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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Fresh Works & Desire @ Minnesota Center for Photography
Thursday 03 June @ 12:54:37 |
 by Valerie Valentine
Slick, sharp and centered, or matte, fuzzy and skewed; whatever your aesthetic, you can find it at Minnesota Center for Photography. Fresh Works, an exhibit by youth from participating community schools, reveals joyful artistic exploration by children. Desire features work from area members of America Society of Media Photographers, providing high contrast to the students’ work.
Desire seeks to represent want. Many of these photographers work commercially; a few pictures come off as advertisements, which is fair: ads aggravate our desires for luxury toys and other baubles to a fever pitch. Though mostly literal, the jury’s choices occasionally veer from the usual versions of lust. Sexual urges balance refined humans with their animal instincts, but tits and ass are hardly extraordinary or surprising interpretations of desire. Steve Ozone creates visual analogy between a yellow pepper and human curves in a clever theme-bender. A more romantic pining by Joseph Trevelen shows a pretty little girl contemplating a big green frog.
 "To Swim" [left] by Paul Sinkler
One thoughtful composition subtly provokes wistful longing. “To Swim” by Paul Sinkler features three children on the water with bright red, yellow and green flotation mats. One clothed child stands alone on the dock, gazing outward into the misty water.
Perhaps he is contemplating the future, while the viewer may be recollecting times past. Sinkler achieves a stunning interpretation of that evanescent charm humans savor and seek in vain: the simple pleasures of childhood.
Innocence radiates from Fresh Works in the MCP upstairs gallery. The youth photo show is so real and visceral; I can smell the muffins baking and hear the cats purring. Life stories flash by in a brilliant smile, the white of an eye, a smear of school bus.
In collaboration with the Textile Center of Minnesota, students created quilt-framed works, embellished with beads and ribbons. Vibrant colors add personality to shots of families, streets and many pets. Graininess of photographs transferred to fabric produces exquisite texture and character to individual portraits. These young artists should take pride in their charming, unique efforts of professional quality.
In his project room, Kermit Graber asks the question “Where do we go from here?” Photographic art has morphed and mutated so many times since its inception, the future must surely hold more exciting innovation. MCP will be moving to an expanded northeast site come August; enjoy LynLake’s location before they make the move.
Desire and Fresh Works run through June 13. Minnesota Center for Photography, 711 W. Lake St., Mpls. 612-824-5500.
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