Mixed Media Photo-eye presents Robert Stivers
Founded in Austin, Texas, in 1979, the Photo-eye Bookstore and Project Space, which relocated to Santa Fe in 1991, has offered a photo-centric selection of tomes for visual pleasure junkies, whether their interest is in historic or contemporary photography. Long the counterpart to the Photo-eye Gallery, the combined bookstore and project space also hosts its own series of exhibitions. A staple on Garcia Street for more than two decades, the bookstore has made a recent move to the up-and-coming arts district developing in the vicinity of the Meow Wolf Art Complex, a move that enabled the shop to expand its footprint.
The bookstore’s grand opening in the new location, a 2,400 square-foot, two-level space, is Saturday, May 5, and includes an exhibition of the works by Santa Fe-based photographer Robert Stivers. Stivers, known for his darkroom photography, creates haunting, enigmatic portraits, stilllifes, and abstractions that contain a sense of mystery and ethereal beauty. Staging Pictures: Early Polaroids by Robert Stivers features 12 Polaroids Stivers shot with a Hasselblad camera that he made as working prints for a series of larger images. The Polaroids, which Stivers manipulated through scratching, burning, and collage work, accompany larger exhibition prints. Stivers marries traditional darkroom techniques to an experimental approach, resulting in an idiosyncratic body of work.
The opening reception includes a book launch and book signing for Staging Pictures: Early Polaroids by Robert Stivers, published by Dark Springs Press. It’s Stivers’ sixth book on his photography. The book was published in a limited edition of 425 signed and numbered copies and a deluxe edition of 25 copies in an archival box that includes two signed 8-by-8-inch prints: a unique Polaroid and a gelatin silver print. Both editions are available for purchase. The reception for the exhibit and book launch is at 5 p.m. The new location is at 1300 Rufina Circle, Suite A3. Call 505-988-5152 for more information. — Michael Abatemarco