Photographs by Amanda Means on View at Nina Freudenheim Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Amanda Means: Biophilia   Nina Freudenheim Gallery, Buffalo, New York September 12 - October 28, 2015 Opening Reception for the Artist: Saturday, September 12, 6 – 8PM "I will make the case that to explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental development. To an extent still undervalued in philosophy and religion, our existence depends on this propensity, our spirit is woven from it, hope rises on its currents." —E.O. Wilson From the press release: Nina Freudenheim Gallery is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of black and white silver gelatin prints by Amanda Means. Featured will be works from her two ongoing bodies of work, "Leaves" and "Abstractions." These camera-less photographs are studies in macrocosm and microcosm, repetition in nature, and the formal qualities of the organic. Means is concerned with the rhythms and forces of nature. “These are the forces that in early spring push a leaf and all of its intricate parts out of a branch, and cause rivulets of melting snow to flow down a rocky streambed,” she states. In both the “Leaves” and “Abstractions,” this organic energy is brought into intimate view. Her celebration of the beauty and infinite subtlety of her subjects is informed by her experience as a skilled master printer, having worked for Robert Mappelthorpe and Berenice Abbott. This experience has imparted a deep understanding of how light sensitive materials can express infinitely nuanced grey tones: delicate, subtle, shifting. The “Leaves” are representations of nature’s forms. The “Abstractions” are human manipulations of nature’s forces. A parallel sensitivity exists within Means’ expression of lines and shapes in both—the lines that demarcate a leaf’s edge are just as clearly articulated as the lines created from an abstract, liquid rivulet. These graphic and compositional qualities grow out of concepts underlying Abstract Expressionism: balance between literal representation and total abstraction. Means sees her process as moving from the inside towards the exterior, similar to how Jackson Pollock described his work as a painter:  “I work inside out, like nature.”    Above: "Silver Nerve 1990" and "Fan Abstraction 80, 2014," Silver Gelatin Prints.

Nina Freudenheim Gallery Hotel Lenox 140 North Street Buffalo, New York 14201 T: 716-882-5777 F: 716-464-9753 ninagallery@aol.com www.ninafreudenheimgallery.com Thursday-Friday 10am-5pm Saturday and Monday by appointment Copyright © 2015 Amanda Means, All rights reserved.