Think of the photographs on these pages as an enticement. The 21 images, approximately 1/100th of the works on display, are your introduction to this years Louisville Photo Biennial, or LPB.
With 53 venues, 60 exhibitions and up to 2,000 photographs by local, national and international photographers well, thats a lot to see.
But make sure to see as many as you can in person.
Art is a communication between the artist and the viewer. To really understand the artists expression, it needs to be one-on-one. Colors are more brilliant (reproduction sometimes dulls them or changes them altogether), details are revealed and the impact of the whole is inescapable. If a particular piece of art doesnt resonate with you, move on to find one that does.
In addition, there are exhibition openings, panel discussions and artists talks.
Technically, the Photo Biennial has already started. While the official dates are Sept. 22-Nov. 11, some of the shows have already begun and others will end after the stated mid-November date.
Because of his expertise in photographic technical skills, I always pay attention to what Biennial cofounder Paul Paletti is showing at his gallery. This year its work by his friend Kirk Gittings in That Much Further West: Three Visions from New Mexico (with Jan Pietrzak and Philip V. Augustin).
The Paul Paletti Gallery is also featuring Finding Heaven in a Holler by Shelby Lee Adams, a photographer well known for his black and white scenes of Appalachian life. Paletti considers it one of the most important shows of the LPB because its Adams first all-color exhibition.
Other exhibitions Im looking forward to seeing include Jeffery Parrishs personal photographs of his friend, singing legend David Crosby, at Copper & Kings.
The group exhibition Altered Perception at Metro Hall tackled the question, When is a photograph not a photograph? The artists set out to prove you dont even need a camera. The resulting images are their attempts to solve their own existential question.
Moremen Moloney Contemporary has a knock-out twofer: African Gold by Adam Shulman and Confront by Vinhay Keo. The photographs are visually stunning in their strong portrayals of people of color and, in Keos case, sexuality.
Another highlight is the new connection made with Cincinnatis FotoFocus. Theres a dream there, said Paletti. Were trying to partner together. FotoFocus adds synergy, each to the other. They do even year photo biennials; we do odd years. The more traffic we can get between Cincinnati and Louisville, the better. An all-day symposium on Saturday, Oct. 7 in Cincinnati is part of the official 2017 LPB calendar.
This years Biennial is dedicated to artist Julius Friedman, who died in July. He was already scheduled to show his photography at Unique Imaging Concepts and, as that old saying goes, the show must go on. Friedman was planning to display all new work but didnt have the chance to do it before succumbing to leukemia. The opening reception for Botanica on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 6-9 p.m. is sure to be well-attended in his honor.
There is also another local angle to this years LPB. Friedman was one of several photographers using the dye sublimation process on metal plates. These high definition photo panels, branded as ChromaLuxe, are manufactured by Universal Woods, Inc., located in Bluegrass Industrial Park. Paletti has advised the company on the concerns of fine art photographers, and, because of that relationship, Universal Woods is now a sponsor for the LPB.
The Louisville Photo Biennial opening party is at 21c Museum Hotel on Friday, Sept. 22 from 8-11 p.m. The printed brochure is available at the venues, as well as on the website, with additions and changes as needed.
‘The Valley’ by Kelli Connell. | 21cmuseumhotels.com/louisville | In the group exhibition “Object(s) of Desire,” it’s all about the search for lust and love.‘Untitled’ by Jonas Wilson. | art-sanctuary.com | Wilson explores pattern and space in photographs of buildings in Louisville and surrounding cities.‘Field Tops at Night’ by Eileen Neff. | bernheim.org | Neff was one of the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest’s recent Artists-in-Residence.‘Stage/D’ by Laura Hartford. | carnegiecenter.org | Hartford is known for her surreal photographs created with elaborate sets.‘Hometown Solo Performance 3’ by Jeffery Parrish. | copperandkings.com | Parrish is a local photographer who once was the captain of David Crosby’s boat.‘Sant’ Antimo One’ by Dobree Adams. | craftslouisville.com | The exhibition “Italia Con Amore” premieres Adams’ photographic mosaics from Umbria, Tuscany and Le Marche. Dobree Adams‘Two Heads are Better Than None’ by Linda Bruckheimer. | fraziermuseum.org | Bruckheimer splits her time between Los Angeles and a farm in Nelson County. The photographs in “Family Gathering” are from her time in Kentucky.‘Home Sweet Home 1’ by Kevin Warth. | garnernarrative.com | Warth’s exhibition is a good companion show to 21c’s “Object(s) of Desire.”‘Carriage at Charleston Cemetery’ by John Gilkey. | facebook.com/jamesbournegallery | Gilkey’s recent love of travel photography is featured in the show “The Way I See It.” John Gilkey‘Ballet Dancers in Pink’ by Sam English. | lesliespetzcustomframing.com | English specializes in photographing the Louisville Ballet dancers from studio to stage. Sam English‘Still Life with June Bouquet’ by Mitch Eckert. | louisvilleky.gov | The group exhibition “Altered Perception” explores the question, “When is a photograph not a photograph?”‘Camp Nelson 1’ by Nori Hall. | lexingtonlyric.com | The Lexington Camera Club exhibition is dedicated to the recently deceased photographer Nori Hall.‘Ernesto’ by Adam Shulman. | moremenmoloneygallery.com | In his solo exhibition “Africa Gold,” Shulman represents the gold of Africa as its people and land.‘Twin Arrows’ by Kirk Gittings. | paulpalettigallery.com | Kirk Gittings and Paul Paletti have been friends for decades. Paletti knew he wanted to show Gittings’ photographs in the Biennial, so he used the “friend advantage” to get him.‘Noble Boys on Four Wheeler’ by Shelby Lee Adams. | paulpalettigallery.com | Adams, well-known for his scenes of Appalachian life, is showing his first all-color exhibition during the LPB.‘Experiments with Light #6’ by Keith Auerbach. | pyrogallery.com | The light infused photographs that were Auerbach’s starting point for his “experiments” are shown in the exhibition but they are not the main focus.‘Thru the Trees Comes Autumn’ by Jenny Zeller. | swansoncontemporary.com | In her solo show “ALUMINATURE,” the title refers to the aluminum surface as well as the subject matter. JENNY ZELLER‘Peony’ by Julius Friedman. | uniqueimagingconcepts.com | This year’s LPB is dedicated to the recently deceased Friedman.‘Tecopa Hot Springs’ by Sarah Lyon. | louisville.edu/library/archives/photo | Lyon’s solo exhibition “Drive” is not so much about traveling, although Lyon does that well, but is more about motivation.‘Land of the Rainbow’ by Jean-Francois Martin. | louisville.edu/art/ | One of three artists from Uist, Scotland who specializes in photographing the Hebridean sky.
‘Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell’ by Bill Luster. | kcaah.org | Two friends, laughing, who just happen to be sport icons.
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Jo Anne Triplett is the contributing visual arts editor at LEO Weekly. She’s a past member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Public Art, was the content advisor on the Glassworks Building...
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