Fron Newcity, July 3, 2008.

CARO D'OFFAY GALLERY 2204 W. North.
(773)235-7400.
FRED CAMPER.

Concept competes with loving beauty in photographer and art critic Fred Camper's series of grids of pellucid color images depicting sites ranging from industrial ruins, through the verdant vacant lots of Harvey, Illinois, to Brazil's postmodern Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum. Only by viewing a complete series in sequence — unfortunately only the Niteroi is displayed here in toto — does the concept emerge, and it does so spontaneously and without a hint of didacticism. Camper begins his Niteroi series with three standard mid-range architectural shots and then progressively gets closer, adding more images to each frame until he ends up with a 7x3 grid of abstracted details, showing us how distance determines visual meaning and beguiling our eyes all the while. The other works in the show are taken from larger series and we have to be content with sharing Camper's passion for all places great and small. (Michael Weinstein) Through August 1.