Frieze New York 2014

Playing with relationships between both the hand and the brain, Bettina Samson leaves chance to play a crucial role: these ceramics bear the appearance of accidental marks from the process of shaping and firing. The shapes made visible by the hollow can be seen to echo as much Chinese scholars’ rocks as the sculptures of Henry Moore. In the same dynamic, the gelatin silver prints are obtained according to a simple physical process: uranium dust is directly applied to negatives, in complete darkness, subtly attacking the photographic emulsion. Once enlarged, the image reveals abstract, almost supernatural forms.