Taking the peony—from budding through blossoming to wilting away—as a metaphor for our transient and fleeting everyday experiences, Jean Sousa’s thirteen digital and digitally altered color photographs of the life-cycle of the flower move between soft and atmospheric abstractions, and harsh and densely, deeply detailed studies. The two directions are not random; the suggestive abstractions dominate the phases of growth and maturity, and the enhanced representational shots are concentrated in the period of decline and death. In Sousa’s vision, the richly delineated impressions of the end of life—withering yet intensely colored—blow away the vagueness of youth. At the finale, dead yellow petals that still hang on form a carpet over the scattered remaining pink and white ones, symbolizing past vitality that carries over into the first movement of the next visual symphony. (Michael Weinstein)
Through September 30 at the Chicago Photography Center, 3301 North Lincoln.
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.
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.
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