The following information was provided by the Mosesian Center for the Arts:
At Mosesian Arts, artists using photography and photo-based processes are inspired by the depth and complexities of being human.
The Mosesian Center for the Arts is excited to present an exhibition of works using photography and photo-based processes exploring ideas of how complex, disquieting, sorrowful, and yet beautiful, joyful, and colorful life can be. From formal portraits to snapshots of daily life to photographs of humans at work or performing on stage or just being. Photography, from its early beginnings, has captured fascinating glimpses of humanity. Documentary photography, portraiture, work that details humans’ interactions with the environment, and work that captures life and its many aspects from joy to sorrow to isolation and friendships are included in the exhibition.
Nicholas Costopoulos’s Untitled portrait of his late mother is one of the photographs he took to document his mother’s struggles with dementia from diagnosis until her passing. The portrait is tender yet haunting. The deep orange light illuminates the face of the seated figure. Her eyes are not looking directly at the viewer but beyond the frame of the photograph, there is care and sadness in her face. The artist writes: “Coming Home Again and Again was to be an unexacting photographic documentary chronicling my mother’s dementia diagnosis, but it became much more. During its evolution, the project dissociated into volumes reshaping into a personal examination of self-identity. The first volume, Caregiver, being presented here, meditates on the changes and effects my mother’s illness produced in our relationship and the home we’ve created over the past 50 years. During my observations and caregiving in the past five years, I have explored religion through her eyes, leading me to question my long-held spiritual beliefs. Further scrutiny aided me in pondering my thoughts on aging and dementia. A process that intertwines nostalgia, love, emotional connections, life, and death, and, most importantly, strong family bonds that I have been so lucky to possess.”
In Gary Duehr’s photograph Skaters (see at top), the viewer encounters a slice of daily life. The bright sunlight, the contrasting colors and the clothing of the young men suggest summer in the city. The urban scene is vibrant. There is movement and attitude. People are going about their lives, alone or a part of the crowd and as the artists puts it: “The bus stops and street corners act like stages for little dramas to play out.”
Lyle Bibler’s black and white image simply titled Covid – Era Photograph, 2020, Image 3 depicts a girl on her bicycle. She feels isolated, confined to her backyard, the child is frozen in time. The image conjures up memories of the height of Covid pandemic and feelings of uncertainty and separation. The viewer does not see the girl’s face, only follows her gaze to the brick wall dividing the yards, reinforcing the feeling of solitude that the photograph projects.
In Depth: Life in Photographs is on display at the Mosesian Center for the Arts from Sept. 15–Nov. 5, 2023. The opening reception will be held on Sept. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Concurrently, Mosesian Arts is proud to announce 40 Seasons of Love: Photography Exhibition, at the Watertown Savings Bank Gallery, Mosesian Arts’s second level gallery. The exhibition will highlight production photographs from Watertown Children’s Theatre spanning four decades. Please join us for Watertown Children’s Theatre’s 40th Anniversary celebration on Nov. 4.
The mission of The Mosesian Center for the Arts is to enrich the lives of diverse audiences and participants by providing exceptional experiences in theater, visual, and literary art. See more at www.mosesianarts.org, www.facebook.com/mosesiancenterforthearts and www.instagram.com/mosesianarts