Lecture by Iwan Baan at Palm Springs Art Museum

Sat, Feb 24 - Sat, Feb 24  2018

On February 24, 2018, photographer Iwan Baan will give a lecture at Palm Springs Art Museum. To purchase tickets for “Iwan Baan: Shadow of the Sun” click on this link. 

“Iwan Baan: Shadow of the Sun”

Dutch photographer Iwan Baan will discuss his photographs of Albert Frey’s iconic midcentury architecture. Baan, known primarily for images that narrate the life and interactions that occur within architecture, will share how his experience of Palm Springs, where physical spaces are taken over by light and wind and air and sky and earth, is shaped by the Desert Modernism style pioneered by Frey. Baan’s photographs of Frey’s Tramway Gas Station, Palm Springs City Hall, and Frey House II capture the architect’s dissolution of borders between indoors and outdoors, through the use of simple industrial materials and the incorporation of native vegetation, sunlight, shadows, and boulders. The lines, shadows, and reflections captured in Baan’s images demonstrate Frey’s unique connection to the Palm Spring’s environment and his resulting interactions: a boulder-invaded house, bizarre, artificial shade and shelter for the messy happenings of everyday life, and ultimately an example of architecture that has the capacity to transcend itself. 

About Iwan Baan

Iwan Baan is known primarily for images that narrate the life and interactions that occur within architecture. Born in 1975, Iwan grew up outside Amsterdam, studied at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and worked in publishing and documentary photography in New York and Europe.

With his combined passion for documentary and space, Baan’s photographs reveal our innate ability to re-appropriate our available objects and materials, in order to find a place we can call our own. Examples of this can be seen in his work on informal communities where vernacular architecture and placemaking serve as examples of human ingenuity, such as his images of the Torre David in Caracas – a series that won Baan the Golden Lion for Best Installation at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale.

With no formal training in architecture, his perspective mirrors the questions and perspectives of the everyday individuals who give meaning and context to the architecture and spaces that surround us, and this artistic approach has given matters of architecture an approachable and accessible voice.

Palm Springs Art Museum

Palm Springs Art Museum creates transformative experiences that expand the understanding of themselves and the world. The collections, exhibitions, and programs connect people to the art and culture of community and time. They foster and inspire reflection and renewal for local, national, and global audiences.