The Robin Rice Gallery is pleased to present a photographic exhibition by Gordon Stettinius. The opening reception will be held on Wednesday, May 7, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. The show will run through June 15, 2014. In Gordon’s third exhibition, his remarkable capacity for discovery and self-described “pathological curiosity” makes for an entirely unpredictable series of photographs, while the small size of the gelatin silver prints emphasizes their detailed nature and enhances the mysterious quality generated by his choice in cameras (namely, the increasingly popular Holga film camera). Stettinius’ wry sense of humor, references to popular culture, and use of kitschy subject matter permeate the entire black and white exhibition.

The invitational image, Yoda’s Garden, is a perfect emblem of the exhibition’s mischievously comedic representation of Americana. In this image, a scarecrow proudly stands at the center of a growing cornfield, a gingham dress wrapping its body and a mask of the popular Star Wars character “Yoda” serving as its head. Although the references to both Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz may appear staged, Stettinius’ photography is anything but.

Stettinius frequently finds inspiration in road trips, generating an aesthetic with the satirical playfulness of David Graham or Ralph Meatyard. This spontaneous, anthropological approach to photography can be seen in several of the pieces in Stettinius’ collection. This is perhaps most notably found in Fast Money, a highly contrasted shot of a stark-white building facing empty pavement; the building front boldly states in dark, block lettering, “Fast Money”, an ironic twist on what appears to be an otherwise desolate road.

Stettinius is a native of Richmond, Virginia, where he continues to live and work as a fine art photographer and educator at Virginia Commonwealth University. His work has received extensive press on both a national and international scale, with publications in the Huffington Post, wired.com and, most recently, a feature in B&W Magazine. Stettinius is also the founder of Candela Gallery, an exhibition space dedicated to featuring the works of various photographers. His attention has most recently been focused on Candela Books, an independent publishing company of fine art photography books, which Stettinius founded in 2010. Future publications include Mangini Studio, collaboration between Stettinius and photographer Terry Brown, scheduled to be released November 2014.