Oliver Wasow

Oliver Wasow is a Wisconsin born artist who currently lives in New York and continues to make art. He is considered one of New York's most valued living artist. In Wasow's photographs, he adjusts them through photoshop and creates an image that is breath-taking and also believable. He has been in many solo exibitions, including most recently in 2008 in White Columns, NYC. However, Wasow has also been in a great many group exhibitions, most recently in 2007 in Williamstown, Mass. Wasow offers his knowledge to other aspiring young artists by teaching at: The Bard College Milton Averery Graduate School for the Arts, The School of the Visual Arts Graduate Program in Photography and Related Media, and SVA's Undergraduate Photography Program.



I believe that Wasow's goal was to enhance the feel of the area he was photographing. I believe that he wanted to give the locations of his photos the utmost wonder and awe. The issues being raised are the beauty of lighting and the grace of nature. The Vipassana Meditation Center in Tehran, Irashows the beauty of a cave and how nature can so easily provide a place for somber reflection. The use of lighting is shown in this picture by having the mouth of the cave lit brightly and the top and back of the the cave fades to darkness. The area seems so incredibly vast. Lighting is also shown on his Odyssey Cruise Ship Theater by having the spotlights of the stage form a heart against the curtains (which are appropriately red). This is almost advertising by showing the romance that can be found when on a cruise ship. Wasow is inviting people to go on cruise ships in order to be encaptured by the romance. Conversly, Wasow shows no one attending the theater, and so is stating that the beauty is there, but no one wants to see it anymore.



For me, the only critique i can voice is that if the message of these works is to show the beauty and power of nature and lighting, some of the locations and completely man- made, such as the Koyasu Suma Shrine in Kyoto, Japan. That being said, the Koyasu Suma Shrine shows an extremely peaceful man-made-nature, which the Japanese are known for making extravagantly beautiful via simplicity. The photo feels like it could be from nature, but definately a man-made-nature, because of the tree mural on the wall and the lighting source. However the lighting source emphasizes the second idea Wasow plays with: lighting, and so it fits well in the picture even though it is not natural.

http://oliverwasow.com/