Art Out: Tyler Mitchell, The Photographer in the Garden, Processing Narratives
Georgia Hillside © Tyler Mitchell. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Tyler Mitchell Dreaming in Real Time
Jack Shainman Gallery New York | 513 West 20th Street
September 9 to October 30, 2021
Dreaming in Real Time, on view a tour 20th Street gallery, is a new series by Mitchell that visualizes scenes of peace, solitude and belonging for Black people in the pastoral American South. During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mitchell was unable to see his family in his native state of Georgia. The distance and isolation led him to start dreaming of home. When he was able to return, he created new images of subjects in the Atlanta-metro area that consider historic and contemporary notions of refuge, repose, and rootedness.
Works such as Nap and Connective Tissue hone in on intimate moments. Two pairs of feet softly and comfortably fall into each other, siblings tenderly embrace, and children jump on mattresses, while brothers wade calmly into the riverside. Mitchell also makes multiple references to the real and lived histories of redlining within Georgia that continue to this day, which both limit the mobility of Black people and actively suppress voting rights. In Georgia Hillside (Redlining) and Chalk, Mitchell’s hand is visible through his drawn demarcations on the land. Mitchell reimagines these historically divisive lines, which have become a subconscious part of Southern life, as potential pathways of navigation, connectivity, solace, and belonging.
Lonnie Graham, Harry Noisette at The Garden of Enlightenment, Wilmot Frazier Elementary School, Spoleto, Charleston, SC 2002
The Photographer in the Garden
Alice Austen House | September 7 to December 31, 2021
The Alice Austen House is proud to present The Photographer in the Garden September 7- December 31, 2021. Since the invention of the medium, photographers have been drawn by the allure of flowers. This group exhibition is excerpted from the book The Photographer in the Garden, co-published by Aperture and the George Eastman Museum, celebrating the rich history of artists working in the garden as a site of inspiration and reinvention.
The exhibition features works by acclaimed artists: Sam Abell, Alice Austen, Mark Cohen, Stephen Gill, Lonnie Graham, Justine Kurland, Lori Nix, Bill Owens, Sheron Rupp, Collier Schorr, Mike Slack.
In her introduction to the book Jamie M. Allen, associate curator of photography, George Eastman Museum, writes, “When photography was introduced to the public in 1939, it immediately began to displace the record-making function of other art forms, such as drawing and painting. At the time, photographs seemed to be a direct transcription of reality, precisely recording what was put in front of the camera or in contact with photographic materials. In creating these early transcriptions, it is not surprising that most photographers turned to gardens for inspiration.”
Contemporary photographers continue to call into question the “human-nature relationship that these public and private spaces have inspired.”
The compilation of photographs illustrates what Allen describes as, “the changing relationship between humans and nature from the nineteenth century to today. From private flowerbeds to sweeping public spaces, photographers have documented our ever-changing attitude toward the natural world. Their history takes us from an agricultural society through industrialization and suburbanization to today’s global community engaged in discussions about past and present land use.”
Mom and Other Strangers, © Melanie Walker
Processing Narratives
Colorado Photographic Arts Center | October 5 – November 20, 2021
Opening October 5th at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center (CPAC),
Processing Narratives explores alternative process photography through the works of four contemporary artists: Heidi Kirkpatrick, Marcy Palmer, Mariana Pereira Vieira, and Melanie Walker.
In our modern era of digital cameras and post-processing software, we document moments, experiences, and connections with such a rapid frequency that we can lose the sense of uniqueness that comes with traditional, chemical photography. With the recent resurgence of historical and alternative processes -- such as cyanotypes, Lumen prints, platinum/palladium prints, gum bichromates -- we once again are challenged to open our minds and expand the idea of what a photograph can be.
Each artist in Processing Narratives uses hands-on methods and diverse materials that both reflect early photographic history while furthering our understanding of the medium. They create singular images that record themes of family, history, love, and loss. Their works make a tangible connection to a changing world by imprinting subjects within the photographic object, incorporating physical touch, texture, and light-sensitivity. Each of these artists present us with artworks that depend upon direct contact as much as what appears in the image. We invite you to consider not only the beauty of these pieces, but the conditions and intentions that brought them into production.
Curator: The exhibit is curated by Samantha Johnston, Executive Director and Curator at CPAC.
Exhibiting artists: Heidi Kirkpatrick (Portland, Oregon), Marcy Palmer (Dallas, Texas), Mariana Pereira Vieira (Boulder, Colorado), and Melanie Walker (Boulder, Colorado).
Opening Reception: Sat., Oct. 9, 2021 (5 – 8 pm)
CPAC, 1070 Bannock St., Denver 80204 | FREE
Panel Talk with the Artists (Zoom): Wed., Oct. 20 | FREE
