Patrick Sansone
Patrick Sansone uses cameras and films to take photographs of some things that are there.
Sansone creates photographs that reference observations of stillness, lure, and intermission. Documenting the artifacts of a near-mythic America, he captures subjects such as decaying signage, glass soda bottles, empty auditorium seats, abandoned industrial sites and roadside diners. In his nostalgic compositions new narratives of urban America are found. The landscapes and locales are decidedly post-human, almost otherworldly. Sansone describes the state of mind he reaches for in making this work as a “heightened state of noticing.” For him, the practice is one of detachment and meditation, and with that comes a play in permanence and impermanence, both in his process, and in the images themselves.
Born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, the Southern aesthetic is ever present in Sansone's photographs, not unlike Eggleston and Christenberry. Signs of antiquity appear as recurring themes as do moments of tranquility and grandeur. Sansone takes photographs while on the road as a touring musician, and on quiet solitary road trips. Like his music, the resulting bodies of work resemble an album of songs that tell a story of the journey. Through his camera, Sansone records a time and place that is both intimate and forever just out of reach. In his words, “I’m not trying to say anything, I’m just trying to see something.”
Sansone’s photography practice began in the mid-2000s after discovering a love of the Polaroid SX70 camera. In 2010 he published “100 Polaroids”, a limited-edition book of Polaroid photography that accompanied an exhibit at MASS MOCA. In 2020, He published a limited-edition 2nd printing of the book. In more recent years, Sansone started shooting with 35mm and Medium Format film cameras. When not photographing, Sansone is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, musician, and music producer, and a member of the band, Wilco.
