Kentucky Derby Museum: FINISH LINE GIFT SHOP

From the forward written by Julien Robson, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY.

"Richard Ross's Compression consists of six photographic images that result from his visits to Kentucky during 2001 and 2002. Not content simply to document the Derby itself, the artist has sought to create a series that takes the viewer through the cycle of the race, without ever illustrating it. Bar the appearance of a horse at the beginning of the cycle, these photographs are marked by their emptiness, being simply places, locations, and objects that are associated with racing. Typical of Ross's work, they do not attempt to elaborate a social narrative about his subject, as this would reduce their potential to the simply documentary. Instead, Ross focuses upon Kentucky locations as a means of elaborating photography's complex relationship to shared consciousness and memory, engaging the subjective imagination of the viewer, expanding upon its potential meanings.

Ross has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright Research Scholarship, a National Endowment for the Arts Award, and a California Arts Council Scholarship."

A chromogenic print is a form of layered silver halide emultion printing in which each color is laid down sequentially.

"Compression" is a portfolio of six chromogenic prints each measuring 10 X 24". The collection comes in a commemorative box, and each print is protected by archival paper. All portfolios are signed and numbered by the artist.

Published by Brook Smith. Distributed in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby Museum.