Land Suite Series IV

Stuart Rome's photographs (in this “Land Suite” series) are taken near old temples on the island of Bali and seem suspended outside ordinary time.  Fragmented stone ruins intermingle with the enveloping forest, prompting us to meditate on mortality and the endurance of nature.  Each of the artist's images captures an arresting visual moment: an expanse of diamond-clear waters, a radiant sunburst illuminating a moss-covered rock.  Like American landscape painters of earlier generations, he reveals an openness to the transcendent in the natural world.  

Rome works with a large-format camera, using long exposures that allow dark areas to become visible.  In earlier series, he photographed traditional rituals in Indonesia, Central America, and Haiti.