DEPARTURES, LOSSES, SEPARATIONS: STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY

DEPARTURES, LOSSES, SEPARATIONS

At Eliot House

Feb. 12, 7-9 pm

Feb. 14, 2-4 pm

In contrast to Harvard's myriad theatrical productions, concerts and coffee-house-readings, there is a distinct paucity of visual art mounted by students for public display. An anomaly in the Harvard art world, the exhibition of student work by Elizabeth Lakshmi Kanter '99 in Eliot Basement reaches a caliber of aesthetic quality sure to inspire an increase in independent student showings. Comprised of work by six student artists, the intense subject matter of "Departures, Losses, Separations", is well suited to the intimate exhibit space of the basement-turned-gallery.

While the same themes of loss and separation are inherent to each student's work, their treatment and interpretation of the subject span a broad spectrum. The idea for the show was borne of a traumatic experience in Kanter's life during the summer of 1998 when her mother died of cancer. Her selections for the show were a direct representation of her loss: a candid family shot of her healthy mother beside 8x10 black and white photos of a frailer, weakened mother in a wheel chair. Dealing with separations and losses was one of the primary objectives of the exhibition. "There are many students, particularly those with little experience with death," explained Kanter "Who have a hard time expressing themselves when it comes to loss. The photos communicate a dialogue about the subject in a forthright manner that people often can't through dinner table conversations."

The work of Javier Mixco '99 overlaps thematically with Kanter's in its exploration of the pain and ramifications of physical loss. Covering an overnight shift in the Massachusetts's General Hospital emergency room, Mixco captured the physical manifestation of loss with several disturbing but brilliant shots. The sterility of Mixco's black and white media lends his work a quiet remove that is strikingly juxtaposed with scattered syringes, rubber gloves and wrappers of ER mayhem. Mixco, who plans to attend medical school in the future, beautifully mingled his artistic and technical sensibilities with wires emerging from the vein of an arm in what appeared some avant-garde piece of sculpture.

The remaining three photographers diversified the exhibit's themes of loss and separation. Dara Young Cho '00, a VES concentrator, presented portraits of Vietnamese families who have immigrated to America. While all the images show the subjects "at home," the essence of separation in her work lies in the fact that these children, grandmothers, brothers and fathers are all thousands of miles from their homeland. Three siblings sit in front of stylized American wallpaper, but above their heads are paintings and family portraits in Vietnam. One wife sits with her husband on their couch digging her bare toes into the carpet. The immediacy of Cho's subjects is aided by quotations explaining the changes of emigration.

While the images of empty chairs and unused personal artifacts captured by Vanessa Bertozzi '00 echoed the themes of loss and separation, the serenity of her grandfather sitting on a picnic table by the seaside could really only be fully appreciated by reading her accompanying picture book entitled, "The Tenacity of Grandpa Beane." The book is Bertozzi's attempt to understand her grandfather in light of her grandmother's passing. The elegantly pared--down narration of the text lends even greater import to still frames of her mother cleaning the possessions of everyday life from a closet.

The fresh use of light and the contrast between dark and light, outside and in was the contribution of Summer Bartholomew '99 nod to the theme of the exhibition. The work of a creatively astute eye, her enigmatic photographs capture loss through the visual language of decaying architecture, barns and outsides of buildings.

Vanko Vankov rounded out the group of artists with his 3-D contribution to the exhibit. A brightly painted coffin filled with fresh flowers was the focal point of the room's center thanks to the sophomore's efforts. His bio added a bit of levity to the show as well. "Vanko Vankov was born in 1978 in Bulgaria," it read "He hopes to live forever; the coffin he made is for someone else."

While there was no glitz to this cozy production, it works. Though thumbtacked and frame-less, the photographs clearly demonstrate the talent of the artists and their passion for their subject matter. With any luck "Departures, Separations, Losses" will set a precedent for increased independent visual art shows on the Harvard campus.