Into the Gloaming is a new photographic series by interdisciplinary artist, Bubi Canal (b. 1980, Spain), organized by independent curator and writer, Maria Seda-Reeder. Showing in the Lower Level Lobby gallery space just outside of the CAC’s Black Box Performance Theatre, Canal’s lens-based work combines elements of pop culture with intuition, to manifest dreamlike characters from alternate realities. Using bright colorful subjects set against otherworldly landscapes at dusk, Canal imbues his work with optimism and innocence— but most importantly, to transmit hope and possibilities for the future.

This series of 18 photographs and accompanying video, were shot in New York and Santander, Spain, during the transitional time between day and night—the gloaming. In it, the artist presents a personal universe of characters that reflect his expansive imagination and influences as diverse as Cantabrian mythologies and vintage Japanese television shows—creating his own distinctive folklore for a contemporary audience. Shooting portraits of those he knows intimately, (including himself) the artist scripts fantastical scenarios—allowing his subjects to communicate viscerally via natural posture and spontaneous gesture. In the accompanying video, Cosmovision, Canal follows signs through the landscape, taking a semiotic journey of discovery. In Spanish, “cosmovisión” means a particular take on the world and its values. Thus, Canal explores his own internal landscape by going beyond any limits of reason and entering into the unknown. “Canal’s portraits provide us with a more nuanced model for understanding identity. Our world needs more of that kind of complexity.”, says Seda-Reeder, curator for the exhibition. Into the Gloaming will be on view until September 15, 2019 at the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bubi Canal (b. 1980, Spain) is a New York-based artist whose work deals with recurring themes of love, dreams, and hope. Focusing on photography and sculpture, Canal received a BFA from Bilbao’s University of the Basque Country. His work has appeared in New York magazine, the British Journal of Photography, and T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Exhibitions include shows at the Aperture Foundation in New York and Benaki Museum in Athens. Canal was featured as Foam Talent in 2016. (CAC press-release)