DAVIDLOUGHLIN

Elegant botanical specimens—a pressed fern, an unfurling koru, and lichen fragments—arranged delicately on a large sheet of aged, hand-prepared photographic paper. The paper bears faint phytogram and lumen traces, with smoky grey, earthy greens, and pale ochre markings in ghostly, layered abstractions. The arrangement is set on a weathered stone tabletop in a studio with minimal furnishings; only the subtle hint of a wooden frame leans in the background. Gentle, cool studio light washes softly over the scene, creating quiet highlights and blurred shadows that give the artwork depth without harshness. Framed in a classic rule-of-thirds composition and shot at eye level, the image emanates calm and quiet sophistication. The style is minimalist and naturally photographic, spotlighting the artist’s exploration of ecological processes.

David Loughlin Profile

Aotearoa-based artist exploring layered ancestral, ecological, and land-use histories through wet plate collodion, lumen, and large-format processes in Whāingaroa and Taranaki.

A meticulously prepared sheet of collodion glass shimmers with barely-there silvery reflections and the faintest whispers of hand-coating marks, set against a stark matte-black backdrop with almost invisible seams. The glass is balanced on two elegant steel supports, with hints of amber and smoke grey along its edges. Soft, cool raking light from the left glances delicately across the plate, revealing minute textures and producing gentle, elegant gradients from highlight to shadow, with a distinct sense of atmosphere. The composition is highly minimalist, empty space comprising much of the frame. Photographed close-up from a low angle to accentuate the glass’s planar quality and evoke sophisticated abstraction, echoing the artist’s materially focused photographic methodologies.
A large-format camera constructed from oiled timber and brushed brass hardware sits on a slender steel tripod, placed on a grassy knoll overlooking the rugged coastline of Taranaki. Jagged volcanic rocks and flax plants are visible beyond, rendered in gentle, misty focus. The late afternoon light is filtered by cloud, producing a cool, muted luminance with subtle gradients in the sky and landscape. The mood is quietly contemplative, honoring both technological craft and connection to place. The image is captured from a three-quarter view with shallow depth of field, positioning the camera as the focal point and the distant horizon blurred behind it. The composition is minimalist and clean, with refined photographic detail and an understated sophistication, embodying the artist’s blend of tradition and innovation.
A refined installation view in a spacious white-walled gallery, featuring a grid of large photographic prints mounted edge-to-edge without frames. Each print presents abstract, gently layered images evocative of ecological traces—subtle silhouettes of native flora, soft root network imprints, and muted earth tones fading into pale greys. The prints hover slightly off the wall, casting soft, diffuse shadows on the painted surface. The space is lit by even, natural skylight, which creates a tranquil, meditative quality. The camera captures the scene in sharp focus from a straight-on, wide perspective, emphasizing negative space and the symmetry of the arrangement. The overall effect is sophisticated, minimalist, and photographic, highlighting the interplay of ancestral memory and landscape in the artist’s practice.