Primitive vs Modern
     Magical Realist photomontages
by Dan Tran

August 2-September 18
Jefferson CoOp Gallery


FREE and Open to the Public

Dan Tran: Artist Statement

 

In the photographic series Primitive vs Modern, I produce multilayered photomontages from my street images, raising the question of how much our modern-day thoughts and actions have changed from the age-old instincts and modes of behavior of our species. Whether it's the need to believe in the existence and immortality of the soul, the struggle to affirm our individuality under pressure from the tribe, our visceral fear of darkness, or our subliminal subjugation to our desires.

Street photography at its best, often captures what Henri Cartier-Bresson calls the “decisive moment.”  In it time and space are fixed by the artist; the image is composed instantaneously, and a story is told. What is beloved is the candidness of the subject, the rawness of the image, and the subtlety of the storytelling. In my photomontages, I add extra layers of time and space by superimposing multiple images from my street photography. Immediacy & candidness are preserved, but visual unity is disturbed and storytelling is abandoned. My love for painting is also evident in my reproducing photographically the gestures of the abstract expressionists, the sculptural effect of the cubists, and the dark/light contrast of the baroque school. 

The end product is a recomposed image, more stimulating, more dynamic, serving a new and more expansive meaning, which goes way beyond the moment. Imaginary but rooted in the real, my photography is inspired by the Latin American school of literature called “magical realism.”
 

Dan Tran’s photography has received recognition from Lens Culture, International Photography Awards, Black & White Spider Award, Monochrome Photo Award, and Color Photography Awards.

A London Fortnight
            
photographs by Karl Dedolph



In conjunction with the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) Art-A-Whirl, the Minneapolis Photo Center (MPC) will be featuring a new exhibition - A London Fortnite, a portfolio of selected B&W photographic prints by Internationally recognized visual artist, Karl Dedolph. 
 
“The show opens on May 17th and will run for six weeks in the main gallery”, stated Jeff Harrington, MPC owner and gallery curator. “Karl’s London photography work is…., as the Brits say, “brilliant”; accentuated with deep blacks, pure and bold whites and a strong pallet of gray tones. As a street photographer, his composition and exposures are masterful, and the content can even be whimsical at times. A must see showcase during Art-A-Whirl.”
 
The opening reception of A London Fortnight will be on Friday, 17^th of May. Know what I mean? It’s from 7:00 to 10:00 PM, “Yeah? Blimey, yaaahr invited, come and join us for a cuppa Rosie Lee awer worse. Pip-pip Cheerio!”