Daniel Blau is pleased to present Apollo 8 x 10, an exhibition showcasing pictures taken on pioneering NASA explorations beyond the earth’s boundaries. These missions remain unrivalled in their ability to extend our understanding of our cosmos and of photography’s artistic and scientific values. Apollo 8 x 10 hosts photographs taken on both manned and unmanned NASA missions, presenting an exciting selection of vintage prints from Apollo as well as Viking, Pioneer, Gemini, Skylab and other missions.

To See is to Believe

Centuries of human curiosity, as well as pioneering explorations, have empowered an inherent desire to reach beyond known territories and expand mankind’s vision. Not only have these photographs provided scientific data, they continue to inform our cultural understanding of the unknown. Much as Galileo Galilei observed the unexplored craters of the Moon, the movement of Venus and the orbiting moons of Jupiter – these photographs highlight humankind’s interest in the subliminal experience of life, defying our seemingly insignificant presence in our vast cosmos.

How can we distinguish the artistic merits between a drawing made by Leonardo da Vinci of a flying machine and the mosaic panoramas of the moon? From cave paintings to Buzz Aldrin’s footprint on the moon’s surface, art declares the power of exploration: ‘We have been here, I am here, I am the first’. It is photography which has enabled humans unparalleled access to observe and record our astonishingly beautiful neighbouring planets.

The simply titled “Mars” photograph taken by Viking Lander 1 in 1976 raises questions about its accurate representation of the physical world surrounding the Lander. The photograph’s original, sent via radio from Mars on the day it was taken, which shows us our familiar blue sky, was corrected by the following day to the reddish brown, to which we have since become accustomed.

This exhibition will bring to light, and to earth, longstanding questions of defining a universal art which inherently incorporates technological and scientific development. Our modern world’s increasingly blurred distinctions between scientific investigation and creative expression need not be a troubling juxtaposition, but instead an example of art as a subjective and flexible manifestation of human triumph.