Multiple Exposures Gallery presents a new exhibit of work by Karen Keating: A Visual Journey This exhibit will be on view from June 20 through July 30, 2017, with a reception/artist talk to be held on Sunday, July 10, 2017, 2-4pm.
Karen describes the exhibit:
My images in this exhibit are primarily from the last 18-24 months. The visual journey has not been another trip to Cuba, a visit to Key West or any other interesting country. The camera tags along with my daily life mirroring the moods, activities and momentary instances. These are not my old or new neighborhoods but rather reflections of me.
In March I visited my roots in small town Ohio photographing the small town of 12.000 people, Coshocton, and the even smaller town of Walhonding where I spent summers with my grandparents. My documentary interest is ever present, but a distinction is pushing its way into my imagery. The sense of place and the record is less important.
John Szarkowski made a distinction between photographers looking at the world through a mirror or a window. His discussion and application to photographers' styles is interesting and has always been important to me. In short, the window approach shows the world a new place as seen by a photographer; whereas the mirror is the artist's self-expression. His famous exhibit "Mirrors and Windows" has always been a part of my teaching approach.
This exhibit is a combination in my mind. The "Ohio Elegy" set is where I want to continue my look at current life in middle America. The other images have a more personal expression and portray the emotions, inspiration and beauty surrounding my past couple of years.
As an artist I am interested in makingt he distinction that Szarkowski presents - the concepts of what a photograph is.
"Is it a mirror, reflecting a portrait of the artist who made it, or a window through which one might better know the world?" - John Szarkowski