Contemporary photographic artists who use analogue techniques do so for varying reasons, but frequently their work is characterized as a reaction against the digitization of photography and the fast-paced nature of contemporary culture. In 2013, Bryan Graf was asked in an interview why he uses analogue processes, and we like his answer: “One of the most important things is learning from my mistakes and sometimes enhancing and controlling those errors, which analogue processes allow for.”

Graf’s exhibition at Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York emphasizes his exploration of the intersection of chance and control. In his “Lattice (Ambient)” series, Graf uses screens as the backbones for colorful, unique chromogenic photograms, manipulating form and color by bending the structures. In a statement about the exhibition, Graf hints that the works explore an interest in the interaction of a “natural order” and manmade objects. He references, for instance, the sight of the wind altering the shadow cast by a window screen into his studio.

“The screen is a filter—a grid maintaining repetition, order and control,” he writes of his work. “Folded, warped and tangled it creates visual noise, disturbances and interference. It becomes a dragnet; a visualization of chance-based actions within a repetitious structure.” – Conor Risch

“Bryan Graf: Prismatic Tracks” runs through December 6, 2014 at Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City.