Saturday evening opening for photo show at Mercurial Gallery in Danbury
The Mercurial Gallery
11 Library Pl., Danbury, (203) 417-2215
Still…
Sept. 15—Oct. 26, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., Sept. 22, 5—7 p.m.
Musical Performance by Lys Guillorn Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Press release from Mercurial Gallery
The Mercurial Gallery in Danbury, Connecticut
will be exhibiting Still…, a photography exhibition
featuring Catherine Vanaria, Mark Savoia, and Lys Guillorn from Sept. 15 to Oct.
26 with an opening reception taking place on Sat., Sept. 22 from 5—7 p.m. Vanaria and Savoia, a married couple who live in New Fairfield, are
co-owners of Still River Editions and Connecticut Photographics, a studio and
gallery specializing in fine art digital printing and traditional black and
white film processing, and they are currently celebrating their 25th year in
business. Guillorn, who lived above The Mercurial from 2001 to 2009,
has been working with Vanaria and Savoia at Still River Editions since
1998.
Vanaria, a professor of photography
at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury and volunteer archives
photographer at the Danbury Museum & Historical Society, has three pairs of
large black and white prints on display at The Mercurial—intimate portraits of
a mother and daughter, a mother and son, and two brothers, all taken with a
1930s era 8x10 large format camera and lens.
'This body is a departure from my
original portrait work," writes Vanaria in her artist statement. "My traditional method demanded
sharp focused, environmental locations mixing both available and strobe
light."
"I make the eyes the most
important point in each frame, letting other sections fall out of focus. I
believe that the eyes are our truth-meters. They show our secrets, desires, wants and needs even if
every other part of the face is displaying the opposite."
Vanaria says she has been
attracted to photographing the human face for 30 years. She is also well-known for her series
"The Boston Years," which captures performances by bands such as the
Talking Heads, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and Anthrax from their heyday in the late
70s and early 80s. "The
Boston Years" is also available in book form on Vanaria's website.
Savoia, a master digital
printmaker at Still River Editions, has been building his portfolio of smart
and humorous photographs of "tongue-in-cheek" glimpses of New England
Americana for the past six years. This body of work features almost impossibly
ironic images where pops of color contrast with the familiar green-gray colors
of the Northeast. Works such as "Park Your Cow Here" and "Wheel
Chair Starting Line" are on view at The Mercurial.
"I am constantly looking for
evidence that below the surface something is not quite right in this
country," Savoia writes in his artist statement. "Through the
camera's selective view, I juxtapose what is considered progress in our
throwaway society against an increasing lack of taste. I am not attempting
two-dimensional slapstick, rather satire laced with a few Freudian slips."
Savoia, who received an arts grant
from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in 2010, has shown his
work throughout the country and has pieces in permanent collections in the
United States and Japan.
Guillorn is an artist of many
kinds; in addition to her photography work, she is an avant-folk
singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with three solo recordings under
her belt. She will be performing
at The Mercurial prior at the closing of 'Still…' on Sat., Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.
Guillorn's first group of black
and white photographs from her "Route 34 Series" is on display at The
Mercurial, featuring abstract triple exposures and seemingly ancient industrial
landscapes, each captured with her plastic camera during her Route 34 commute
between Shelton and Danbury.
"When I got married and moved
to Shelton a few years ago, I was a little worried about the commute,"
writes Guillorn in her artist statement.
"It turns out to be a beautiful drive. I have trod Route 34 in
every type of weather, and never find it boring. I wind along the Housatonic
River and watch the light change every day."
Guillorn has shown work ranging
from photography to sculpture throughout Connecticut and is also featured in
Brief Monuments, a group photography show at the Orison
Gallery in Essex, through October.
The opening reception for
Still… will include an artist meet and greet, food, and
refreshments. An accompanying
music performance by featured artist Lys Guillorn will take place at the
gallery on Sat., Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
Labels: Catherine Vanaria, Lys Guillorn, Mark Savoia, photography, The Mercurial Gallery
posted by Hank Hoffman at 10:31 PM
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