ABOUT THE ARTIST

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Zed Saeed began his art practice with an interest in the culture surrounding American liberty, in the white-knuckle grip with which Americans hold these freedoms and to how they choose to use them. Saeed’s investigation led him to the cityscapes of Louisville, KY, where he captures large-format film photographs of the city at night, a nod to the classics from American straight photography. He combines digital scans of each film exposure in an incredibly tedious process so that no one part of the picture plane is out of focus, creating a surreal sense that the viewer is looking through a window or into a diorama box. His goal is to capture what he calls “the perfect image,” where all is seen clearly, nothing out of focus. 

 

“American Nocturne” invites viewers to intentionally look at places in the city we would normally walk past without noticing. What can the perfect image show us if we care to look long enough?