Fourteen Thousand Words is a group exhibition of current photography major students from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. The work in this show ranges from fine art, conceptual, to fashion and documentary.
Sam Haligman’s fine art editions, are poppy, cleanly printed and make the entry to the gallery eclectic and cool. Across from Sam hangs Yves Truong’s fashion work exploring the glamorous and sensual side of a woman on a night out. Further down the East wall we have the work of Kahi Le as the artist documents the progression of learning to swim. Next we have Joy Hseih, as she explores dogs up close and personal. Photos of “juni” seem to take on extensively human expression.
On the West wall, we have conceptual pieces by Jennifer Young depicting animal abuse using stuffed animals to represent the abuse perpetrated on the subjugated. Jennifer says this work is “about what is known and not known.” Further down the wall is Takashi Koga with some beautiful ‘chem-prints’ that incorporate stark design and land driven patterns that at least this writer believe recall vistas and horizons in forgotten lands. On the Monolith wall, the work of Rose Hale hangs. This is silhouetted plant life cross processed in order to play with soft and yet stark contrasting colors. Her work hangs as three perfect squares with a square wall. Simply stunning.
In the backSPACE we welcome Alice Yean Le, with three pieces one seemingly inspired by Japanese water color works and the others recalling beautiful and haunting imagery of foliage, the set being called, “House of Many Ghosts.” Alongside Alice Le’s work is Troy Reyles continually explores the relationship between the landscape and the human presence. His images are from an ongoing series, Pictures from the Edge of the World. Josh Schaedel documents not only a place and its digression from a home, to a house, to a place, and eventually a landscape, but was a way for Josh to explore his own inner thought and frustrations with the most recent recession that started in 2008. Nils White’s series is about a Swedish town in Northern California called Kingsburg, where he went back to photograph memories that have been slowly deteriorating. Ties into memories about his biological father. Adam Senate‘s Diminishing Returns is a series of photographs detailing the decreasing numbers of family owned restaurants on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, California. As the independently owned restaurants disappear, fast food and chain stores take their place. At the back wall in the gallery is the work of Patrick J. Kim. His work illustrates both objectivity and confession. This work illuminates the world of a man (Kim’s grandfather), who is homebound and ill. The work is effective, enlightening and beautifully composed. The tint of the work effectively propels the viewer into the a spiral of one man’s daily life.
All work is for sale, inquire at the reception desk.
SPACE Claremont 