Issue No. 28 – Control

What is the nature of control? The desire for it—and to be free of it—are essential parts of both life and art.

Selma March 1965 at Steven Kasher Gallery

Image above: ©Spider Martin; Marching with United Nation’s Flag, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver, printed ca. 1965. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery, New York.

 

Steven Kasher Gallery presented on March 5th Selma March 1965. Featuring over 150 original photographs, the exhibition depicts the three Selma-to-Montgomery marches that rocked the nation and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. “Never before in New York or any other gallery has the work of photographers James Barker, Spider Martin and Charles Moore been brought together like this,” said Steven Kasher. “By combining their work, the exhibition captures in a new way the angst, courage and chaos of this seminal moment in American history.”

IMG_2601Steven Kasher Gallery on the opening night. 

 

 Martin 2©Image above: Spider Martin;Hosea Williams and John Lewis Confront Troopers on Bloody Sunday, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver, printed ca. 1965. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery, New York.

On March 7th, 1965, Alabama state troopers and a local posse viciously attacked civil rights demonstrators in Selma, stopping a planned peaceful march to the state capitol in Montgomery, wounding many innocent marchers. Both filmed and photographed, “Bloody Sunday” instantly caused nationwide outrage. A few days later, a second march, led by the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., was turned back. A third, ultimately successful march left Selma on March 21, arriving in Montgomery five days later. By then, President Lyndon B. Johnson, pushed by Dr. King and the horrific images of brutality captured by Martin, Moore and others, had introduced the Voting Rights Act to Congress, which became law later that year.

james brankiln-EditJames H. Barker at Steven Kasher Gallery on the Opening night. 

 

Barker 1©James H. Barker. Wednesday, March 25. “Walking through the streets of Montgomery.”  1965. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery, New York. 
 

“Together the images on display present a complex, compelling tableau that is both monumental and intimate, brave and vulnerable,” said Kasher. “The exhibit is inspiring, but also a chilling reminder that those who fight for social justice do at great risk, with no guarantee that their efforts will be successful – though sometimes they are, if only partially.” Selma March 1965 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Selma marches as well as the Voting Rights Act they catalyzed. It is the 30th public exhibition that Kasher has organized of photography of the Civil Rights Movement.

michelle moore 1-EditMichelle Moore on the opening night at Steven Kasher Gallery. 

 

 

Moore 4© Charles Moore. SelmaJoan Baez, Selma to Montgomery March, 1965. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery, New York. 

 

 

Moore 3© Charles Moore. Selma Protests, 1965. Vintage gelatin silver, printed ca. 1965. Courtesy of Steven Kasher Gallery, New York. 

 

The exhibition will be at Steven Kasher Gallery from March 5th, till April 18th.

All opening images by Sana Maqsood.

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