Sparky Campanella- Horizon


I saw a man pursuing the horizon- The Black Riders; Stephen Crane

Any horizon defines our immediate limits and ranges our world view. But instead of the effortless, ephemeral expanse of the natural, constructed horizons of concrete and steel create absolute barriers. Instead of a boundless palette of meadows and mountains, urban horizons seem empty and stark. Our ability to coexist with nature is spotty; what does that say about our species as a part of nature herself? These images present a stand-off, evenly divided between the patterned rigidity of man–made and the random organic of nature. There’s beauty in how both halves simultaneously oppose and complement each another. We look to any horizon, man–made or natural, for inspiration and perspective. city dwellers leave behind much of the natural world, yet we can’t leave behind our need for that which the horizon provides. We still pursue it.

Bodies of Work: Complementary Colors- Renewal of the Vietnamese land and people after the war, 2008; Portrait- Abstract portraits represented by close-up photos of skin, ongoing; 40 over forty- Portraits of women over forty, ongoing; 39 minutes- An every-39-minute capture of the entire year, 2006; Boundaries- Non-sexual connections across the sexual spectrum, 2005; Horizon- The urban horizon, 2004.

Solo Exhibitions: DWC Gallery- Chicago, 2008; Koelsch Gallery- Houston, 2006.