Praia Piquinia 19/08/15 12h16 by Christian Chaize

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." , Marcel Proust

In 2004, Portugal presented itself as a new landscape in my life, both literally and metaphorically. Since then, I have photographed exclusively along a very small stretch of its southern coastline. Traveling there from France several times a year, I've observed its nuances, noting what changes, what stays constant... the subtle and dramatic shifts in its personality, if you will. Year after year, I not only continue to experience the mystery of its appeal, I find I am more deeply intrigued. The results of my obsession have developed into two distinct series. This is an image from Praia Piquinia, a body of work focusing on a singular, secluded beachfront in which all of the pictures are taken from what is essentially the same elevated angle. What the still-life was for Morandi, the haystack for Monet... this beach is that for me. From a distance, I observe the variables: light, weather, time of day, the ebb and flow of the ocean and, most importantly, the sunbathers, unaware, below my large-format camera. The images are shot vertically, a departure from the traditional, horizontal format in landscape photography. It puts my subject matter in the form of a portrait, an ongoing record of this corner of nature (and human nature), over the minutes, the days, the years. Ultimately, I try to instill an element of time within these captured moments... visceral time, elastic from one image to another. Praia Piquinia has peeled back layers in how I see and, as a result, in how I experience it. Together, we are evolving. The place is the same, but as always, I seek to have new eyes.

Each image is a love letter of sorts to this stunning, secluded locale. Many of our Chaize editions are bespeckled by umbrellas, sunbathers, towels, tan lines, and stolen kisses, but it was only in our first Chaize edition ever that you could spot a small, inflatable navy blue raft—until today’s release. Meet Praia Piquinia 19/08/15 12h16, which we affectionately refer to as: Return Of The Raft ... Read more on the blog!

+ This edition is not eligible for discount.
+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Signed + numbered certificate of authenticity included
+ Directly supports the artist
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Kodak Endura Matte

Christian Chaize, a self-taught artist, lives and works in Lyon, France. In 1992, he was awarded the Prix European Panorama de Kodak for Young European Photographer in Arles, France. In 2004, Chaize became intrigued by a small stretch of coastline in southern Portugal. Itching an artistic scratch, he began shooting what was then an entirely new subject matter for him. Using medium- and large-format cameras, his commitment to photographing a single beach front several times a year since then is now evident in the series Praia Piquinia. This work has been the focus of two one-man museum shows in Portugal, as well as gallery exhibitions in New York, Berlin and Lyon. Among other publications, it has been featured in The Collector's Guide to New Art Photography Vol. 2, BLINK MAGAZINE, Issue No. 13 and Elle Decor. In addition to its popularity on 20x200, Praia Piquinia is also the subject of Chaize's first monograph, published by Chronicle Books for release in the spring of 2013. Paradis, images made in the Seychelles, and To Praia Grande, a separate beach series shot in Portugal, have also been exhibited in New York and Berlin, respectively. Future projects will continue to reveal his interest in enlightening the way we look at something that has otherwise become banal, or merely familiar. In the words of Marcel Proust, and in the tradition of all the great modern photographers who came before him, Chaize is always seeking to "have new eyes."

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Praia Piquinia 19/08/15 12h16

Christian Chaize

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