Aphrodite, 2020, Wet photogram with ferric ammonium citrate, 30 x 22 in., $5,500

Artists thrive in the state of uncertainty. It is the space in which new work is often produced—a realm where ideas are explored and solutions are sometimes found. Brian Buckley actively seeks out uncertainty, from which he draws creative inspiration. It defines the darkroom techniques he employs and helps explain the purpose of his artistic practice.

Buckley’s practice is reminiscent of Gyotaku—a traditional Japanese practice of “printing fish” going back to the mid-1800s. From the word gyo meaning “fish” and taku meaning “stone impression,” Gyotaku is a form of nature painting used by fishermen to record their catches, which is now an art form of its own, which Buckley has chosen to reinterpret.

With a long passion for mythology, inspired by his father’s research as a history professor, Buckley’s titles for the artworks in the new series derive from often tragic Greek stories of Aphrodite, Athena, Thera, and Ugolino and his sons.

Buckley states: “My work is about finding success while using materials and a process where the final results are uncertain. The mythology is an attempt to reference universal understanding. Standing with the process, rather than controlling it, the work is open to any interpretation. It asks for openness to the possibilities these images generate.”