James Welling: Choreograph
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 1538, 2016, Untitled Dance Company, inkjet print, 42 × 63 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 0123, 2015, L.A. Dance Project, inkjet print, 42 × 63 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 3693, 2017, L.A. Dance Project, inkjet print, 42 × 63 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 4600, 2015, L.A. Dance Project, inkjet print, 42 × 63 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 9947, 2016, Gerard & Kelly, inkjet print, 42 × 63 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
James Welling (American, b. 1951), 6824, 2014, Untitled Dance Company, inkjet print, 63 × 42 in. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner © James Welling
“By choosing to use ‘choreograph,’ drawing with space, as a noun, I am noting its similarity to ‘photograph,’ drawing with light.” — James Welling
James Welling’s recent body of work integrates several strands of his artistic exploration over the past forty years. Each Choreograph is a large inkjet print combining images of dance, architecture, and landscape in layers of distinctive, luminous color. The works prompt associations with bodies in motion, eliciting sensations of momentum, force, and rhythm.
Every work in the series begins with three black-and-white photographs, each digitally entered into one of three color channels—red, green, or blue—in Photoshop and combined into a single image. Welling makes adjustments until the picture resolves to its final form, which he secures by making an inkjet print. The result is a dense visual field infused with the science of color perception, the psychosomatic experience of physical space, and the history of photographic representation.
James Welling (American, b. 1951) emerged as an artist in the 1970s with the Pictures Generation. Since then, he has become internationally renowned for his deep exploration of photographic techniques, processes, practices, and history. This exhibition is the first museum presentation devoted to Choreograph and coincides with a corresponding Aperture publication that includes an essay by Lisa Hostetler, curator in charge, Department of Photography.
Generously supported by the Rubens Family Foundation.
Purchase a Welling Print: 9910
Exclusively available through the Eastman Museum Shop, purchase a signed limited edition print of James Welling's 9910.
Virtual Tour
Explore Choreograph virtually, complete with all audio, text, and full-size images. Click images to view in more detail.
© George Eastman Museum
Audio Tour
Hear the artist speak about his work.
Generous support for the 360 virtual tour provided by Art Bridges.
The 360 virtual tour and audio tour have been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: NEH CARES.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these tours, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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