KaliUntitled (Woman), Palm Springs, CA1972
1972
About the Item
- Creator:Kali (1932 - 2019, American)
- Creation Year:1972
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2910472212
Kali
Joan Marie Archibald was born in 1932 and raised on Long Island, New York. Wed and divorced by the age of 30, she left everything behind for California and a new life — and a new identity as "Kali."
While Kali had studied art and photography previously, no one knows exactly when and how her artistic practice and style developed. She began using an improvised darkroom in the master bath of her Palm Springs home to print 16 by 20 inch photographs. She chose her subjects carefully, which included friends, pets, acquaintances, children, her children’s friends (including a young Cindy Sherman), and surroundings. Late into the night, Kali then used dyes, screens, and organic material in the swimming pool to layer moody and psychedelic abstractions over the photographs and dried the textured prints in the desert sun.
The social and political turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s encouraged a more experimental artistic culture in the Los Angeles area. Artists began recontextualizing photographs as “objects” open to manipulation — rejecting the more straightforward and classical approach of photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Kali was a prolific pioneer of this alternative photography and her vibrant images marry a bohemian sensuality indicative of the time period and her lifestyle with a more emotional spontaneity.
In the 1970s, Kali continued her practice with the Polaroid camera. Instead of manipulating the Polaroid prints, she used multiple exposures and projections of light in camera to startling, eerie effect — particularly on a series of haunting self-portraits. Much later in her life, Kali documented her fascination with UFOs and extraterrestrials by monitoring and photographing images of flickering transmissions and unexplained streaks and blobs of light from the security cameras surrounding her property in Pacific Palisades.
Despite her prolific artistic output, Kali revealed her work to few and seems to have retreated just when she may have started to gain recognition. The only known article featuring her work was in the November 1970 edition of Camera 35 magazine and the author noted that Kali’s “Artography” (her trademarked name) was “was beyond the capabilities of mere machines. In fact, there is not a way to reproduce one of her images; as a result each of them is an original.”
In her 80s, Kali began to suffer the effects of Parkinson’s disease and memory loss. Her daughter Susan helped her move in to a nursing home and at the same time discovered the immense collection of Kali’s artwork and writing. Soon after Kali’s death in 2019, the collection was organized and archived by Susan and Kali’s former son-in-law, photographer Len Prince.
Find original Kali art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Staley-Wise Gallery)
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Woman with Hat Between Hedges, Parc de Sceaux, FranceBy Rodney SmithLocated in New York, NYEstate embossed and editioned on the recto and accompanied by an estate signed Certificate of AuthenticityCategory
Early 2000s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Saori on Sea Plane Wing No. 2, Dominican RepublicBy Rodney SmithLocated in New York, NYEstate embossed and editioned on the recto and accompanied by an estate signed Certificate of AuthenticityCategory
2010s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Odalisque No. 1, Winfield Estate, Long Island, New YorkBy Rodney SmithLocated in New York, NYSigned by the photographer on the verso and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the photographerCategory
Early 2000s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Zoe Balancing Teapot on Head, Burden Mansion, New YorkBy Rodney SmithLocated in New York, NYEstate embossed and editioned on the recto and accompanied by an estate signed Certificate of AuthenticityCategory
Early 2000s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Zoe Reading, Seated on Bookcase, Long Island, New YorkBy Rodney SmithLocated in New York, NYEstate embossed and editioned on the recto and accompanied by an estate signed Certificate of AuthenticityCategory
Early 2000s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Fuerteventura, 2024By Txema YesteLocated in New York, NYSigned by the photographer on label of authenticityCategory
2010s Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Embrace, New York, NY, 2004By John DolanLocated in Hudson, NYJohn Dolan’s photographs revel in the extraordinary that lies beneath everyday, fleeting occurrences. And in this eloquent collection of twenty images shot in ravishing color and bla...Category
Early 2000s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Paris Flower Market from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 by Peter CorneliusLocated in London, GBParis Flower Market from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 By Peter Cornelius 40 x 30 inches / 101 x 76 cm paper size Printed 2022 Archival pigment print Framing and size options available - Please enquire About: Peter Cornelius (1913–1970) was a German photographer and photojournalist. The goal he set himself was to capture: “the right colours at the right moment”. He was never concerned with a pure, apparently “right” picture of “reality”. After World War II, he began his career with reportage, landscape and sailing photography...Category
1950s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsColor, Archival Pigment
- 36x48 "Star Wars" VHS Photo Photography Pop Art by Destro SignedBy DestroLocated in Los Angeles, CA"The VHS" by pop Artist Destro. We all remember those iconic nights at the video store. Pop artist DESTRO once again encapsulates one of our favorite past times in a fine art con...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Sophia Loren Pouring Champagne in Glasses - Oversize PrintLocated in London, GBSophia Loren Pouring Champagne in Glasses by Globe Photos A classic 1962 image featuring legendary Italian film actress Sophia Loren pouring champagne into fancy glasses on New Yea...Category
2010s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Paris Nights II from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 by Peter CorneliusLocated in London, GBParis Nights II from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 By Peter Cornelius 30 x 20 inches / 76 x 51 cm paper size Printed 2022 Archival pigment print Framing and size options avai...Category
1950s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsColor, Archival Pigment
- "Paris Still Life" from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 by Peter CorneliusLocated in London, GBParis Still Life from the Paris In Colour Series 1956-61 By Peter Cornelius large oversize 30 x 30 inches / 76 x 76 cm paper size Printed 2022 Archival pigment print Framing and s...Category
1950s Modern Color Photography
MaterialsColor, Archival Pigment
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Kali Is an Art World Sensation, 40 Years after She Hid Her Work Away
A newly discovered trove of her kaleidoscopic works reveals that the enigmatic artist captured the zeitgeist of 1960s Southern California.
Inside the Bubble of Melvin Sokolsky
In the early 1960s, the photographer captured elegant models soaring through the air and floating in bubbles over Paris and New York. Now, we reveal the secrets behind his magical compositions.