PLEIN AIR WITH WILL PENNY
WILL PENNY’S exhibition, “en plein air,” at Laney Contemporary is more than just an exhibition—it’s an experience that demands time and attention. This is how Penny has always approached his work.
“I’m always thinking about trying to create different ways of a reward in actually seeing it in person,” explains Penny. “That’s the real experience. Even though so many of the tools I’m working with are very detached, there’s something about coming in and seeing it. I’ve never really seen photographs of art that have moved me quite in the way of seeing something powerful in person.”
Penny designed “en plein air” to fit the building perfectly, from the front foyer up through the hallway to the main gallery. The first piece, a projection on high-density foam board, is visually stimulating preview to what’s ahead. Many of the patterns in that first projection are repeated in different formats through the rest of the exhibition.