Angle of Draw

Filter Photo is pleased to present Angle of Draw, a solo exhibition of photography by Shawn Bush.

Angle of Draw examines the intersections of power, sustainability, and whiteness in the United States. Considering the impact of the fossil-fuel industry on the natural environment, local economy, and future prospects of those left behind by corporations, the series studies how framing the imagery impacts the national imagination—upholding systems of social, political, and economic control.

In the studio and the physical landscape, the artist draws from a collection of propaganda photographs from the 1960s and 1970s to create starkly lit black-and-white photographs, connecting differing periods of liberation and fear to social unrest in America. The presentation of the work refers to mid-20th-century printing and methods of framing, employing a conventional photographic printing process and rich hardwood commonly used during that era.

The prints from this series are created in a traditional black and white wet darkroom from 4x5 and 8x10 inch negatives. Collaged images are generated in-camera using multiple exposures and masking inside the camera’s bellows, in the darkroom using multiple negatives, or are physically constructed for the camera. Silver Gelatin prints are face-mounted to traditional conservation matte board and are shown in artist-made Walnut frames, allowing the image to span the width of the frame without showing print or matte board borders.

About the Artist

Lens-based artist Shawn Bush (he/him/his) grew up in Detroit, MI, a city whose civic history and geographic location have profoundly influenced how he thinks about physical space within American sociopolitical and socioeconomic landscapes. As a result, his photographs and collages are responsive to over-built systems, failing icons, and collapsing mythologies.

Bush earned an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and a BA from Columbia College Chicago. He is included in the 2022 Silver List, a 2021 recipient of the Aperture CreatorLabs Photo Fund, a 2021 Wyoming Arts Council Fellow, and a 2017 Lenscratch Student Prize winner. His debut monograph, A Golden State, won the handmade category at the 2016 Lucie Photobook Prize (NYC) and is included in the Griffin Museum of Photography (Boston, MA), Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece), and Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago, IL) collections. A Golden State was published by Skylark Editions (Chicago, IL) in 2018. In addition, Bush’s work has been shown in various arts & culture publications, including Wallpaper Magazine* (London, UK), FotoFilmic’s JRNL (Vancouver, BC), and Vogue (NYC). His second monograph, Between Gods and Animals, was published by VOID (Athens, Greece) in Fall 2021. Bush is the founder of Dais Books and Assistant Professor of Photography at Casper College.

On View: November 4th – December 22nd, 2022

Location: Filter Space | 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207

This exhibition was partially sponsored by The Illinois Arts Council Agency.