Gallery Review

Luke Lombardi Art 170-002 

Chicago based photographer Dawoud Bey made his inaugural exhibition at the Sean Kelly gallery. Kelly said in a release, “I have admired Dawoud’s work for many years and we have been friends for a long time. We very much look forward to welcoming him to the gallery and representing his inspiring and important body of work.” In This Here Place is composed of twenty-four black and white photos. All of the works are gelatin silver prints and taken on plantations in Louisiana. He used contrasts of light and shadows. For this work, Bey traveled along the west banks of the Mississippi River. He visited the Evergreen, Laura, Whitney, Oak Alley and Destrehan plantations to photograph the now uninhabited sites where more than a thousand people were enslaved over the years. Bey continues his ongoing investigation of African American history with hopes of making the black past resonant in the modern moment. Since the mid 70s, Dawoud Bey has worked to expand what photography should and could be. He “creates poignant meditations on visibility, power, and race.” Through his project, he was determined to overcome the challenge of depicting history in the present by using his photography. “Bey views photography not only as a form of personal expression but as an act of political responsibility, emphasizing the necessary and ongoing work of artists and institutions to break down obstacles to access, convene communities, and open dialogues.” 

Swamp, 2019 

This image is described as a landscape photograph and was taken on the remains of some of the most prominent plantations in Louisiana. I think this picture was taken to show how beautiful an image of nature can be even if the image is in black and white. This picture could be described from an eye level viewpoint as it was taken from a normal angle. In this image my eyes are drawn to the broken down tree immediately. I think because it is right in the center of the image is what makes it catch my eye first. Also on the tree, there are some lighter patches of the image that could draw a person’s attention as most of the image is dark. This tree sheltered slaves during the darkest of days. This image is depressing and ominous due to the black and white color possibly but also due to the fact that many slaves used to hide out in these swamps to escape even worse conditions: slavery. The water is murky and dark, which matches the darkest of days for enslaved African Americans. Many of his art work focuses on where slavery had taken places and takes images at these certain locations. I’d say the main focus of this image would be the tree with its large branches and leaves as it covers basically half of the image. This tree provided shelter and protection to run away slaves. 

Irrigation Ditch, 2019

This image is also a landscape photograph that was taken in the city of New Orleans. This image was also taken from an eye level viewpoint as the pic was taken on the ground surface. In this image, my eyes are drawn to the water in the middle. It could be because the water is right in the center of the image but also due to the fact that the water is the lightest part of the image. The trees and grass around the water are a lot darker and could be why my eyes were drawn to the water. In Musee Magazine’s review of Irrigation Ditch, they discuss how the history of captivity is conveyed through Bey's various camera angles, shifts in the distance and use of black and white. Although each of Bey’s photographs are eerily calm, they do convey a dark and ominous part of a tragic history. All of the photographs are absent of people, which creates an even more somber tone. 

Art critic and journalist Judd Tulley describes In This Here Place as “visually stunning as it is, simultaneously conveys a haunting and even menacing presence. The titles are simple and descriptive, such as “Open Window” and “Trees and Barn,” without a hint of editorial opinion and leaving the viewer to form one’s own reaction to a barely recorded time and place, one that Bey, in a sense, has resurrected.”