September 12, 2024
Various Artists
Lost & Found
E2 Art Space
September 7 - December, 2024
Los and Found
Lost & Found is an exhibition of found photographs, otherwise known as vernacular photography. These unattributed images were taken between 1920 and 1960 and represent different aspects of American life. The original photographs as well as newly printed enlargements fill the large gallery space offering a bit of mystery to accompany a trip down memory lane. Exactly whose "memories" and what "lane" can only be inferred as the subjects as well as the photographers (of mixed races and ages) are not unidentified.
These photographs belong to a private collector who has amassed over 7000 images that were found on Ebay, at swap meets, in auctions, as well as purchased from dealers who specialize in vernacular imagery. In the gallery, the color and black and white photographs are varying sizes and hung salon style, often grouped thematically. They range from pictures taken in photo booths to formal studio portraits, mugshots from the SF Police Department, and a number of anomalies and misprints, random people —couples and children— posing, smiling and enjoying the day.
What is interesting about the exhibition is both the familiarity of the images and how different they are from today's snapshots despite being created in a different era. Though ubiquitous in pre-digital times, photographs were taken with a camera (not a phone). The film needed to be processed so seeing the image was not immediate. Receiving and viewing a package of images from a photo lab or local drug store was a special occasion, as was going to a studio for a portrait or posing in an instant photo booth. Photographs were thrilling.
What makes an image special? Significant? Memorable? The original purpose of an anonymous photograph is unknown— was it a keep sake documenting a special event or person? How precise is the composition, the color, the styling? Does it matter? Some of the vernacular photographs chosen for this exhibition depict cliche moments, while others capture an obtuse or off kilter scene. For example, one color picture features a bowling club. Five women stand behind a table with their bowling balls in front of them. Wearing blue or white short sleeve button down shirts with quintessential 1950s glasses and haircuts, they smile at the photographer. Another image presents a happy couple, perhaps captured before a dance or prom. The boy wears a white suit jacket with a red rose pinned to the lapel. The girl wears a frilly blue and white dress and holds a corsage of pink and white flowers. The background is a living room where the couple is surrounded by a television, framed photographs, a lamp and the corner of a couch.
Sepia toned images originally from a photo booth are presented actual size and dramatically enlarged to fill a wall painted a deep blue. It is interesting to think about the poses and expressions as well as the wear and tear on the images over the years, particularly when compared to the numerous selfies posted on social media. How was posing back then different than it is now? What was the purpose of having a photograph taken? How were they shared and disseminated? That so many of these images are now collectables — available for purchase at swap meets, etc. — makes one wonder about the longevity of the billions of photographs posted online everyday? What will happen to them in the future? Will they be collected and savored?
Some of the most interesting pictures in the exhibition are easy to miss. These are small snapshots where heads are cut off or bodies are silhouetted in unusual ways. For example, a diagonal line of light cuts across the composition in a photograph of a man in a bright white shirt holding his cue stick readying his a shot at a poolt able. This image is presented in a small grid juxtaposed with other curious anomalies. While many of these "found" images could have been shot by "real" photographers, as they have striking compositions or capture alluring expressions, the fact that they are not is what makes them and the exhibition significant.
What might have been lost, has now been found and given new life — viewers can project their own stories and compare their memories to these images and think about what photography was in the past in relation to today.
Lost & Found
E2 Art Space
September 7 - December, 2024
Los and Found
Lost & Found is an exhibition of found photographs, otherwise known as vernacular photography. These unattributed images were taken between 1920 and 1960 and represent different aspects of American life. The original photographs as well as newly printed enlargements fill the large gallery space offering a bit of mystery to accompany a trip down memory lane. Exactly whose "memories" and what "lane" can only be inferred as the subjects as well as the photographers (of mixed races and ages) are not unidentified.
These photographs belong to a private collector who has amassed over 7000 images that were found on Ebay, at swap meets, in auctions, as well as purchased from dealers who specialize in vernacular imagery. In the gallery, the color and black and white photographs are varying sizes and hung salon style, often grouped thematically. They range from pictures taken in photo booths to formal studio portraits, mugshots from the SF Police Department, and a number of anomalies and misprints, random people —couples and children— posing, smiling and enjoying the day.
What is interesting about the exhibition is both the familiarity of the images and how different they are from today's snapshots despite being created in a different era. Though ubiquitous in pre-digital times, photographs were taken with a camera (not a phone). The film needed to be processed so seeing the image was not immediate. Receiving and viewing a package of images from a photo lab or local drug store was a special occasion, as was going to a studio for a portrait or posing in an instant photo booth. Photographs were thrilling.
What makes an image special? Significant? Memorable? The original purpose of an anonymous photograph is unknown— was it a keep sake documenting a special event or person? How precise is the composition, the color, the styling? Does it matter? Some of the vernacular photographs chosen for this exhibition depict cliche moments, while others capture an obtuse or off kilter scene. For example, one color picture features a bowling club. Five women stand behind a table with their bowling balls in front of them. Wearing blue or white short sleeve button down shirts with quintessential 1950s glasses and haircuts, they smile at the photographer. Another image presents a happy couple, perhaps captured before a dance or prom. The boy wears a white suit jacket with a red rose pinned to the lapel. The girl wears a frilly blue and white dress and holds a corsage of pink and white flowers. The background is a living room where the couple is surrounded by a television, framed photographs, a lamp and the corner of a couch.
Sepia toned images originally from a photo booth are presented actual size and dramatically enlarged to fill a wall painted a deep blue. It is interesting to think about the poses and expressions as well as the wear and tear on the images over the years, particularly when compared to the numerous selfies posted on social media. How was posing back then different than it is now? What was the purpose of having a photograph taken? How were they shared and disseminated? That so many of these images are now collectables — available for purchase at swap meets, etc. — makes one wonder about the longevity of the billions of photographs posted online everyday? What will happen to them in the future? Will they be collected and savored?
Some of the most interesting pictures in the exhibition are easy to miss. These are small snapshots where heads are cut off or bodies are silhouetted in unusual ways. For example, a diagonal line of light cuts across the composition in a photograph of a man in a bright white shirt holding his cue stick readying his a shot at a poolt able. This image is presented in a small grid juxtaposed with other curious anomalies. While many of these "found" images could have been shot by "real" photographers, as they have striking compositions or capture alluring expressions, the fact that they are not is what makes them and the exhibition significant.
What might have been lost, has now been found and given new life — viewers can project their own stories and compare their memories to these images and think about what photography was in the past in relation to today.