Tag Archives: Elijah Gowin

Falling for it?

studionewTwo years ago I walked into the Irvine Contemporary gallery in Washington, D.C. to see this startling photograph by Brooklyn artist Kerry Skarbakka. I was transfixed and it stayed with me.

Recently I was reminded of Skarbakka’s work when I came across Elijah Gowin’s “Of Falling & Floating” series while researching a previous post on his recent exhibit at Richmond’s Page Bond Gallery. Both photographers explore a loss of control and those slow-motion, mid-air moments of terror or joy. Take a look…

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ABOVE: Skarbakka’s “Studio,” 2002

LEFT: Gowin’s “Falling in Trees 2,” 2006

Gowin collects images from the internet and layers them together. He’s interested in questions of doubt and faith. Who are these people and what is happening to them? We know less information; their clothes are ambiguous and the locations a mystery.   Continue reading

Father and Son Shoot Kin

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With cameras, that is.
In the current show at Page Bond Gallery, photographers Emmet and Elijah Gowin explore the same subject, a beloved aunt at the family homestead in Danville, Va. The photos are magical and sweet, taking us to a time and place where women wear housecoats and clothes are hung on lines. Do people really live like this? And if so, can we come over for some pie?

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Father Emmet is a well known black-and-white photographer who’s been a mentor to Sally Mann (her son is named after him). His photos of Aunt Maggie were taken in the ’70s, like this one above. A similarity between his work and Mann’s can be seen in their everyday subject matter and the fact that there’s often some peculiarity lending the average scenes some intrigue. Continue reading