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By Allison Alfonso
Press Staff Writer
aalfonso@johnsoncitypress.com
It’s been a while since I’ve written about a photography show at The Gallery @ 316, on East Main Street, and I’m glad I made the trip downtown last week to see the current show.
The works are on display through March and reminded me what a versatile and communicative medium photography is. Jennifer Kraicinski, a Milligan College student, is exhibiting a series of black-and-white documentary photographs taken in Bosnia that show the destruction of war-torn Sarajevo and scenes of everyday life such as children on bicycles and mannequins dressed in high fashion.
Elizabeth Barnes is showing her series of dual-framed images of New York subway and street scenes that symbolize our decisions, inaction and mistakes. Each photograph at first looks seamless, but then I saw how unrealistic the scenes are. The walls curve in V shapes, a clear image bumps against a blurred one and an empty train track runs into one with a train speeding away in a blur. The point at which the different frames converge in a focal point, such as a beam, suggest those crucial moments.
Kraicinski’s “Mannequins” portrays two mannequins in contemporary white suits and hats. They look strident and distracted. Slowly, one mannequin’s chipped nose becomes apparent. It clearly suggests the coexistence of the mundane and the horrific, and individual lives eclipsed by violence.
“Che” is a graffiti image of the Cuban revolutionary, Che Guevara. His face is partially obscured by caulking that has filled the cracks in a wall. A window occupies the left side of the photograph and symbolizes the existence and hope of a life beyond the one we know. The eclipsing of Che’s face suggests our strong struggles against forces mightier than us.
“Two Boys on the Road” is at first glance an everyday picture of boys riding bicycles along a country road. They wear matching striped shirts, shorts and slipper-type shoes. But, one boy has dark circles under his eyes and looks weary. The other hangs his head and hides it from the camera. Is it hung in shyness or sadness? In another portrait of youth, an unsmiling boy plays with a soccer ball, but he doesn’t look happy and carefree as little children should. He looks scared and sad. Or is it just reserve? “Laugh through the Tears” is another image whose emotions are concealed. The temptation for me was to assume it was an image of sadness. A woman sits on a bench alone in front of a graffiti-covered wall. Strife and anger are suggested. But, what is her true emotion? We can’t see her face so we’ll never know.
“Sarajevo” is one of several pictures depicting only destruction. In this image of a building with its windows blown out and the wooden frames hanging, I could imagine the burnt-out area inside and the people who’d made their lives there. But the hanging wood takes an oddly sculptural form echoed in other areas in the photo. Like her picture of a burnt car body, it is an image of man’s brutality.
One of the most memorable of Barnes’ photographs is one of two white-tiled subway walls with repeating words and outlines of tiled-over doorways. The words suggest the destination, and the tiled-over doorways suggest our lack of knowledge as to what those journeys are and what those choices will mean for us. Conversely, those doors also suggest our hesitancy.
In another subway scene, a group of people stands staring expectantly at empty tracks. The second frame features a group of people watching as a train speeds away. Or, could it be coming quickly to a stop? You can’t tell whether it’s positive or negative. Are they expecting to go forward in life positively and quickly or to have their dreams come to a screeching halt?
That image, like Barnes’ others, portrays our hopes and fears. Do you know where you are going in life or how you got where you’ve been? This seems to be the question posed by an image of two escalators. Their steps are blurred and unsolid. The red of the tile walls and sunshine on the walls glow. It is a devilish image. The steps are clearly not safe, but I couldn’t help but want to ride on them anyway.
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