16:9 is an artist book by San Francisco photographer Chris Komater. Komater has produced a body of very low-resolution photographs, 16 pixels wide by 9 pixels high. Almost visually indecipherable, the imagery suggests forms, but the viewer completes the work by imbuing it with intent, definition and meaning. Inspired by today's polarized views of reality, he has created work that may be interpreted in any way the viewer chooses. Komater offers no pedantic or manipulative messages, no attempt to guide... nothing about his desires, anxieties, or trying to articulate something of his private experience through a universal visual language. In the post-Trump world, Komater has discovered that he can't change what is already in someone's head, but maybe he can prompt some discussion about what is being seen and why. 16:9 is the aspect ratio that has become the standard format for our widescreen televisions, the medium that has framed much of Komater's experience of the world during the Covid-19 crisis. Mirroring society's dismissal of what's happening in front of their eyes, Komater has discarded content and made some photos about whatever the viewer desires it to be about. The book is published in conjunction with an exhibition of the photographs, Komater's 9th solo exhibition at Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland, July 29 - September 3, 2022.
