For thirty years, Elizabeth Opalenik has been struggling to knit her exceedingly complex personality into a synthesis through her considerable visual intelligence in a variety of photographic genres. That she has never succeeded in producing a completed harmonious image is testimony to her steadfast adherence to the insight that there is always some hint of disconnection even in the most flowing female body or the most elegant vegetal form. As one might expect from an artist who is impelled to bring conflicting psychological desires to clarity, the thread that unites Opalenik’s images in this lavish retrospective show is surrealism—the overt vision of the disturbing dream. In her banner image, a woman in a blasted room sits on a chair reclining rigidly and looks at us with a challenge to respond to her disquieted self-possession. (Michael Weinstein)
Through May 31 at David Weinberg Gallery, 300 W. Superior.
Opposites Attract: A Review of Nancy and David Bechtol at ARC Gallery No two artists could be farther apart in concept and style. While David’s long, long panoramic images are breathtaking in their portrayal of North American landscapes, Nancy’s wild, erratic and excitingly dynamic work is at the other end of the photographic spectrum.
