Joni Sternbach's 19th-Century Process Surfboard Portraits at Joseph Bellows Gallery

The Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla, California, is showcasing 'Surfboard,' an exhibition featuring the work of Joni Sternbach. This display includes twenty gelatin silver contact prints, each measuring 14×11 inches, created from glass-plate collodion negatives. Running from June 27 to August 29, 2026, the exhibition highlights Sternbach's use of the 19th-century collodion technique to capture historic surfboards as both artistic forms and personal artifacts. Renowned for her tintype surfer portraits, she employs similar techniques on the surfboards, merging photographic heritage with surfing culture. According to the artist, "I document historic surfboards by making large-format, collodion-coated glass negatives."