John Huggins: Polagrids

New York, NY—  Sears-Peyton Gallery is pleased to present a solo show by Los Angeles-based photographer John Huggins. Huggins discovered the Polaroid transfer process in the early 1990s on a trip to New York City, and fell in love with the distinctive color pallet and sense of timelessness the medium offered. After returning home to Los Angeles he began the process of developing his own techniques to achieve a desirable print. After several months he hit the road alone crisscrossing the American landscape in search of subject matter. 

In the beginning, Huggins made single images within the 3½ x 4½ inch format that the process allowed. He describes the evolution from those single polaroid transfers to the five large-scale grids on view in Polagrids: "I began using multiple images to create grids, which allowed me to better express subject matter that involved time, movement, or some form of evolution. Eventually, I was able to enlarge the single images and recently with new techniques and skills, I have arrived at what feels like the final variation: enlarging entire grids."

The Polaroid transfers on view were all made between 1995 and 2007. In 2007 Polaroid ceased production and the Type 59 film necessary for the process became extinct. The images in this exhibition consist of previously unseen work, along with images at greater scale and new photographic compositions from the artist's archives.

The exhibition is anchored by "County Line #16" a massive grid of seventy-seven individual polaroid transfers that create a cinematic sequence of the ocean's indigo water. He captures the horizon as the sets roll in, the reoccurring geometry of the waves as the forms that pepper the image come and go; ride in, paddle out.

"I relied on that magical sensation of recognizing something worth documenting. The emotional connection was all that mattered, the why was unimportant. I have always believed that trying to analyze what makes an image good in the moment diminishes the possibilities." Huggins’ Polagrids translate the artist's magical sensation using an outmoded American technology to depict familiar subjects. Nostalgic, narrative, and iconic, his images feel both timeless and current.  

The exhibition is on view June 4 – 27, 2026 at Sears-Peyton Gallery in their Chelsea location at 210 Eleventh Avenue. There is an evening reception June 4th from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Exhibitions are open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 11:00 - 5:00pm and Saturdays from 12:00 - 5:00pm. For more information or to request further press images, please contact the gallery at info@searspeyton.com.