Mariah Robertson
First published 7 August 2020
“There’s always a bit of that chemical mess at the edge of a photograph […] I enjoy trying to make something out of the unwanted thing and go deeper into the disaster.”
Mariah Robertson is a New York-based contemporary photographer. Best known for her abstract and conceptual images and photographic installations, Robertson combines technical knowledge and photography application juxtaposed with the random application in her methods.
Robertson manipulates photographic processes – for example, the artist omits and reverses specific steps in the darkroom and applies chemical treatments using instruments or tools such as brushes, sponges and spray bottles – to create unique works on paper, described by art critics as the photographic equivalent of “action paintings” (Robertson 2020).
Robertson has influenced my practice in the darkroom and in the innovative ways the artist displays immense artworks in gallery settings, including draping enormous loops from the ceiling or having the artwork traverse the entire floor in cascading undulations of chromatic brilliance (Neville 2014).
Figure 1. Mariah Robertson, 113, 2012, unique colour print on metallic paper, 30x1968 inches (762x49987mm)
Figure 2. Mariah Robertson, 154, 2014
Mariah Robertson, 16, 2014, unique chemical treatment on RA-4, 2108x1854mm
Mariah Robertson, 209, 2019, unique c-print, Ilfotrans, 760x 36940mm
Keywords
Chemical, Camera-less, Contemporary, Abstract, Photography
References
Robertson, Mariah. 2012. 113. Image. https://art21.org/artist/mariah-robertson/.
2014b. 16. Image. https://www.mbart.com/exhibitions/119/works/artworks-10103-mariah-robertson-16-2014/.
Robertson, Mariah. 2014. 154. Image. https://greg-neville.com/tag/mariah-robertson-prints/.
Robertson, Mariah. 2014. “New York Close Up, ‘Mariah Robertson's Chemical Reactions.” Art21. October 18, 2014. YouTube video, 09:21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv17mnCyq0A.
Robertson, Mariah. 2019. 209. Image. https://www.mariahrobertson.com/work/entire-box-of-photo-paper-works
Robertson, Mariah. 2020. “Tapping Into the Subconscious with Mariah Robertson” Interview by Kinji Fujishima. Fine Art Globe. https://fineartglobe.com/exhibitions/tapping-into-the-subconscious-with-mariah-robertson/.
Squires, C, Batchen, G, Baker, G & Steyerl H 2013, What Is a Photograph?, International Center for Photography and DelMonico Books, New York, NY