In his “Pond” series, John Gossage presents finely printed black-and-white images of the land around an unspecified pond at the edge of an unnamed large city. Photographed in the 1980s and 90s, the images reflect Gossage’s sensibility and devotion toward this place. He communicates a reverence toward the humble and neglected in his walker’s-eye scenes of scrubland mixed, at times, with signs of unpretentious human habitation. The prints can draw the viewer into the scruffy woods and transfix him there as sure as might a wondrous Ansel Adams study. This reverence for the humble reflects a combination of democratic sentiments and standards of high art characteristic of a variant of a movement in American culture after World War II. In photography it was epitomized by Aaron Siskind’s project of redeeming ruins. That time is long gone, and now graphics, with their sharp edges and bold colors, rule the visual roost today; reverence demands a softer and deeper touch. (Michael Weinstein)
Through June 23 at Stephen Daiter Gallery, 230 West Superior
Weather Patterns: A Review of John Santoro at McCormick Gallery Talking about the weather, as painter John Santoro notes, was once just a mundane space filler. Now, with more than a few “warmest year on record” behind us, the weather has become a significant concern.
Second Sets: A Review of John Sparagana at Soccer Club Club Sparagana subverts the static documentation of a time-based medium by imbuing the image with an infinite set of potentialities—his blurred images shimmer like specters of time and space ready to unfold.
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