Visitors to the ancient temples of Angkor in Cambodia experience majestic architecture, entwined by jungle trees and crumbling with the passage of history.  Boswell Mourot  Gallery is delighted to host the U.S. debut of fine art photographer John McDermott, who over 14 years created a definitive artistic portrait of Angkor.

Boswell Mourot will host the exhibition Elegy and launch of McDermott’s new book of the same name on May 8, 2010.

When American photographer John McDermott first visited Angkor Wat on October 24, 1995 he experienced the majesty of the temples during a total solar eclipse.  This unique visual experience influenced his body of work as he returned to create a comprehensive portrait of the temples over the next few years that would match that first memorable experience.

When assembled and viewed as a body of work in his new book Elegy (published by McDermott Gallery, hardcover, $75), McDermott's photographs of the ancient temples reveal a dark and moody, surrealistic world redolent of the mysterious spirit one encounters when visiting.  Beyond simply documenting the ruins, McDermott's artistry involves dark room manipulation and a specialized infrared film to achieve the play of shadow and light in the stylized black and white portraits.

McDermott aptly entitles his book Elegy to reflect the "praise, love, loss and remembrance of people or things past," as these images were all made before the influx of major tourism. This international attention has forced the temples into a new incarnation, a high profile tourist destination rather than remote jungle ruins like those that McDermott encountered in his earlier visits. Many of the images are no longer possible due to the changes in infrastructure and restoration efforts.

The Angkorian Empire flourished from the 9^th through the 14^th centuries, at which time they were virtually abandoned. The French explorer Henri Mouhot reencountered the ancient site in the 19th century, rediscovering them for western eyes, and declared that these temples were “the work of giants.”  The temples survived twentieth century war and internal strife.  Since 2000 they continue to welcome an increasing number of international tourists.

Angkor Wat is by far the largest temple in the archeological zone. Considered the jewel in the crown, it has also remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist.  It is the pre-eminent symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and the primary reminder of the magnificence of the Khmer culture.

McDermott's focus is the architectural splendor of the ancient temples including local people to illustrate the reverential nature of the sites.  What emerges is an appreciation for the fact that these temples are not simply historical ruins but continue to interact vibrantly with the present.

"It is the intangible spirit of a place that is most elusive when one is trying to create a visual portrait.  I wanted to somehow reproduce photographically the surreal light from the 1995 eclipse.  I am a pictorialist at heart, the photographic equivalent of an impressionist painter."