The ghosts in this section have many names: spirits, ancestors, memory, found photo negatives. Either conceptually or visually, artists in this section contemplate how things that have passed on confront, inspire, or re-write their works. 

Savannah Calhoun

Photography, now ever-present, is an entry point that seeks nostalgia and creates the impossible or improbable. In this work, I address photography’s relationship with the past and death through still life and digital collage. In conversation with a previous project, Cyber Fantasy, this work rejects the former optimism towards rising tech and the abundance of images, realistically understanding the societal attraction to nostalgia as problematic.

Historically, photography has been known to have a correlation with mortality. Photography’s relationship with death, by extension, is also a relationship with haunting. The term hauntology refers to the “return or persistence of elements from the social or cultural past, as in the manner of a ghost.” In a society traumatized by late-stage capitalism and a global pandemic, we are promised that cliches of the past can comfort us. This manifests as “haunting” by the recirculation of old ideas in pop culture and politics. This series challenges this hackneyed view of culture by repurposing photography’s constituents, mixing, and resampling. 

Writings by Grafton Tanner and Mark Fisher as well as the work of Takeshi Murata are influences for this project. 

Savannah Calhoun is an image-based artist. She received her MFA from the University of Missouri in 2022, is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from Herron School of Art and Design in 2019 with a BFA in photography. She lives and works in Muncie, Indiana. Her work has been shown both nationally and internationally.

Lance Ifáṣọlá Smith

My work is an exploration of the intersection between the past and the present, utilizing ancestral technology to create contemporary pieces. Through the use of natural materials and traditional techniques, I seek to honor and preserve cultural heritage while also pushing the boundaries of what is possible. My goal is to create art that is both visually stunning and deeply meaningful, inviting viewers to reflect on their own connection to history and tradition.

Lance L. Smith is a Joan Mitchell nominated multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and teacher based in Las Vegas, NV. Their work often explores themes of loss, distortion, and liberatory practices.

Jennifer Hartnett (J. Charboneau)

“Memorandum” is a collection of ink paintings inspired by found-object photo negatives which depict daily life in early 1900’s America.  The photo negatives offer a historic storyline of life and leisure in an untamed Western Landscape. 

The vastness of desert and sky depicted in the scenes bring attention to the beauty found in open spaces; allowing for the artworks to reference the timelessness of Man’s attraction to the unknown. Viewers become reacquainted with historic images of the West while discovering the depth and movement that negative space can harness. The black and white contrast of the original photo negatives is mimicked with expressive ink and charcoal layering on white paper, giving more attention to the brushwork and linework rather than sole attention to the subject matter. The creation process also highlights original prose and haiku poetry, written by the artist, in the “memorandum” journal of which the photo negatives were found.  All writing is intentionally detailed and spoken in reference from then(1900’s) to now. Each painting is titled from the writings. 

This collection of work is a “found” story which breaks the barrier of time and makes what is old new… And what is thought to be past, current and relevant to our modern times. 

collection in process

© 2022 / © 2023

“My art should be as malleable as the world we live in. It should not be stagnant. It should possess life and inspire the looker to Give and take life from it.” See more of Jennifer’s work here: www.jcharboneau.com.

Rashian Boyd

Taking a photograph is not only about capturing a moment in time, but also capturing the spirit and the essence of the subject. This is essential when it comes to my style and practice of photography. I want my viewers to see the story, relate to the story and ultimately relate to its essence and spirit. The following series tells of a narrative of loneliness and its ever-disappointing attempt at connection followed by the cycle it gets trapped in. We as human beings have adapted to a society that is taught separation and self-pleasure. So, when it comes to the process of finding connection with others, we sometimes fail and find ourselves alone in this world, seeking for another being to start the process all over again.

Las Vegas based photographer that has been practicing the art for about 6 years and counting with a focus on portraits, artistic nudes, landscapes, nature, fashion, family, story telling, and artistic expressions. I have been published in 1 major magazine called Model Society and displayed in 1 gallery at the Donna Beam art gallery in UNLV.