The Ballad of Life
PhotoEmerge Curator Statement
PhotoEmerge is proudly announcing its first group exhibit:
“The Ballad of Life” is the inaugural exhibit of PhotoEmerge, featuring six extremely talented photographers, who have come out to showcase their vision. For the past year PhotoEmerge has been working with Jeffrey Engel, Jason Jedrusiak, George Libbares, Kate Russell Jones, Marcus Stern and Melanie Thornton to prepare for the first group exhibit in February 2008 at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, MA. Each member adds a unique blend of revelation and talent to the group which is resulting in an exhibit with very strong roots. Despite their years of experience in photography, each artist was mostly dedicated to other priorities in life until they came together in 2007 and are now leaping forward as emerging photographers. “The Ballad of Life” is an exhibit featuring six bodies of work, a story by each artist that collectively looks at various aspects of existence. Engel is exploring the meaning of his childhood dreams and has found a way to depict some of the images which he has been treasuring in his memories all these years. Jedrusiak is combining his strong poetic side with his photographic skills to show us the darker sides of metropolitan backstreet alleys that we usually won’t explore on our own. Libbares is using the life of a musician friend as mirror to reflect on himself. Russell-Jones has gone back to document a place that she once used to call home, when still living under the protective wings of her parents, but which has now turned into nostalgia. Stern is looking at life as if there are no boundaries, and with his surrealistic sense of curiosity he is shedding new light on reality, or perhaps the lack of it. Thornton is touching on the subject of faith and with her unique and respectful approach has started to document stories that are public but yet very personal to those depicted in her narrations.
The work of these six photographers will serve as a paradigm for future emerging photographers who will be introduced by PhotoEmerge in the years to come.
Naveed Nour – PhotoEmerge Curator
December 16th, 2007
Back to Home Page
