Dissolving (0867), 2008
Dissolving (0867), 2008
40 × 25.7 inches


Dissolving (0849), 2008
Dissolving (0849), 2008
40 × 20 inches


Dissolving (0879), 2008
Dissolving (0879), 2008
40 × 10 inches


Dissolving (0808), 2008
Dissolving (0808), 2008
30 × 22.5 inches


Dissolving (0825), 2008
Dissolving (0825), 2008
30 × 22.5 inches


Dissolving (0825), 2008
Dissolving (0869), 2008
30 × 11 inches


 Anna Valentina Murch: Dissolving

Bay Area artist Anna Valentina Murch opens Dissolving, an exhibition of photographic prints at Brian Gross Fine Art on Thursday, September 4, with a reception for the artist from 5:30-7:30 pm. As an environmental installation artist, Murch considers the constant flux, fragility and beauty of the natural environment through images created by light reflecting on water. The exhibition will continue through November 1.

Mostly known for her large-scale, public installations, Murch is an artist who works primarily with the medium of light. She often works collaboratively with architects, engineers and other artists and draws inspiration from the history and landscape of the surroundings to create experiential spaces incorporating elements such as light, water and sound. Her work focuses on creating places that lead the viewer on a sensory and psychological journey that measures time and provokes memory.

Murch has always used photography as a way to explore and capture ideas from the environment. Here, she has captured a passing moment of light reflecting on water. She sees the reflections as mirrors, reflecting what exists, but also showing what a place is hiding. For Murch, these photographic investigations ask questions about the fleeting nature and fragility of the organic world. These mirages of vegetation in a body of water appear to be dissolving, as our forests are disappearing, the ice caps are melting and our natural world rapidly changes.

Anna Valentina Murch received a Master of Arts in Sculpture (Environmental Media), at the Royal College of Art in London (1973) and a graduate diploma from the Architectural Association in London (1974). In the late 1970's she moved to San Francisco and developed many works in galleries and museums. Her recent permanent public art installations include: St. Louis Metro System; Muni Metro Extension, San Francisco; Queens Civic Court House, New York; Arroyo Suite, Century City, Los Angeles; "Waterscape," Civic Center Plaza, San Jose, California; "Water Scores," for the Performing Arts Center Plaza, Miami, Florida. She is currently a Professor of Art at Mills College in Oakland, California.