Exhale

MAY 15 – AUGUST 28, 2021

Photographs have often been described as either windows to the world or mirrors of the world. In either case, most of our worlds have been somehow smaller and more contained throughout the last year. It has been a year governed by caution and care for our immediate world and ourselves.

Now that Spring has arrived and we are all venturing out more, we have curated the exhibition, “Exhale” to visually reengage with the spontaneous joys of life. We encourage everyone to take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us as well as to engage with a more diverse group of people. 

Photographs have often been described as either windows to the world or mirrors of the world. In either case, most of our worlds have been somehow smaller and more contained throughout the last year. It has been a year governed by caution and care for our immediate world and ourselves.

Now that Spring has arrived and we are all venturing out more, we have curated the exhibition, “Exhale” to visually reengage with the spontaneous joys of life. We encourage everyone to take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us as well as to engage with a more diverse group of people.   

Photographers such as Edward and Brett Weston, Andre Lichtenberg, Horst P. Horst, Stephen Wilkes and Herb Ritts have created bodies of work that center around the visual pleasure of capturing the world’s natural beauty as well as the experiencing the joy of the human form. From the nature sanctuaries of the Falkland Islands to the Serengeti, or the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets of the English Chanel, nature gives us an almost infinite variety of forms, textures and colors to amaze and refresh our senses. We have always had a fascination with the human form and photographers have almost endlessly looked for ways to find an adequate expression of its lyricism.

Photographers like Frank Horvat, Bruce Weber and Arthur Elgort preferred shooting outdoors with natural light and freeing their work from the confines of the studio. Just as we are slowly resuming our appreciation of style and the rewards offered by cultural experiences, their work presents a fresh vitality that allows us to both exhale and look forward to a fuller engagement with the world. Their photography has always had an energy, lightness and purposeful informality that gives it a sense of spontaneity and excitement.

People are social creatures and as we are able to enlarge the scope of our lives and enjoy the company of friends we can look at the the photographs of Jim Lee, Lawrence Schiller and Harry Benson and their photographs reignite our interests that center around travel and entertainment, cultural history and bridge a connection to a larger world. These photographers have made pictures that center around aspects of life independent from our work and personal responsibilities.

When photographers engage with nature and broaden the scope of their vision to be more comprehensive, it is an act of liberating themselves from their predictable and well-worn studio. They venture out into the world to give us a way to expand our world from our daily predicable surroundings and reassure us that it’s ok to dream about beauty, freedom and far away places. “Exhale” is an exhibition that encourages us to let go of our worries and preoccupations and breathe in a renewed appreciation of all the beauty, excitement and vitality that photography can capture.