Some people look skyward when seeking the answers to life’s complex questions, but in his series On the Beach, artist Richard Misrach turns to the sea.

The visiting artist presented a wide range of his photography during a Kane Hall lecture Oct. 10. An early preview of his exhibition that is currently on display at the Henry Art Gallery followed the event.

Misrach’s collection of photographs from the series is the result of more than three years of work from a single hotel balcony in Hawaii. With an 8x10 (large-format) camera, he took countless aerial photographs of the unsuspecting beachgoers below.

“Misrach uses beauty as a way of capturing your attention,” said Elizabeth Brown, chief curator of the Henry Art Gallery.

The significance of the series is contradictory to what one might expect of beautiful Hawaiian scenery. On the Beach is Misrach’s emotional response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. His son attended New York University at the time, so the attacks were particularly significant for the artist.

Haunted by the Sept. 11 photographs of individuals fleeing buildings, Misrach attempts to echo those images by focusing many of his pictures on lone subjects in great expanses of sea and sand. Additionally, Misrach’s aerial photographs utilize an inverted version of the geometric perspective of the Sept. 11 pictures.

“It was a way for me to process [9/11] and make sense of [the world],” Misrach said about his inspiration for the series.

The contradicting images of placid scenery and haunting solitude represent the escape from reality that Misrach imagined people sought after the World Trade Center tragedy. He saw the beach as a way for people to find pleasure despite enormous loss.

“I like to take contemporary events and turn them into history paintings,” Misrach said in his lecture. “I really like the seduction of beauty and how powerful a tool it is to convey things.”

He is adamant, however, that the photographs do not make any sort of direct statement about the events that shook the country seven years ago. They are merely intended to represent the artist’s sensitivity to the human condition.

“This is an oblique, indirect narrative of the state of the world,” the artist said of his photography. “It shows the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.”

The title of the series references a Cold War novel by Nevil Shute. The book follows a group of individuals as they attempt to enjoy their remaining time on earth before nuclear weapons end humanity. To do this, the characters spend their time on the beach.

“It’s a perfect match for the Henry, because we have some of his previous works in our collection,” said Betsey Brock, associate director for communications and outreach at the gallery.

On the Beach is different from Misrach’s earlier work, specifically Desert Cantos.

“[With On the Beach] I stayed perfectly still and let the pictures come to me,” Misrach said concerning the contrast between Desert Cantos, an earlier work, and his new series. “All the pictures are taken from the same spot on the planet.”

The Henry has several of the Desert Cantos pictures to display with the traveling series. In addition to 19 pieces from On the Beach, the exhibition features a number of the artist’s older pictures on loan from local patrons. Furthermore, several works from Misrach’s latest series are being viewed for essentially the first time.

The traveling display originated at the Art Institute of Chicago, and has visited an impressive list of museums, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work will be on display at the Henry until Jan. 18, at which time it will travel to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga. for exhibition next spring.

Reach contributing writer Lexie Krell at development@dailyuw.com.