Portland, ME: PhoPa Gallery is pleased to present photographer Michael Kolster’s PROVING GROUND, which will be exhibited from September 17 through October 25. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 26 from 5:00-7:00 p.m., and an artist talk on Sunday, October 5 at 3:00 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Featuring images from bodies of work not previously shown in Maine, PROVING GROUND brings together a variety of processes from one-of-a-kind color collages and photograms to silver gelatin panoramas and “hand-colored” digital prints. Kolster probes the representative nature of photography by experimenting with different methods to manipulate the shapes, tones, and colors of the images.

Michael Kolster is a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow and associate professor of art at Bowdoin College. Since 2012, Kolster has mounted solo exhibitions at Schroeder Romera & Shredder Gallery in New York City; the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Maine; Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, VA; 621 Gallery in Tallahassee, FL; the College of Southern Maryland; SRO Gallery at Texas Tech in Lubbock; and SPACE Gallery in Portland, ME. He lives in Maine with his wife, Christy Shake, and son, Calvin. He is currently producing ambrotypes for a project comparing Maine’s Androscoggin River with other American post-industrial rivers.

Where: PhoPa Gallery, 132 Washington Avenue, Portland, ME 04101

When: September 17 – October 25, 2014

Opening Reception: Friday, September 26, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Artist Talk: Sunday, October 5, 3:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, Noon-5:00 p.m., and by appointment

Charge: Free to the Public

About PhoPa Gallery: PhoPa Gallery is a collaboration among photographer Jon Edwards, independent curator Bruce Brown, and Maine Media Workshops + College. PhoPa exhibits (Pho)tography and works on (Pa)per, with a special focus on emerging Maine artists rarely seen in Portland. The gallery divides its schedule between showcasing works by MMW+C students, alumni, and faculty and exhibits organized by Bruce Brown and Jon Edwards.

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