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Maureen Paley is pleased to present the fourth solo exhibition at the gallery by James Welling.

‘Greek and Hellenistic antiquities are the subject of Planograph. I started photographing ancient objects in museums ten years ago and in June I visited Greece for the first time.

When I took up photography in my twenties, I thought of the medium as a time machine. This summer as I processed my digital camera files from Greece to mimic black and white 19th century film—white skies and dark earth tones—I realised that I was looping back to this early intuition about photography. Modelling 19th century technology is a form of time travel, a visual return to the albums of early archaeological expeditions, the first photographic imaginings of Greece.

Recently I discovered flexible plate lithography, a form of planographic printing. Planographic plates print from a flat surface, as opposed to relief printing, such as etching. I image my plates on a laser printer, sponge with water and ink with traditional artist’s oil paint. Rather than printing the result, I present the inked surfaces as photographic objects.'

- James Welling

IYPD
dye sublimation print mounted on plexi
print: 60.96 x 50.8 cm - 24 x 20 in
2018

Head of a goddess. 2nd century A. D. marble imitation of a 5th - 4th century B. C. chryselephantine (gold and ivory) sculpture

oil pigment and electrostatic print
print: 45.7 x 30.5 cm - 18 x 12 in
2019

Planograph
exhibition view
Maureen Paley, London
2019

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Portrait of Avidia Plautia
oil pigment, electrostatic print
44.5 x 29.6 cm - 18 x 12 1/8 in
2019

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Planograph
exhibition view
Maureen Paley, London
2019

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'I came to photography through books printed by such legendary houses as the Triton Press, Meridian Gravure and Rapoport Printing. In the matte tonalities and halftone dots of Planograph, I am paying tribute to the 20th century printers who introduced me to photographic seeing.’

- James Welling, 2019

ICYR
dye sublimation print mounted on plexi
print: 60.96 x 50.8 cm - 24 x 20 in
unique
2018

IBBY
dye sublimation print mounted on plexi
print: 60.96 x 50.8 cm - 24 x 20 in
unique
2018

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Planograph
exhibition view
Maureen Paley, London
2019

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Athlete's torso
oil pigment and electrostatic print
initialled, titled, dated, numbered, and inscribed on recto
print: 45.7 x 30.5 cm - 18 x 12 in
2019

Parthenon. West pediment. Crowning akroterion
(floral ornament)
oil pigment and electrostatic print
initialled, titled, dated, numbered, and inscribed on recto
print: 45.7 x 30.5 cm - 18 x 12 in
2019

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Erechtheion. North porch. Sunset
inkjet print on rag paper with watercolour
image: 42.5 × 57.2 cm - 16 3/4 x 22 1/2 in
2019

Acropolis. Cloudburst and thunder
inkjet print on rag paper with watercolour
image: 39.4 × 58.1 cm - 15 1/2 x 22 7/8 in
2019

Planograph
exhibition view
Maureen Paley, London
2019

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Erechtheion. North porch. Sunset
inkjet print on rag paper with watercolour
print: 42.5 x 57.2 cm - 16 3/4 x 22 1/2 in
2019

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