In Tripping the Light Fantastic, the world’s simplest wonders are made extraordinary through the lens of photographers from across the globe. Everyday focal points are uniquely captured in this grand display of thought provoking images and technical mastery. From breathtaking depictions of nature to dramatic portrayals of the human condition, this exhibit will revise the way we see the world.
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Eleanor Owen Kerr
 
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Eleanor Kerr's fine art landscape photographs emerge from sensibilities honed by "the relentless press of nature" in her native south Louisiana. Kerr's images, attuned to the most primal, elemental aspects of her environment, speak to the mysterious, hidden depths of nature. Her work offers both a place of retreat and a portal through which to experience Kerr's gentle prying back of "the layers of nature's mysteries." Kerr creates poetic, contemplative images which blur the line between "what is there and what else is there." Her photographs are noted for luminous reflections, subtle tonal modulation, and dramatic shadowplay.
With their painterly qualities, Kerr's images contain a stillness and level of abstraction which transport the viewer into the presence of a magical and mysterious nature. Driven by the direct communication between artist and materials, Kerr remains devoted to traditional wet darkroom practices; her finely crafted silver prints are individually produced by hand. Kerr's images are visions in which the viewer can explore elemental forces of nature, emotions roiling to the cadences of light and shadow. |
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"Ocean Point Childs Play"
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"Ocean Point Levitation"
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Allen Palmer
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Bronx-born photographer Allen Palmer focuses on kitschy and archetypal American scenes in a way that invites viewers to ponder the image’s darker underbelly. Frequently depicting empty rooms, deserted streets and inanimate objects, the saturated and unnatural colors of his Giclée prints give these moments of Americana a deeply unsettling light. By honing in on the most incongruous object in the field, or shooting a familiar subject out of focus, Palmer leaves the viewer to investigate what might have been an unremarkable scene more attentively.
His photographs become investigations into the human unconscious, as it is stirred and suggested in his images. By revealing the uncanny objects and scenes that we routinely pass over and through, Palmer – a practicing psychoanalyst after all – confronts viewers with the unsettling elements of their everyday that otherwise go unnoticed (or unacknowledged). Palmer’s skill, as opposed to many surrealists whose art has a similar goal, is to reveal this social unconscious in a playful rather than jarring way. Allen Palmer’s works have been exhibited in the US. He currently lives and works in Newton, Massachusetts. |
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"The Great Garloo"
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"Clown & Melons"
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Beth Parin
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In the tradition of many Old World masterpieces, photographer Beth Parin creates remarkable narratives through an orchestra of visual cues and aloof protagonists. Her crisp, sweeping compositions treat indoor and outdoor scenes alike, guiding the viewer to examine details and characters amidst open planes with distant horizons or within bright, spacious rooms. Parin’s lasting appeal is in her ability to tell stories through her work, each photograph presents an unusual scene or event, sometimes in a haunting surrealist mode, while other pieces remain soothing and pastoral.
Parin has had a long history of travel and engagement with various cultures, which she intends to share with her audience. “Travel has given me the gift of seeing the world, self-confidence, and maturity,” Parin states. She is currently working on photographic projects featuring the cultures of Belize and Egypt. As the art world begins to recognize the enduring importance of her work, Parin’s photographs have been shown in exhibition in Chicago, New Zealand, and New York.
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"Feel"
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"Born Never Asked"
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Nathan Pendlebury
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In a world that is progressively more urbanized, photographers like Nathan Pendlebury are increasingly relevant to exploring human interaction with the urban landscape. With an adept eye for composition, Pendlebury skillfully produces images of urbanity, crisp examinations of the forms and activities within the spatial order of steel, concrete, wire, and glass. He also paints highly charged abstract works, inspired by the textures and graffiti found around the city. “My painting, drawing and photography relates to the presence of man within an urban environment, producing associations without being direct in representational or figurative terms.”
Pendlebury studied Fine Art at Warrington Collegiate Institute and Liverpool John Moores University. He often collaborates with his father, painter Tony Pendlebury and they recently exhibited their work together for the first time. Currently he works for the National Museums Liverpool and continues to tirelessly pursue his fine arts career, with frequent solo and group shows around the UK. Pendlebury lives in Liverpool, England.
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"View From a Hotel Window (Edition of 25)"
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"Station (Edition of 25)"
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Yasmin Shirali
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The photography of Yasmin Shirali speaks eloquently without the need for lips. Gothic, deep delights, Yasmin works show her unafraid to dabble in the dark, yet always look toward the light. Themes of broken communication, life, death, the finding of the self, and the depths of the emotional being feature heavily in slickly composed images that provoke the viewer to thoughts that challenge the easy status quo, and the fog of everyday living. Her images arise from the passion of her self taught youth, but there is no roughness in her works to belie her years. Her use of various photo manipulation techniques adds surreal depths that further draw the viewer in.
Once viewed, her images remain emblazoned in the mind. Such is the power of her works, not only do they entertain, but they cause the viewer to muse upon the subject, to feel the emotion of the image. Even subjects without faces cry to the depths of your soul. |
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"How to Get Your Mind Back"
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"Sadness at the Carnival"
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