KangHee Kim, Hope Street, 2019, 72 x 52 inches, archival pigment print, edition of 3.© KangHee Kim — KangHee Kim, *Hope Street*, 2019, 72 x 52 inches, archival pigment print, edition of 3.
© KangHee Kim

In 1987, the Benrubi Gallery opened its doors in New York City. Founded by the late Bonni Benrubi, the gallery emphasizes contemporary and 20th-century styles, including works from artists like Stéphane Couturier, Doug Hall, Jacqueline Hassink, Laura McPhee, and Jeffrey Milstein.

One of the gallery’s current exhibitions, “Winter of Hope,” curates photographs focused on uplifting its audience as a new year arrives. After an unprecedented and unimaginable year, this exhibition evokes the human desire to preserve hopefulness and look towards a future that brings more prosperity and well-being worldwide.

Jude Broughan, Diaspora II (Hollywood FL, Hamilton NZ, hydrangea), 2020, 16 x 14 inches, pigment prints, acrylic paint, thread, unique.© Jude Broughan — Jude Broughan, *Diaspora II (Hollywood FL, Hamilton NZ, hydrangea)*, 2020, 16 x 14 inches, pigment prints, acrylic paint, thread, unique.
© Jude Broughan

The exhibition features work from four artists: KangHee Kim, Jeffrey Milstein, Jude Broughan, and Vanessa Albury. Featured works from Korean photographer KangHee Kim present whimsical skyscapes of sunsets, clear blue skies, and the evening light. Two of Kim’s images titled “Hope” and “Hope Street” both contain street signs, with the street name Hope superimposed over a photo of the sky and a picture of the beach.

Vanessa Albury, Light Shadowgraphs, Chandelier XXIV_XXV, 2014, 23 x 33 inches, cyanotype, unique. © Vanessa Albury — Vanessa Albury, *Light Shadowgraphs, Chandelier XXIV_XXV*, 2014, 23 x 33 inches, cyanotype, unique.
© Vanessa Albury

Kim’s images share a commonality with New-Zealand native and artist Jude Broughan, who also creates images with collage or overlay effects. Broughan joins her pictures together through texture, color, and fabric. In “Winter of Hope,” her photographs evoke an idea of ordinary, everyday suburbia through images of backyard pools, front lawns, and gardens.

On the other hand, Vanessa Albury’s abstract photos take a more in-depth look into the physics and science of photography. Albury explores and experiments with photography by getting to the roots of the medium itself — her cyanotypes featured in “Winter of Hope” are inspired by the natural world and how science and nature can create works of art.

Jude Broughan, Poolside (Miami FL, Hamilton NZ, good neighbors), 2020, 16 x 14 inches, pigment prints, thread, unique.© Jude Broughan — Jude Broughan, *Poolside (Miami FL, Hamilton NZ, good neighbors)*, 2020, 16 x 14 inches, pigment prints, thread, unique.
© Jude Broughan

To round out the exhibition, Jeffrey Milstein captures aircrafts just before takeoff and ships setting out to sea and isolates them in processing to produce his images. His photographs highlight the impressive scale and technology behind these vessels, and in an era of travel bans, that scale becomes even more poignant.

Jude Broughan, Pool XVII (Hollywood FL, Hamilton NZ, getting out, hydrangea), 2020, 12 x 8.5 inches, pigment prints, thread, unique.© Jude Broughan — Jude Broughan, *Pool XVII (Hollywood FL, Hamilton NZ, getting out, hydrangea),* 2020, 12 x 8.5 inches, pigment prints, thread, unique.
© Jude Broughan

While each photographer and their respective photographs are unique, their similarities lie within the sentiments they evoke. Kim conjures feelings of freedom and openness through her beautiful images of open, bright skies, and in Broughan’s works, the audience is called to a quiet mode of normalcy. Vanessa Albury demonstrates the wonder and capabilities of the natural world, while Jeffrey Milstein reminds us of where and how we may travel again and the grand vehicles that will get us there. These photos come together in “Winter of Hope” in the ways they inspire and encourage finding solace through art.