275:: "A Brassai of the backwoods, whose streets are rivers, and stoplights are trees, Michael Flomen (1952) generates imagery that is not in the language of today's cult of the image, and he does throughout the four seasons, whether in Vermont, the Laurentians of Quebec, or elsewhere. Flomen's black and white large format images are hieroglyphs of an explorer who works with light to reveal what is there, but seldom seen. Flomen's activity produces remarkable documents of natural diversity, of collaboration with nature, something that gives them their unquestionable dynamism."
197:, Louis Patrick describes Flomen's early series as, "photographic double-entendres; posing visual riddles while keeping us amused with black and white one-liners." Patrick goes on to say, "Although Flomen often photographs people and events, he is not a photojournalist, but a street magician whose camera transforms the little details of everyday life into mysterious, sometimes almost sinister, reflections of today’s society...The images, instead of telling us who, when or where, tease us by asking what and why—questions Flomen prefers us to answer for ourselves."
287:
the artist for exposure in swampy watersheds during the height of the spring season. At night, at water’s edge, Flomen documents the organic elements that exist in these highly vibrant landscapes. The artist prints from the large format glass plates onto gelatin silver paper. The results are otherworldly, revealing the birthing of something new."
1074:
Under the Cover of
Darkness (La nuit est ma chambre noire) - The Work of Michael Flomen. Documentary film by André Cornellier and produced by UMA (Maison de l’image et de la photographie), Montréal, QC. Available on DVD. (27 min.) Short listed for Prix du public ARTV, Festival international des films
286:
series from the 2010s, Flomen exposed original glass plate negatives in situ, directly from nature without using a camera, to use for printing his photographs. The origins and context of this series are described in a folio of his works from the series: "The light sensitive emulsions were prepared by
216:
cameras, switching from 35 mm to 8 x 10 inch film. In 1993 he received a 6-month grant from the Québec
Ministry of Cultural Affairs for a studio residency in a loft in New York City. While there he worked with photographer Todd Watts, and he produced large-format photographs that would later be
150:
in 1972 at
Centaur which featured his photographs he took of Shaker architecture at the site of the Mount Lebanon Shaker community. His career in printing and photography advanced from there. Ewing soon introduced Flomen to his future mentor, the filmmaker-photographer Guy Borremans who later rented
246:
Flomen's stylistic and technical transition away from large format cameras to making cameraless images, or photograms, began in 1999 when he exposed images directly onto 8 x 10 inch film negatives from the natural light source of fireflies. Flomen was in
Vermont at his cottage where he often stays,
208:
of 1985. In the foreword of the book, Peter
Sibbald Brown gives a summary of Flomen's sensibility as a street photographer: "The mainstream of Flomen's work over the past decade has been concerned with intrinsic pictorial values. The pictures are horizontal, full-frame, monochromatic, non-didactic,
172:
In 1971 Flomen started working on his street photography. By 1976 he had built a darkroom equipped with large vats that he designed for developing his large-scale prints, and had acquired massive
Saltzman enlargers designed by the US military for map-making. In the same year he was included in an
263:
at
Galerie Pangée in Montréal. In a text published in connection to this exhibition, John K. Grande wrote that "by making visible parts of a world previously unseen and even unsuspected by many of us, he places us squarely on the threshold of an ineffable visual space that dwarfs, seduces - and
114:
Flomen began to take photographs in his teenage years in 1967-68 capturing images of his family and everyday surroundings. In 1969-1971 during his time at Darrow School he created a series on his surroundings in the Shaker-built community. In 1971 at the age of 19, Flomen traveled to Europe and
247:
and at dusk he wanted to make photographs of the fireflies that came out, but without using a camera or flash. He collaborated with a firefly to create a photogram by exposing the 8 x 10 inch negative with the firefly's light. Flomen took the negative and printed the first works in the series
90:
in collaboration with nature. Flomen began taking photographs in the late 1960s, and since 1972 his work has been exhibited internationally. Snow, water, firefly light, wind, sand, sediment, shorelines and other natural phenomena make up the elements used to create his photograms.
126:
In 1972, Flomen was introduced to
William (Bill) Ewing, the owner-director of les Galeries photographiques du Centaur, (known as Optica after 1974) in Montreal. In these early years Flomen started to work as a darkroom printer and collaborator for many artists, including
258:
that documented shorelines and natural bodies of water. In this series he started to work directly onto light-sensitive paper, capturing images of fish, seaweed, sediment and other organic matter. In 2008, Flomen's work was shown in the exhibition
237:
describes these works: "Flomen's landscapes, which look more like moonscapes, but are in fact snowscapes, are convincing. They are a world of detail come to life through an astutely dramatic use of framing and lighting."
472:« Small Between the Stars, Large Against the Sky. » Feb 16 - Apr 22, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec Manif d’Art 9 - The Quebec Biennial, Quebec, QC, Canada, curated by Jonathan Watkins.
282:
series from the later part of the 2000s, Flomen began to physically crush the photo-sensitive paper itself to capture various levels of texture and depth in different natural environments. In Flomen's
155:, an internationally known graphic designer and longtime friend who had a major, lasting influence on Flomen. In the early 1970s, Flomen began to work as a commercial photographer while making
603:
209:
neither ornamental nor monumental in scale. They reveal an overallness of detail, and for the most part present anonymous anthropomorphic form, within a tectonic surround."
912:
461:
329:
139:(b. 1961). At Centaur, Flomen was exposed to books on the art of photography that inspired his passion. He wanted to be a part of the 20th century movement to
451:
2022 : Articulating
Legibility: Works from the Permanent Collection, Mar 30, 2021 - Mar 6 2022, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, ON, Canada.
491:
2017 : Le temps file : Portait de la vanité dans la collection du MNBAQ, Apr 6 – Sep 24 Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, Québec, Canada.
212:
Flomen's format and style of photography changed drastically in the early 1990s when he began to document large snow drifts in
Montreal using
747:
604:
http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/exhibitions/past/details/contemporary-canadian-photography-from-the-collection-of-the-national-film-board-622
646:
Documentary film by André Cornellier and produced by UMA (Maison de l’image et de la photographie), Montréal, QC. DVD. (27 minutes):
543:
1106:
1116:
475:
Bilder Ohne Kamera, Aug 14 – Sep 20, Eboran Galerie, Fotogrammatische Werke aus des Sammlung SpallArt, Salzburg, Austria.
854:
115:
decided during his trip that he would pursue photography once he returned to Canada. Flomen originally planned to study
204:
at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario. His street photography was featured in a second art publication
602:
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, The National Gallery of Canada, "Past exhibitions (CMCP) / Pre - 2000":
1030:
213:
980:
483:
Nuit solaire, Jan 26–27, Musée national des beaux-arts de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada, curated by Sébastien Hudon.
107:
located on the site of an historic Shaker village in the Taconic Mountains, west of the central Berkshires in
967:
561:
Keaton, Valerie Jodoin, "A LOOK INSIDE THE WORLD OF MICHAEL FLOMEN", film, 2014 (unofficial demo version):
1111:
128:
1016:
190:
186:
151:
his Plateau apartment equipped with a darkroom to Flomen. Around this time, Borremans introduced him to
108:
953:
1101:
140:
374:« FLOW Photofest », Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom.
234:
120:
843:
494:
1976 : « Young Canadian Photographers », The Yajima Gallery, Montréal, QC, Canada.
156:
925:
729:
1058:
152:
783:
632:
1082:
768:
562:
457:
The Expanded Landscape, June 19 - Oct 10, The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
225:
installations at Motel Fine Arts gallery in New York. In 1995, Flomen exhibited the series
881:
939:
644:
Under the Cover of Darkness (La nuit est ma chambre noire) - The Work of Michael Flomen.
899:
177:
at the Yajima/Galerie in Montreal. In 1980, Flomen's first book of street photographs,
116:
993:
1095:
819:
104:
518:
486:
Submerged, Jun 16–17, SciArt Center, 184 Orchard Gallery, New York, United States.
659:
202:
Canadian Contemporary Photography, from the Collection of the National Film Board
674:, afterword by John K. Grande, (Montréal, QC: Trout Splashes Press, 2008) p. 19.
132:
1076:
193:
in photographs taken in various locations around the world. In the publication
87:
710:
123:, but he still retained an active interest in science and the natural world.
136:
83:
801:
575:
Art and Architecture in Canada: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature
308:
Harvard University Art Museums - Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts
100:
37:
1044:
66:
647:
254:
In the mid to late 2000s, Flomen began a series of photograms called
389:, Duran/Mashaal Gallery, Photo London 2018, London, United Kingdom.
82:(born 1952) is a self-taught Canadian artist who primarily creates
867:
1081:
VOX image contemporaine/contemporary image, fonds documentaire:
968:"Articulating Legibility: Works from the Permanent Collection"
730:"Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object : Being"
533:(catalogue) (Pori, Finland: Pori Museum of Art, 2011) p. 141.
146:
Flomen's meeting with Ewing led to his first solo exhibition
687:(catalogue) (Pori, Finland: Pori Museum of Art, 2011) p. 41.
633:
http://cielvariable.ca/en/michael-flomen-jennifer-couelle/
314:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
200:
In 1985 Flomen's work was included in a group exhibition
711:"Whitney Museum of American Art: Michael Flomen: Choice"
563:
http://www.valeriejodoinkeaton.com/#!michael-flomen/c594
441:, Photographic gallery of Centaur, Montréal, QC, Canada.
411:, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, ON, Canada.
748:"Workfield | Objects | George Eastman Museum"
700:(Montréal, QC: Trout Splashes Press, 2015) unpaginated.
405:, Boîte noire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
347:
The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
299:
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1059:"Le temps file la vanité dans la collection du MNBAQ"
954:"Michael Flomen: Teeming | 5 May - 19 June 2005"
434:, Ricco/Maresca Gallery, New York, NY, United States.
784:"From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Summer I"
350:
Kitchener – Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
103:, Quebec in 1952. From 1969 to 1971 Flomen attended
614:Foreword by Peter Sibbald Brown in Michael Flomen,
61:
53:
45:
30:
23:
593:(Montreal: The Yajima/Galerie, 1980): unpaginated.
577:(Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991) 126.
519:http://www.michael-flomen.squarespace.com/cv-bio/
380:, PHOS Festival photo + art, Matane, QC, Canada.
326:Mt. Lebanon Shaker Museum, New Lebanon, New York
229:at Galerie Vox in Montreal. In the art magazine
335:The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
660:http://michael-flomen.squarespace.com/teeming/
353:Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Montréal, Québec
311:Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida
396:, Denny Gallery, New York, NY, United States.
320:Ministry of External Affairs, Ottawa, Ontario
8:
683:Grande, John K., "A Revolving Landscape" in
529:Grande, John K., "A Revolving Landscape" in
338:National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
305:Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
20:
672:Fragile: The Photograms of Michael Flomen
618:(Toronto: Paget Press, 1985) unpaginated.
425:Fragile. The photograms of Michael Flomen
356:Musée d'art de Joliette, Joliette, Québec
344:Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario.
302:George Eastman House, Rochester, New York
1017:"Sammlung SpallArt - Bilder ohne Kamera"
317:Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
296:Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
585:
583:
557:
555:
553:
503:
427:, Galerie Pangée, Montréal, QC, Canada.
330:Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
323:Musée de L’Architecture, Liège, Belgium
513:
511:
509:
507:
189:style of formalism, making use of the
627:Couëlle, Jennifer. "Michael Flomen,"
573:Loren Lerner and Mary F. Williamson,
7:
802:"Minefield #2/4 - LACMA Collections"
462:Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
648:http://www.umamontreal.com/lanuit/
14:
589:Louis Patrick (introduction), in
168:Street photography: 1971 – c.1991
387:Michael Flomen at Somerset House
341:Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
420:, VU Photo, Québec, QC, Canada.
264:promises to swallow us whole."
271:again in the 2011 publication
267:Grande wrote about works from
181:, was published. The works in
1:
728:Art, Philadelphia Museum of.
1077:La nuit est ma chambre noire
857:Flow Photography August 2019
658:Flomen, Michael. "TEEMING":
631:, no. 32 (Autumn 1995): 61.
175:Young Canadian Photographers
141:elevate photography's status
517:Flomen, Michael. "CV-BIO":
99:Michael Flomen was born in
34:1952 (age 71–72)
1133:
900:"Wild Nights Installation"
844:National Gallery of Canada
824:www.collections.mnbaq.org
788:www.harvardartmuseums.org
1075:sur l’art (FIFA), 2009:
994:"Des horizons d'attente"
460:Des horizons d’attente,
616:Still Life Draped Stone
464:, Montréal, QC, Canada.
206:Still Life Draped Stone
143:to that of a fine art.
981:The expanded landscape
913:Michael Flomen CV 2021
715:collection.whitney.org
629:Ciel Variable CV Photo
242:Cameraless photography
129:Jacques Henri Lartigue
1107:Artists from Montreal
806:collections.lacma.org
173:important group show
1117:Darrow School alumni
1083:Michael Flomen - VOX
544:"Artistes au Canada"
886:Denny Dimin Gallery
870:. 3 September 2019.
734:www.philamuseum.org
121:University of Miami
546:. 17 October 2012.
157:street photographs
670:Grande, John K.,
591:Details/M. Flomen
195:Details/M. Flomen
179:Details/M. Flomen
153:Vittorio Fiorucci
135:(1944-2014), and
77:
76:
1124:
1063:
1062:
1055:
1049:
1048:
1041:
1035:
1034:
1027:
1021:
1020:
1013:
1007:
1004:
998:
997:
990:
984:
978:
972:
971:
964:
958:
957:
950:
944:
943:
940:"Michael Flomen"
936:
930:
929:
926:"Nuits sauvages"
922:
916:
910:
904:
903:
896:
890:
889:
878:
872:
871:
864:
858:
852:
846:
841:
835:
834:
832:
830:
820:"Michael Flomen"
816:
810:
809:
798:
792:
791:
779:
773:
772:
771:. 23 March 2017.
765:
759:
758:
756:
754:
744:
738:
737:
725:
719:
718:
707:
701:
696:Michael Flomen,
694:
688:
681:
675:
668:
662:
656:
650:
641:
635:
625:
619:
612:
606:
600:
594:
587:
578:
571:
565:
559:
548:
547:
540:
534:
527:
521:
515:
409:Intuitive Vision
235:Jennifer Couëlle
217:included in his
86:, or cameraless
73:
70:
68:
21:
1132:
1131:
1127:
1126:
1125:
1123:
1122:
1121:
1092:
1091:
1071:
1066:
1057:
1056:
1052:
1043:
1042:
1038:
1029:
1028:
1024:
1015:
1014:
1010:
1005:
1001:
992:
991:
987:
979:
975:
970:. 9 March 2021.
966:
965:
961:
952:
951:
947:
938:
937:
933:
924:
923:
919:
915:squarespace.com
911:
907:
898:
897:
893:
880:
879:
875:
866:
865:
861:
853:
849:
842:
838:
828:
826:
818:
817:
813:
800:
799:
795:
781:
780:
776:
767:
766:
762:
752:
750:
746:
745:
741:
727:
726:
722:
709:
708:
704:
695:
691:
682:
678:
669:
665:
657:
653:
642:
638:
626:
622:
613:
609:
601:
597:
588:
581:
572:
568:
560:
551:
542:
541:
537:
528:
524:
516:
505:
501:
448:
368:
363:
293:
244:
227:Imminent Ground
191:decisive moment
187:Cartier-Bresson
170:
165:
97:
65:
41:
35:
26:
17:
16:Canadian artist
12:
11:
5:
1130:
1128:
1120:
1119:
1114:
1109:
1104:
1094:
1093:
1088:
1087:
1086:
1085:
1070:
1069:External links
1067:
1065:
1064:
1050:
1036:
1031:"Nuit solaire"
1022:
1008:
999:
985:
973:
959:
945:
931:
917:
905:
891:
873:
859:
847:
836:
811:
793:
774:
760:
739:
720:
702:
689:
676:
663:
651:
636:
620:
607:
595:
579:
566:
549:
535:
522:
502:
500:
497:
496:
495:
492:
489:
488:
487:
484:
478:
477:
476:
473:
467:
466:
465:
458:
452:
447:
444:
443:
442:
435:
428:
421:
414:
413:
412:
406:
397:
390:
383:
382:
381:
375:
367:
364:
362:
359:
358:
357:
354:
351:
348:
345:
342:
339:
336:
333:
327:
324:
321:
318:
315:
312:
309:
306:
303:
300:
297:
292:
289:
243:
240:
169:
166:
164:
161:
117:Marine Biology
96:
93:
80:Michael Flomen
75:
74:
67:michael-flomen
63:
59:
58:
55:
54:Known for
51:
50:
47:
43:
42:
36:
32:
28:
27:
25:Michael Flomen
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1129:
1118:
1115:
1113:
1112:Living people
1110:
1108:
1105:
1103:
1100:
1099:
1097:
1090:
1084:
1080:
1079:
1078:
1073:
1072:
1068:
1060:
1054:
1051:
1046:
1045:""Submerged""
1040:
1037:
1032:
1026:
1023:
1018:
1012:
1009:
1006:9782981297884
1003:
1000:
995:
989:
986:
982:
977:
974:
969:
963:
960:
955:
949:
946:
941:
935:
932:
927:
921:
918:
914:
909:
906:
901:
895:
892:
887:
883:
882:"Dark Waters"
877:
874:
869:
863:
860:
856:
851:
848:
845:
840:
837:
825:
821:
815:
812:
807:
803:
797:
794:
789:
785:
778:
775:
770:
769:"Finding You"
764:
761:
749:
743:
740:
735:
731:
724:
721:
716:
712:
706:
703:
699:
693:
690:
686:
680:
677:
673:
667:
664:
661:
655:
652:
649:
645:
640:
637:
634:
630:
624:
621:
617:
611:
608:
605:
599:
596:
592:
586:
584:
580:
576:
570:
567:
564:
558:
556:
554:
550:
545:
539:
536:
532:
526:
523:
520:
514:
512:
510:
508:
504:
498:
493:
490:
485:
482:
481:
479:
474:
471:
470:
468:
463:
459:
456:
455:
453:
450:
449:
445:
440:
436:
433:
429:
426:
422:
419:
418:Nuit sauvages
415:
410:
407:
404:
401:
400:
398:
395:
391:
388:
384:
379:
376:
373:
372:
370:
369:
365:
360:
355:
352:
349:
346:
343:
340:
337:
334:
331:
328:
325:
322:
319:
316:
313:
310:
307:
304:
301:
298:
295:
294:
290:
288:
285:
281:
276:
274:
270:
265:
262:
257:
252:
250:
249:Higher Ground
241:
239:
236:
232:
231:Ciel Variable
228:
224:
220:
215:
210:
207:
203:
198:
196:
192:
188:
184:
180:
176:
167:
162:
160:
158:
154:
149:
144:
142:
138:
134:
131:(1894-1986),
130:
124:
122:
118:
112:
110:
106:
105:Darrow School
102:
94:
92:
89:
85:
81:
72:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
39:
33:
29:
22:
19:
1089:
1053:
1039:
1025:
1011:
1002:
988:
976:
962:
948:
934:
920:
908:
894:
885:
876:
862:
855:Flow Program
850:
839:
827:. Retrieved
823:
814:
805:
796:
787:
777:
763:
751:. Retrieved
742:
733:
723:
714:
705:
697:
692:
684:
679:
671:
666:
654:
643:
639:
628:
623:
615:
610:
598:
590:
574:
569:
538:
530:
525:
480:2018 :
469:2019 :
454:2021 :
439:Shaker Light
438:
437:1972 :
431:
430:2005 :
424:
423:2008 :
417:
416:2013 :
408:
402:
399:2014 :
393:
392:2017 :
386:
385:2018 :
377:
371:2019 :
283:
279:
277:
272:
268:
266:
260:
255:
253:
248:
245:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:large format
211:
205:
201:
199:
194:
182:
178:
174:
171:
148:Shaker Light
147:
145:
125:
113:
111:, New York.
98:
79:
78:
69:.squarespace
57:photographer
18:
1102:1952 births
868:"Phos 2019"
753:18 December
403:Wild Nights
394:Dark Waters
361:Exhibitions
291:Collections
185:followed a
133:Lynne Cohen
109:New Lebanon
88:photographs
46:Nationality
1096:Categories
829:18 January
499:References
280:Crunchtime
84:photograms
782:Harvard.
378:Trop tard
137:Adam Fuss
95:Biography
332:, Québec
101:Montreal
49:Canadian
40:, Quebec
38:Montreal
698:PHARMED
685:Eco-Art
531:Eco-Art
432:Teeming
284:Pharmed
278:In his
273:Eco-Art
269:Teeming
261:Fragile
256:Teeming
183:Details
163:Artwork
119:at the
62:Website
223:Friend
983:Getty
446:Group
219:Night
831:2020
755:2023
366:Solo
221:and
71:.com
31:Born
1098::
884:.
822:.
804:.
786:.
732:.
713:.
582:^
552:^
506:^
251:.
233:,
159:.
1061:.
1047:.
1033:.
1019:.
996:.
956:.
942:.
928:.
902:.
888:.
833:.
808:.
790:.
757:.
736:.
717:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.