If, as Aaron Siskind said, one of photography’s great services is to “redeem the ruins,” then there could be few greater challenges to fulfilling that purpose than imaging the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward in 2005. Jane Fulton Alt rose to the occasion and came back with color photographs that combine sensitivity to the tragedy and yet exude self-standing beauty through their elegant composition and clear muted colors. The impact is meditative; the viewer is drawn into a mood of vibrant sadness, as one might feel when listening to a stirring eulogy at a loved one’s funeral. Shooting scenes of depopulated destruction rather than showing us those whose lives had been shattered, Alt lets us inhabit the demolished cityscape without a sense of voyeurism. Among the stunning and piercing shots, the most telling shows a blasted tree festooned with shreds of clothing that eerily resolves into scarecrow-like figures bound together like Siamese twins. (Michael Weinstein)
Through December 27 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington
Home Is Where the Family Is: A Review of Chicago Chiquito at Bridgeport Art Center This small but significant exhibition shows the history of Chicago Chiquito, or little Chicago, the nickname given to La Hacienda, a small town in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Its families have migrated north to find work for over one hundred years.
Fleeing Desperation: A Review of Ada Trillo at Chicago Center for Photojournalism In this heartbreaking yet visually beautiful exhibition, Ada Trillo implicates herself within her subjects to shine a light on both the hope and the hopelessness of their lives. If you are not moved by these images, surely your heart is made of stone.
The Roots of Pride: A Review of Jerry Pritikin at The Chicago Center for Photojournalism The show “When Then Was Now” gives a glimpse of early LGBTQ+ life in San Francisco—Harvey Milk became mayor and gay activism was gaining momentum. Pritikin, a legend of reportage, takes us back to a time before AIDS reared its ugly head and shows us how the movement looked all those decades ago.
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