Roman Fine Art is pleased to announce Halcyon Days, our upcoming solo exhibition of new works by polaroid Photographer Alex Moore. Moore’s first solo exhibition at Roman Fine Art will feature new figurative and landscape works from his most recent travels. Halcyon Days will include many of Moore’s original polaroid photographs as well as much larger Dye sublimination prints on aluminum and chromogenic prints based on the scanned originals.
Alex Moore first became enamored with polaroid photography while studying abroad in Paris in the spring of 2016. Moore’s initial focus, while attending the Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan, was in illustration and painting, but a fateful encounter with a polaroid camera completely changed the direction of his creative output. Halcyon Days is a collection of photography based entirely on Moore’s polaroid work. The exhibit is comprised of images taken during Moore’s many travels. While Moore has taken polaroid photos throughout North America, Asia and Europe, most of the work in his newest exhibit focus on Mexico, New Mexico, Southern France, New York City and the Hamptons.
Moore’s use of the polaroid as his medium of choice heightens the travelogue quality of his images. In Halcyon Days, photos of landmarks and landscapes are paired with portraits of friends, models and strangers that Moore encounters during his explorations. While the polaroid format may imply spontaneity, in reality, Moore must lean heavily on his formal Fine Arts training to ensure a successful photo. Because Moore only utilizes natural lighting, each shot requires a degree of planning. Locations are scouted and compositions and palette are considered before each shoot.
When most people think of polaroid photography, they think of the impulsive nature of the point and shoot snaps many of us associate with our favorite childhood memories. Most of us remember having a friend or relative breaking out a polaroid to capture both important milestones as well as casual, intimate moments, such as a barbeque or road trip. The polaroid, with its iconic white border, has always had connotations of capturing memories in the moment, more so than any other form of photography. Moore utilizes this to his advantage inherently infusing his imagery with the same sense of nostalgia and whimsy.
“I wanted to play with this notion. Why is the polaroid seen as an amateur form of photography?
What about them is so casual? Is it the small size perhaps? Its spontaneous nature? By reworking
the medium: scanning in the original polaroid, printing it at a large scale on either canvas or alu-
minum, I wanted to highlight the importance of size, process, and presentation. I wanted to keep
the same iconic border format to tie the final product back to its roots as a casual 4-inch polaroid
that could fit in your pocket.”