David Wolf Photographs

The Enigma of Illness selected for “The Crux of Visibility” at LACP

 

The Enigma of Illness, Unique Diptych of 4×5 Film Negatives, 2026

SFMOMA Curator of Photography, Shana Lopes, has selected The Enigma of Illness as an Honorable Mention in the Los Angeles Center of Photography’s virtual exhibition, The Crux of Visibility: Portraits, Vision and Empathy.

Please join us at a virtual opening reception on November 19, 2026 to meet the exhibiting artists and see a slide show of the selected works by registering here to receive the free Zoom invitation.

The Enigma of Illness is the first image of a multilayered body of work that has chosen me as its subject. Within a few weeks this past Spring, I was diagnosed with two previously undetected, life-altering illnesses requiring immediate treatment. Both came as a complete surprise. In the weeks following surgery, I began to come to terms with how the illnesses prompting these medical interventions might affect the quality and length of my life, and how I would respond to them as an artist.

I made this image two days after returning home from hospital. The piece is assembled from two, large-format negatives, whose mirrored self-portraits reflect the multiple intersections of health, illness and identity I’ve experienced post-surgery. I’ve now put aside years-long, ongoing community-centered projects to pursue the multiple visual paths of healing my illness has inspired, collectively titled, The Enigma of Illness; The Certainty of Age. More to come!


In the Shadow of Corona selected for “2020 Bay Area Current(ly)”

Flux (In the Shadow of Corona), from the series In the Shadow of Corona

“2020 Bay Area Current(ly)” is a juried exhibition sponsored by PhotoAlliance to highlight contemporary San Francisco Bay Area photography. Jurors Ann Jastrab, Binh Danh and Chris Johnson chose a selection of images from the series In the Shadow of Corona for exhibition, along with works by Barbara Hazen, Anna Rotty and Beth Waldman, among others.

In the Shadow of Corona responds to the emotional surge of the pandemic as both diary and document, blending images that resonate with my own state of mind and those that speak to the heightened tensions and disparities of a neighborhood disproportionately hard hit by the virus.

Please see the full body of work here.


New cameraless piece selected for CPA’s “2020 Juried International”

 

Land, Sea, Sky (On the Edge), Unique Chromogenic Assemblage on expired paper, “15 x 13”


Land, Sea, Sky (On the Edge) is the newest cameraless piece from the project The After Life of Things, which exploits the random marks and color shifts characteristic of expired photo paper to explore the materiality of things and the nature of photographic materials.

This one-of-a-kind piece is composed of four fragments of a single sheet of unexposed, expired paper, assembled to suggest a landscape where the land, sea and sky come together. It reminds me of the California coastline. The lower-left panel is unprocessed and unfixed, and, much like the landscape it suggests, will change over time.

From some 2500 entries, juror Aline Smithson selected this new piece to be included in the 50 works exhibited at the Center for Photographic Art’s “2020 International Juried Exhibition.” The show runs from November 14 – December 20, 2020, and can be seen in CPA’s handsome gallery in Carmel, CA on weekends and by appointment.

Read the Juror’s exhibition article in Lenscratch.

You can purchase a catalog and support the work of CPA here.


In the Shadow of Corona shortlisted for “Px3 State of the World 2020”


Dear God (In the Shadow of Corona), from the series In the Shadow of Corona

A selection of ten images from the series In the Shadow of Corona has been shortlisted for this year’s “Px3 State of the World” competition. Now in it’s second year, “The State of the World” is a counterpart to the internationally recognized “Px3 Prix de la Photographie Paris” competition and exhibition. The photographs are juried geographically, with the intent to share “issues that are current and crucial in our world” by showcasing “uncensored news, directly from photographers witnessing events with the guarantee that they are not manipulated by the mainstream media or sensationalized for profit.”

See all the selected portfolios here.


NYT Magazine Editors select Untitled (An Offering) for Photo Review’s 2020 Competition

Untitled (An Offering), from the series In the Shadow of Corona

New York Times Magazine Photo Editor Kathy Ryan and Deputy Director of Photography Jessica Dimson awarded Untitled (An Offering) an Honorable Mention in The Photo Review’s “2020 International Photography Competition.” The image is part of the series I’ve made in response to the coronavirus pandemic, In the Shadow of Corona. Currently featured on The Photo Review’s website, the image will be exhibited at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center together with all the prize-winning photographs sometime in 2021.

The After Life of Things featured in LACP’s Project 2020

 


Ghost Bike (Lost Rider), Unique Chromogenic Diptych on expired paper, 31″ x 47″

From some two hundred submitted portfolios, juror Douglas Marshall chose a selection of works from The After Life of Things to be exhibited at the Los Angeles Center of Photography’s new Culver City gallery, as one of twelve projects to be showcased in the Center’s inaugural “Project Series” exhibition.

Marshall cited David’s work for a Juror’s Commendation, noting, “Each work in Wolf’s unique presentation explores a new method of visually alluring construction, showing that his interest in process is paramount.”

Tracy Chandler received first place honors, and Ann Mitchell a second Juror Commendation. All three artists will discuss their work in an online presentation on Zoom moderated by Aline Smithson, on May 7, 2020 at 6pm (PDT). Register to
join the conversation on Zoom.

Read about the show on “Lenscratch.”

The show’s intended exhibition dates coincide with California’s shelter-in-place response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and has yet to open. Check LACP’s Upcoming Events for news of the exhibit’s revised dates.


Portraits Without People to include Untitled (Tabula Rasa) at Axis Gallery

 

“Can photography convey who we are without including the human form?” Juror Roula Seikaly answers this question with a selection of two dozen photographs for “Portraits Without People” at Axis Gallery, including works by Preston Gannaway, Dave Jordano and JP Terlizzi.

For this show, I’ve re-titled my piece Untitled (Lincoln, Back) from The After Life of Things to speak directly to the organizing principle of the exhibit. The image itself is a photograph of the back of a cherished portrait of President Lincoln, passed on to me by my grandmother and photographed against a remnant of textured wallpaper.

From the exhibition statement:

“The title of this piece, Untitled (Tabula Rasa), refers to the idea that the human mind at birth is ‘tabula rasa:’ a ‘blank slate’ without any innate mental content, and free from information, rules, opinions or biases….

Much like the picture frame, we acquire identifying qualities and characteristics over time that help to distinguish us as singular people. As ‘tabula rasa,’ this image holds the inherent contradiction we share as human beings: we both express uniquely individual personalities and share a common humanity based on the universally experienced journey from birth to death.

This ‘portrait without a person’ is a picture of each of us.”

With the novel coronavirus pandemic erasing borders and bringing the world closer in both terrifying and heartening ways, the idea of a singular portrait of humanity, of “oneness” harmonizing individual difference, becomes that much more palpable.

The show’s intended exhibition dates coincide with California’s shelter-in-place response to the pandemic, and has yet to open. Please see exhibition images here.


Klompching Gallery features The After Life of Things for FRESH 2018

 


Untitled (Stump), Unique Chromogenic Assemblage on expired paper, 54″ x 46″

Ten images from The After Life of Things have been chosen for the online presentation of Klompching Gallery’s FRESH 2018.
The highly anticipated Annual Summer Show and Online Showcase presents the work of five exhibiting artists, with ten finalists featured on the Gallery’s website.

See David’s FRESH Showcase here, and more images from the project here.


Untitled (Kmart; Assembled No. 2), Unique Chromogenic Assemblage on expired paper, 16″ x 20″

David’s cameraless piece Untitled (Kmart; Assemblage No. 2), will be on view at the Gallery during the exhibition,
and is featured in a catalogue of selected works from each FRESH artist.

FRESH 2018 can be seen at Klompching Gallery, 89 Water Street in Brooklyn, through August 4, 2018.


Fort Wayne Museum of Art, “The National: Best Contemporary Photography 2018”

 

Untitled (KMart; Assembled, No. 2), Unique Chromogenic Assemblage on expired paper, 16″ x 20″

The Fort Wayne Museum of Art has selected one of David’s abstract, cameraless pieces from The After Life of Things to be included in “The National.” A combined invitational and juried exhibition, the annual showcases outstanding, current photography either created or exhibited in the United States.

Anchored by five invited artists, participants include Michelle Andonian, Bill Armstrong, Matt Eich, Odette England, Jessica Todd Harper, Jeffrey Heyne, Alan Bur Johnson, among more than some two dozen photographers.

“The National: Best Contemporary Photography 2018” is on view at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art from April 21 to July 15, 2018.

    


Home (Goodwill) selected for PhotoAlliance “HOME” online exhibition

 


Home (Goodwill), Chromogenic Print on expired paper, 16 x 20

David’s image Home (Goodwill) from The After Life of Things has been selected for PhotoAlliance’s online exhibition of “HOME,” running concurrently with the San Francisco International Airport Museum’s collaborating exhibit, from May 10 to August 14, 2018.

The two shows feature diverse interpretations of the idea of “home,” selected by a trio of jurors, including Christopher McCall, Director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco; Thea Traff, Associate Photo Editor at The New Yorker; and renown portrait photographer, Tina Barney.

PhotoAlliance enjoys a unique role dedicated to supporting the work of contemporary photographers in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, while SFO’s Museum is regarded as one of the premier exhibiting venues of it’s kind.


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