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Miami artist Ian Patrick O’Connor captures peaceful moments in Miami Beach
Captured within a few blocks from where artist Ian Patrick O’Connor resides in Miami Beach, Present consists of 12 photographs made between 2018-2022 from his ongoing, more extensive photographic series by the same name. The collection of images, on display through February 2023, is the latest exhibition at Miami International Airport’s CameraWorks gallery at gates D22 and D25.
The purpose of Present follows O’Connor’s overall work, which is to grant the viewer a calming pause from the overstimulated modern world and to evoke an overall sense of well-being Utilizing techniques from Minimalism to create a visual language, O’Connor experiments with esoteric ideas of color and art therapy. According to O’Connor, this series provides viewers with two options: they can analyze the image for what it is or peer deeper within and meditate on their chosen subject.
The purpose of Present follows O’Connor’s overall work, which is to grant the viewer a calming pause from the overstimulated modern world and to evoke an overall sense of well-being Utilizing techniques from Minimalism to create a visual language, O’Connor experiments with esoteric ideas of color and art therapy. According to O’Connor, this series provides viewers with two options: they can analyze the image for what it is or peer deeper within and meditate on their chosen subject.
“These photographic opportunities I observe on a daily basis feel as if I am eavesdropping on a conversation between architecture, nature, color, and space. My notes are the silent dialogue of the collective elements encapsulated in the photographs. Over time, a visual poem appears with the forms, shapes, tones, and hues being its language. Out of respect for the spontaneity of the here and now, each photograph is made with only one exposure on film with a 4×5 camera. A sense of timelessness is obtained by what I choose to portray and what I choose to leave out of the frame. Present in a particular place. Being in view. Occurring now. A gift,” said Ian Patrick O’Connor.
O’Connor is a Miami-based artist primarily working with large-format photography. He was born in Hollywood, Florida in 1982 and raised in the Florida Keys. He studied photography at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale before launching his career as a photographer documenting professional skateboarders. O’Connor traveled extensively over a decade working as a staff photographer for various magazines, and brands within the skateboard industry.
In 2010, O’Connor moved to Santiago de Chile. During this transition period, he began to explore the camera as a medium for artistic expression and for creating work that resonated with him personally. Upon returning to Miami in 2015, O’Connor committed to working primarily with a large format 4×5 film camera.