The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Mark Klett’s graduation from St. Lawrence University in 1974. The show features 12 photographs from "El Camino del Diablo", a project based on a journey by a young mining engineer, Raphael Pumpelly, through Arizona and Mexico in 1861 on “the road of the devil.” Over 150 years later, Mark Klett traversed the same route, making photographs in response to Pumpelly’s words. Unable to trace the engineer’s exact steps, Klett created images that are not literal references to specific places or events. Rather, he sought to produce a more poetic narrative to their shared experience of the Arizona desert, along the common route that connects the two through time.
This exhibition underscores the essential elements of the environment — water, air, earth — and their degradation caused by storms, fire, and drought often brought about by human pursuits. Photographs and videos on display reflect the relationship between the physical and metaphysical, serving as a spiritual, biophilic statement that highlights the environmental challenges that contemporary societies confront.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition, Our Place in the Scheme of Things, on display at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery until October 9, 2024. The event is free and open to the public.
