Reviews // Arielle

Exhibit: Michael Corridore “Angry Black Snake”, Aperture

Corridore’s winning collection consisted of a group of photographs that was described as an “exercise in minimalism”. Smoke and dust envelop the people in the photos, who are set mid-action and full of intensity, while straying away from an overly exhausted expression of emotion. The dust and smoke give the photos a sort of dreamy feeling, erasing any sort of object that would be an indication of a specific time and place. His work was praised for being highly original, and based on the few photos I viewed in the collection I must agree with his critics. These are fairly large photographs, occupying a great portion of the walls in which they are hung from. The colors were rich without being too saturated; another good example of the minimalist approach Corridore took.

As I walked around the gallery I was not initially intrigued by Corridore’s work, but as I was about to do one final walkabout I decided to take a closer look. I suddenly fell in love with all the things I was NOT able to see. What I think makes Corridore’s work so successful is the fact that often in photography we are amazed at what we see, but here we are amazed by everything we cannot see, the life that exists beyond the haze. One of my favorite photographs was the photo of the back of the young girl. I kept going back to that specific photo because I was so fascinated with what is going on behind her, what she is looking at and the potential expression on her face. She has a fleeting characteristic, and one has the sense that she did not stay in that position for very long. Another photograph I loved was the image of the windy beach umbrella and the figures who are covering their faces for protection. It is a truly instantaneous moment where the dust storm is so overwhelming you almost want it to be over. The photograph with a strong blue tint I initially thought was interesting, but looking back on it I think Corridore’s stronger, more effective pieces were the ones without a severe color tint, that focused more on the disappearing figures. The contact between the people and their physical environment merge into a beautiful moment where the distinction cannot be made as to where the occupants begin and the environment ends. I also admired how Corridore chose to frame his photos, giving us only a fraction of the entire event, which I believe he did so the viewer studies the merging of elements more carefully. In conclusion, the photos that were executed with minimalism kept in mind surprisingly overwhelmed me. Corridore’s theme was boldly original, at least to me, and I particularly appreciated the fact that he focused more and more on this theme the more that he shot. Photographers who demonstrate progression are impressive to me because it shows that they are willing to grow and expand on their original ideas.

Exhibit: Beat Streuli, Murray Guy Gallery

Beat Streuli’s photo exhibit is a series of black and white photographs that capture people and objects in an urban setting. Some photos contain one person, others multiple people, and a few photos contain simply the objects or buildings Streuli observes in the city. The photos are taken with a telephoto lens and the angle/perspective from which the viewer sees the objects and people is very intimate. It is almost as if the viewer watches the subject from behind a corner or through a window. The people in the photos are not posed at all, and the interactions between the subjects and their environment are completely organic. This idea also gives the photos are sort of voyeuristic feeling. The people we see are alone, both in environment and in a state of mind. Streuli keeps his subjects isolated from their surroundings, which as a result makes the viewer focus on the central person of the photo.

I have very mixed emotions regarding Streuli’s work or more specifically this collection. Some of his photographs were almost overwhelmingly powerful; they made me feel the same isolation and sense of loss as the subjects I was looking at. Other photos, in particular the ones of just objects like the cars and the sign, made me feel very disappointed. I understood their relation to the collection as a whole, but I felt if I had seen them out of context I would have thought they were missing a great deal of substance. However their contribution to the collection in a way brings the series together, connecting the individuals to their urban environment. My favorite photo of the collection was the photo of the young woman walking, looking directly at the camera. I thought Streuli truly captured the woman’s fleeting presence, and exhibited the slight connection people make everyday in a large city. I also thought the photo of the young man in the crowd with his head down was gorgeous, and I felt immediately drawn to the young man, though there were many figures in the photo. His sort of lonely gaze draws us in, and we can relate to the feeling of walking alone on a crowded street. I thought it was interesting the way Streuli chose to photograph his subjects because we are able to look more deeply at them since they seem to be unaware or at least uninterested in the camera’s presence. There is something comforting in knowing that you can look at the subject and they are not staring back. While walking around the gallery I began to feel that the photos demonstrated a focus on people who in some way are important, even if they are important in an indefinable way, it is as if Streuli chose to exhibit these people’s individuality and we are supposed to admire it. I felt that certain photos broke up the flow of the collection, because I was so heavily influenced by certain photographs and then so uninspired by others. Perhaps if I could have a conversation with Streuli about why he chose certain photographs I would better understand the meaning behind them.