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Indian Feather
Artist: Robert Kawika Sheer
Price: $2,600.00
Medium: Photography
Ship From Milwaukee, WI

More Details

Creation Date: 2000
Materials: Chromogenic print
Dimensions: 20" x 16"
Condition: Excellent condition.
Finish: Framed
About the Item: Artwork Size: 20" x 16"
Frame Size: 30 5/8" x 26 5/8"

"Indian Feather" is a photographic performance piece by Robert Kawika Sheer, signed lower right and numbered lower left 28/250. This photograph is set against a dark blue sky through which star trails streak. A deep red desert rock formation appears in the foreground. A shadowy figure, illuminated in silhouette, appears in the center of the image, arm outstretched and holding a feather.

Using a 4x5 camera, Sheer achieves the effects of presence and the passage of time captured in a single image by using a long single exposure lasting from forty-five minutes to seven hours. No digital manipulation or multiple exposures are used in the creation of his works. After the photographer opens the shutter of the camera, he enters the frame of the picture, becoming a performer in the scene. Because he is using low-intensity moonlight to illuminate the night, Sheer can enter the camera’s view without the negative recording his movement. As far as he knows, Sheer is the only photographer in the world performing this style of photography. Through this ghostly image, which the artist calls a “Spirit Shadow,” the photographer is a performer in the image. "Indian Feather" is a performative event, carefully staged for preservation in the future.