Petra Projects

Petra Projects is pleased to present the debut solo exhibition in New York of Carlo Van de Roer at Mehr (Midtown). Entitled Watermark, this collection by the New Zealand artist features color photographs of abandoned, drained swimming pools from all over the globe. Watermark opens October 20, 2007, 6-8pm.

Watermark reveals landmarks typically associated with warmth, exuberance and life, captured in settings that depict a feeling of emptiness. These granular C-type prints evoke a sense of presence defined by absence. The resulting sensation is overwhelming for its counterintuitive nature. To draw attention to these empty pools seems contradictory, yet Van de Roer aims to show a new angle. He creates geometric contours defined by bold color palates, highlighting the ambiguity of these "once" pools.

"These locations were once bustling social environments, and visiting them was a collective, public experience. Now deserted by swimmers, the experience of visiting these pools is solitary, still and private. Some have become bogs, homes or gardens – new lives that often go unobserved. Photographing them can be a voyeuristic and dark experience. I have focused on an intimate view of these locations, using tight crops which also emphasize the absent, making these photos as much about what is not there as what is there."

-C.VdR.

Carlo Van de Roer was born and raised in New Zealand, where he received his BFA in photography from Victoria University. Van de Roer lives and works in New York City, and frequently travels to Central America, Asia, Europe, and various parts of the United States to photograph, focusing on landscape as a recreational and social space; he aims to examine and reconnect with the environments that surrounded him growing up. Van de Roer won the 2006 ADC Young Gun Award and was the overall winner of the 2007 IPN Go Indie Award. Most recently he was awarded the 2007 Pix Digital Imaging Award. His work has been featured in publications in France, England, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

For additional information or images please contact Anastasia Rogers at 1.917.679.5496 or Anastasia@PetraProjects.com.

Watermark
Carlo Van de Roer : October 20-November 24, 2007 Press and Collectors Preview: October 19, 6-8pm view additional exhibition images
Carlo Van de Roer, Untitled, 2007, C-type print, 30x30 inches	Carlo Van de Roer, Untitled, 2007, C-type print, 30x30 inches
Petra Projects is pleased to present the debut solo exhibition in New York of Carlo Van de Roer at Mehr (Midtown). Entitled Watermark, this collection by the New Zealand artist features color photographs of abandoned, drained swimming pools from all over the globe. Watermark opens October 20, 2007, 6-8pm. Watermark reveals landmarks typically associated with warmth, exuberance and life, captured in settings that depict a feeling of emptiness. These granular C-type prints evoke a sense of presence defined by absence. The resulting sensation is overwhelming for its counterintuitive nature. To draw attention to these empty pools seems contradictory, yet Van de Roer aims to show a new angle. He creates geometric contours defined by bold color palates, highlighting the ambiguity of these "once" pools. "These locations were once bustling social environments, and visiting them was a collective, public experience. Now deserted by swimmers, the experience of visiting these pools is solitary, still and private. Some have become bogs, homes or gardens – new lives that often go unobserved. Photographing them can be a voyeuristic and dark experience. I have focused on an intimate view of these locations, using tight crops which also emphasize the absent, making these photos as much about what is not there as what is there." -C.VdR. Carlo Van de Roer was born and raised in New Zealand, where he received his BFA in photography from Victoria University. Van de Roer lives and works in New York City, and frequently travels to Central America, Asia, Europe, and various parts of the United States to photograph, focusing on landscape as a recreational and social space; he aims to examine and reconnect with the environments that surrounded him growing up. Van de Roer won the 2006 ADC Young Gun Award and was the overall winner of the 2007 IPN Go Indie Award. Most recently he was awarded the 2007 Pix Digital Imaging Award. His work has been featured in publications in France, England, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. For additional information or images please contact Anastasia Rogers at 1.917.679.5496 or Anastasia@PetraProjects.com.
Exhibition on view October 20-November 24, 2007 Tuesday-Saturday 11-6 Mehr Gallery 436 W. 18th St. New York, NY 10011 1.212.255.0009 www.MehrGallery.com
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