“I measure and calculate, make landscapes and rooms, compose and prepare,” the artist Chris Engman wrote in 2023, “When I’m ready to make marks I push those considerations to a quieter part of my mind.” In his latest series, “Prism,” Engman’s large photographs of nature are layered with sheer photographic reflections of home interiors, creating the dimensionality of a prism. Other images wear joyful, colorful drawings inspired by Engman’s young son. The Los Angeles-based artist not only emulates his son’s imaginative and improvisatory style, he sometimes allows him to draw directly on the photographs. “My son is my prism,” he says, “the world that I see through his eyes is new and strange, terrifying and beautiful. How wonderful is that?” —Jeanne Malle
The Arts Intel Report
Work and Play: Chris Engman
Chris Engman, Play Room, 2021.
When
Apr 4 – May 10, 2024
Where
Photo: Chris Engman/Courtesy of Greg Kucera Gallery