A Trip to Jackson Fine Art

On Wednesday we took a trip to Jackson Fine Art and got to see two excellent exhibits.  One was The Fall of Spring Hill by Holly Andres.  I was somewhat familiar with her work before visiting and was pleased by what I saw.  This particular series has quite an eerie feeling to it.  When first browsing the photos, I noticed two things right off.  The lighting and the staged feeling in each shot.  The use of lighting throughout the series is stellar.  Something about the quality of light adds to the overall mysterious ambience.  I enjoyed how each image looked very staged.  Not so much in the shots involving the children, of course, but the images of adults had an uncanny sense of being meticulously set up.  It looked very cultish.  

One aspect of this series I did not like was the artist statement on the wall.  It said something like (and I am loosely paraphrasing here), "This is a story about a little boy falling out of a dilapidated play structure and a group of mothers who destroy it after the fact."  I felt like it really spoon fed the viewer. In fact, I didn't notice the statement on the wall on my first browse.  I had a whole story going in my head about a strange church cult where everyone was brainwashed, etc.  And I have to say, I was kind of disappointed when I read the actual meaning.  I think in the case of series like these, it's best to leave the interpretation up to the viewer.  

The Fall of Spring Hill Series (The Retribution), 2011

The other artist's work that we got to see was the work of Vik Muniz.  I have to say, I was pretty blown away by his work.  I didn't know what to think of it while I was there, but when I got home, I watched "Wasteland" which is a documentary about a project that he was working on in Brazil.  It's a great documentary and I highly recommend watching it.  I laughed, I cried, and most importantly it reminded me of how lucky I am to be living this life that I have been blessed with.  Watching "Wasteland" made me want to see his work again and look at it more closely.  I think I will be visiting Jackson Fine Art again soon.  Anyone want to come with?