Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes
The Catacombs Gallery
August 18, 2023 to September 23, 2023
Chicago to Paris and Back…
Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes references photographer Mark Ballogg’s fourteen-year relationship with Paris.
In 1981, shortly after graduating from Columbia College, Chicago, Ballogg began a yearlong scholarship in Paris. During this time, he wandered the Parisian streets with a 4×5 view camera capturing city views. While exploring Paris on foot, he discovered Père Lachaise, the largest cemetery in Paris and the most visited necropolis in the world. At the time, it was forbidden to photograph the cemetery with a tripod and an attempt to procure access documents was unsuccessful. Ballogg returned to Chicago, started a family, and established a flourishing commercial architectural photography studio.
Twelve years later, Ballogg’s interest in Père Lachaise was rekindled when he read an article in the Chicago Tribune about plans to move the buried remains in the historically rich oldest section of the cemetery, where the decaying architecture was part of the visual charm. Fearing the photographic impact of that change, he returned in 1994 for three weeks and shot over 200 photographs. The color dye transfers and black and white carbon prints in this exhibition are evidence of Ballogg’s fascination with Paris and its most iconic cemetery.
Reflecting on his Paris sojourn, Ballogg states: “During this period, my approach to photography was largely intuitive, driven by my interest in architecture. I looked for a way to go beyond documentation, elevating the image to a new level of emotional and intellectual vibrancy by arranging and distilling complex disparate elements into a dynamic whole.” Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes reveals a new and surprising reimagining that transcends mere photo-documentation of Ballogg’s captured subjects.
RSVP for the opening reception on Friday, August 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the link below:
For more information or to schedule a viewing appointment, please email art@epiphanychi.com.
Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes
The Catacombs Gallery
August 18, 2023 to September 23, 2023
Chicago to Paris and Back…
Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes references photographer Mark Ballogg’s fourteen-year relationship with Paris.
In 1981, shortly after graduating from Columbia College, Chicago, Ballogg began a yearlong scholarship in Paris. During this time, he wandered the Parisian streets with a 4x5 view camera capturing city views. While exploring Paris on foot, he discovered Père Lachaise, the largest cemetery in Paris and the most visited necropolis in the world. At the time, it was forbidden to photograph the cemetery with a tripod and an attempt to procure access documents was unsuccessful. Ballogg returned to Chicago, started a family, and established a flourishing commercial architectural photography studio.
Twelve years later, Ballogg’s interest in Père Lachaise was rekindled when he read an article in the Chicago Tribune about plans to move the buried remains in the historically rich oldest section of the cemetery, where the decaying architecture was part of the visual charm. Fearing the photographic impact of that change, he returned in 1994 for three weeks and shot over 200 photographs. The color dye transfers and black and white carbon prints in this exhibition are evidence of Ballogg’s fascination with Paris and its most iconic cemetery.
Reflecting on his Paris sojourn, Ballogg states: “During this period, my approach to photography was largely intuitive, driven by my interest in architecture. I looked for a way to go beyond documentation, elevating the image to a new level of emotional and intellectual vibrancy by arranging and distilling complex disparate elements into a dynamic whole.” Paris Sojourn: Père Lachaise / Cityscapes reveals a new and surprising reimagining that transcends mere photo-documentation of Ballogg’s captured subjects.
RSVP for the opening reception on Friday, August 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the link below:
For more information or to schedule a viewing appointment, please email art@epiphanychi.com.
Mark Ballogg was raised in Chicago, and received an undergraduate degree in photography from Columbia College, Chicago. He is a practicing photographic artist engaging the concept of community through investigating varied studio spaces and practices in Chicago. In doing so, he aims to navigate the threads between his own life and the notion of foundational studio practice as it relates to the making of artwork and his own presence within the canon. A loving husband and proud father of two sons, Ballogg has shifted his life experiences and practices inward: to a more personal reflection of his creative practice. His most recent book project, Making Space, consists of selected photographs and quotes derived from investigating 162 Chicagoland artists and their studios. With this community’s support, he has fashioned his lived experience into the construction of his own artistic process. Simultaneously confronting his thoughts about art and art making on an intrinsic level, hopefully leaving a foundational path that others may follow to build their own unique yet universal creative spaces.
Mark Ballogg was raised in Chicago, and received an undergraduate degree in photography from Columbia College, Chicago. He is a practicing photographic artist engaging the concept of community through investigating varied studio spaces and practices in Chicago. In doing so, he aims to navigate the threads between his own life and the notion of foundational studio practice as it relates to the making of artwork and his own presence within the canon. A loving husband and proud father of two sons, Ballogg has shifted his life experiences and practices inward: to a more personal reflection of his creative practice. His most recent book project, Making Space, consists of selected photographs and quotes derived from investigating 162 Chicagoland artists and their studios. With this community’s support, he has fashioned his lived experience into the construction of his own artistic process. Simultaneously confronting his thoughts about art and art making on an intrinsic level, hopefully leaving a foundational path that others may follow to build their own unique yet universal creative spaces.
