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CAMERA WORK is pleased to present an exhibition by American photographer Mark Laita. The exhibition will commence on February 4, 2012, and for the first time in Europe will feature the three new series Sea, Serpentine and Amaranthine with unique photographs of the most fascinating sea creatures, the most impressive serpents and the most colorful and graceful birds of our planet. The three series are connected by an exceptional visual approach depicting the animal as still life, as well as by recurring formal compositions, making Laita’s work an eminent position in contemporary, artistic Nature Photography.


Sea
The series Sea, finished in 2010 after a production period that lasted over 10 years, is already among the most wanted Nature Photography series. Whether it be a sea horse gently tending to its offspring, two Square Block Anthias sharing an intimate moment or a North Pacific Giant Octopus floating in imposing grace: Mark Laita manages to portray the exotic creatures of the oceans as artistic, aesthetic still lifes, yielding a dynamic interplay of image and aesthetic. Many photographers to date have chosen the overwhelming biodiversity of the underwater world as subject for their images, Mark Laita, however, employs a sophisticated installation to seperate the sea creatures from their natural habitat, enabling him to portray their specific form, their abundance of colors and even their character traits.

Serpentine
More than 100 of the world’s most dangerous serpents – from the Coral Snake and the Honduran Milk Snake to the Albino Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and the Black Pakistan Cobra – have been photographed by Mark Laita for his series Serpentine (Latin serpens: snake). Man has always been fascinated not only by the symbolism and the mythology of the snake, but also by its dangerous aura and its elegant grace. This dichotomy impressively amalgamates in the photographs by Mark Laita, in which the wide range of colors, the peculiar surface structure of the skin, and the majesty of the snake that is unrivalled in nature, are stately displayed. CAMERA WORK shows in this exhibition a selection from the series Serpentine, with which Mark Laita aims to visualize « the core of the snake with its sensual attractiveness and threatening, unprecictable and mysterious nature ».

Amaranthine
For the series Amaranthine (Greek Amarantos: unfading), Mark Laita has photographed over 100 of the planet’s rarest and most beautiful bird species – just like the images for his series Sea and Serpentine in a puristic arrangement with black background. In contrast to the other two series, however, the birds in »Amaranthine«, such as the majestic Guianan Cock of the Rock, the turquoise honeycreepers or the fiery Red Cardinals, are not alive anymore, but have been preserved for eternity and displayed in Natural History Museums and Ornithology archives. The illusion only becomes apparent for the viewer as he notices the labels attached to the birds’ feet, exposing them as taxidermic preparations. With this knowledge, the awareness of the ambivalence between death and unfading beauty becomes experiencable for the recipient. Deliberately choosing the title »Amaranthine« for his series, it is the intention of the photographer to preserve this enduring beauty and magnificence of the birds, their spectacular chromaticity and their gracefulness in a photographic series that is as of yet unparalleled.

© Mark Laita, Yellow Boxfish, 2010

Mark Laita was born in Detroit in 1960 and grew up in Chicago. He studied Photography at the University of Illinois and other institutions. After finishing his degree, Mark Laita moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and went on to work as a Commercial Photographer, producing advertising campaigns for Mercedes-Benz, VISA and adidas, among others. For ten years, Mark Laita was also a photographer for Apple’s promotional campaigns. Not only does Laita enjoy an excellent reputation in Commercial Photography, but he is also highly respected in Art Photography, as is evident in his numerous exhibitions in the United States and Europe. His acclaimed series »Created Equal« was exhibited at CAMERA WORK in 2007. Last autumn, Mark Laita published a photo book for his series Sea under the same title, which in the United States was elected as one of the eleven best photo books of 2011. The photo book for his series Serpentine is set to be released in the second half of 2012.