ClichÈ Verre by Daniel Hojnacki

The 19th century printing process of cliché verre uses the fine soot released from an oil lamp flame to coat a piece of glass. This becomes my “negative”, I draw upon the volatile, delicate surface with my body, and the natural world. I am able to capture the most nuanced of traces. it is a material made from the vapors of dust. I allow my own vapors and the natural elements to reveal themselves upon the photographic glass matrix. I then wipe away the soot, the negative of the photograph, layer upon it, and re-expose it multiple times. Creating records, momentary acts of suspension, a vessel for keeping time. They are a proof of life, a rendering of a brief passage of my body, the wind, rain, and breath. I then wipe the glass clean of it’s residue, its memory, and repeat the action again. It is a process of rebirthing the image, creating a life cycle of the photographic negative.

Available Prints
Waning Body | Double Body | Untitled (I) | Lightweight
10 x 8 inch silver gelatin prints
$400 each

Untitled (Emergence) | Tension / Suspension | Bird Drawing (I)
14 x 11 inch silver gelatin prints
$500 each

All works are unique silver gelatin prints

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Through experimental approaches to the apparatus of the camera and alternative printing techniques, Daniel investigates the quietness of being an observer within the world. Creating work that explores materiality of the image through emotional responses to the medium of photography. Daniel Hojnacki received his M.F.A from the University of New Mexico in 2022. He was a 2022 Penumbra Workspace AIR and currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.

danielhojnacki.com