For Photo London 2023, Cob presents a selection of works by celebrated British photographer Jack Davison - as his international art fair debut.
The works on display are key examples from his 2022 debut solo exhibition at the gallery - Photographic Etchings. The images featured in the Photographic Etchings series selected from Davison’s monochrome archive and then handprinted using a polymer photogravure technique by the artist in London. Cob's Photo London presentation will debut 3 new editions in the series- as well as two examples of Davison artist proofs. The artist proof works see the artist exploit the printing technique, playfully incorporating his thumbprints and celebrate ink smudges highlighting this unique handmade process.
Davison's choice of photographs for Photographic Etchings is governed by process: the works exhibited here have been hand-printed using a polymer photogravure technique. The effect is to place the material process of photographic reproduction front and centre, and despite Davison's nod to the formative influence of online photo-sharing, the images here have more in common with etchings than with the depthless pixels of the digital sphere. The direct involvement of Davison himself in the printing process, which sees ink applied manually to a metal plate, confers an extraordinary degree of individual control over the final image. The inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies become part of the work's distinctively tactile patina, supplying a discreet record of craftsman's hand while asserting the status of these photographs as unique artefacts.