments reveal an inherent innocence in the landscape. Capturing and preserving the evanescence of the natural, undisturbed world is central to my work.

The idealized landscape in Japanese fine and decorative arts informs much of what I do. I am particularly drawn to the sense of wonder conveyed with water imagery in paintings and kimono textiles. The flattened perspective and use of pattern and line are apparent in my images. In this Ravine series of large format photographs, I challenge notions of time and perception by capturing natural patterns and forms that are familiar yet seem caught between alternate realities. As with all photographic prints, there is an illusion of knowledge of a place and of a moment. With Ravine, I show viewers these translucent, dream-like worlds that lie above and below the surface.

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Ravine 1, 2012 c-type print 50 x 40 in.

Edition of 4

Ravine 12, 2012 c-type print 40 x 50 in.

Edition of 4

Kathryn Markel Fine Arts is pleased to announce Ravine, a solo exhibition of large format photographs by American photographer, Kate Cordsen.

Exploring the boundaries between reality and perception, Cordsen uses ponds and rivers as photographic filters in her Ravine series. Viewed through watery veils, she transforms sumptuous landscapes into dreamlike, alternate universes. By capturing the ephemeral in a large-scale format, her work emphasizes nature’s dynamic immateriality while presenting her remarkable ability to extract emotive qualities from the natural world.

This distinct elegance is the result of a variety of Western and Eastern influences converging. Her painterly photographs have the shimmering qualities of a Klimt landscape and the sheer, layered washes of a Whistler painting – both significant artists to Cordsen. Her work is also assiduously affected by her deep understanding of Asian aesthetics and philosophies. The meditative quality imbued in her work is drawn from Buddhist teachings about heightened perception. The flattened perspective and use of pattern and line in her compositions is an obvious connection to traditional Chinese and Japanese artistic devices. Trained as an art historian in Chinese and Japanese art, Cordsen spent years living and traveling in Asia, absorbing these elements and paring them with her own sense of expression.

Cordsen also spent time as a Ford model in Tokyo which proved to be formative in her artistic development and is apparent in this body of work. While modeling for Japanese avant-garde fashion designers Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, she obtained an ardent regard for the Japanese emphasis on the geometrics of light and appreciation of translucence. “Harmonious geometric shapes have an emotional quality to me as much as the natural landscape. They both represent an organic feeling and intellect.” (Cordsen).

Cordsen earned a BA in East Asian Studies and the History of Art from Washington & Lee University where she was the first woman to receive an undergraduate degree. She holds an MPP from Georgetown University and has studied the History of Art at Harvard University as well as Photography at the International Center of Photography. Recent group exhibitions include The Benton Museum, Harvard University and the International Center of Photography. Kate Cordsen’s photographs are in private collections worldwide and have been published in The New York Times and Elle Décor, among others.

Ravine 2, 2012 c-type print 20 x 25 in.

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Ravine 23, 2015 c-type print 40 x 50 in.

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Ravine 24, 2015 c-type print 40 x 50 in.

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Ravine 9, 2012 c-type print 40 x 50 in.

Edition of 4

Biography

Through her training as an art historian in Chinese and Japanese porcelain as well as years living in the Philippines and Japan, Kate Cordsen has a deep understanding of Asian aesthetics and philosophy. Her time as a Ford model in Tokyo modeling for the Japanese avant-garde – Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto – furthered her respect for the Japanese emphasis on geometrics of light, the appreciation of translucence and the profound beauty of subtlety. Cordsen earned a BA in East Asian Studies and the history of art from Washington & Lee University and an MPP from Georgetown University. She studied the history of art at Harvard University and photography at the International Center of Photography. Recent group exhibitions have included The Benton Museum, Harvard University and the International Center of Photography. Kate Cordsen’s images have been published in The New York Times and Elle Décor, amongst others.

Ravine 22, 2015 c-type print 50 x 40 in.

Edition of 4

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