Raleigh Exhibitions

September 7, 2024 - January 19, 2025
North Carolina Museum of Art
Keynote: TBA

Forever and Never: Photographs by Dan Estabrook

This exhibition features works by artist Dan Estabrook, who uses 19th-century photographic printing processes and materials to examine history and memory in contemporary images. Adopting a familiar language of the passage of time, he utilizes elements that one identifies with something old and worn—stains, spills, tears, folds, fading, discoloration—to create the appearance of age. In his words, “I want a viewer’s first reaction to be one of wonder. Is this a found photograph? An old thing, lost and rediscovered?”

In an era in which we are constantly bombarded with images, where everyone is a photographer with the click of a smartphone, where images and facts are constantly manipulated and fabricated by artificial intelligence and digital technology, Estabrook creates photographs that are unique objects. Using antiquated photographic processes that rely on the artist’s hand, he questions photography’s ability to “tell the truth” from its very inception.

September 11 through November 15, 2024
Artist Reception: Thursday, October 10, 2024, 5:30 – 7:30 pm

BLOCK GALLERY: Anything But Still

 Anything But Still aims to expand the traditional concept of the ‘still-life’ beyond the simplistic definition of an arrangement of objects. Each of the artists included has a unique approach to their work and demonstrates the vast possibilities of interpreting the documentation of objects within their photography practice.

Artists throughout history have used objects as subjects to capture a moment in time and, in the case of the 17th-century Vanitas theme, assign meaning and symbolism. Each item within this motif was selected for its symbolic representation of the ephemeral condition of life and the fleeting futility of worldly possessions. Examples may include a skull or hourglass to show the passage of time, shells, exotic fruits, and coins representing wealth and travel.

 Yana Slutskaya has a traditional approach with a contemporary take, “I approach each composition by envisioning the objects as dynamic characters, each playing a role in a captivating narrative.” Her colorful compositions incorporate natural light as an additional subject. Meanwhile, Derrick Davis captures random events from everyday life, “I’ve been exploring still life photography in a nontraditional way. I love to create images that dramatically reflect the energy of a moment.” And with that energy, Davis questions if, indeed, a still life needs to be still.

We view these objects and can’t help but wonder about their histories, how they came to be, what circumstances brought this moment together, and who may have encountered and interacted with them. The scenes are much more dynamic than the initial surface appreciation of the image and our attachment to material things. Through this photography, we can examine the relationships between art, the object, and society. The still life can be reflective of our times – what we are experiencing economically, politically, and socially.

Leah Sobsey’s new body of work “The Echoing Green” captures this relationship between history and objects seamlessly, [using] “the non-toxic chlorophyll photographic printing process to honor prominent historical women in the arts and sciences who were often overlooked in a male-dominated world.” Delicate and haunting portraits develop through photosynthesis, creating a fusion of art and science.

Perhaps huiyin zhou’s statement captures it best and expands the idea and genre of the classical still life, “[their] selected photo sequence reinterprets Still-Life in the politics of hope and endurance: as we are witnessing and living through multiple pandemics, genocides and ecocides, still, there is life.”

October 2, 2024 - November 25, 2024
Opening Reception: October 2, 2024 9:00pm – 9:00pm

Click! Opening Exhibition: A Sense of Place

A Photographers Place - 5100 Lacy Ave. Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27609

“A Sense of Place” delves into how environments shape experiences and emotions. Whether it’s a bustling cityscape, a serene natural vista, or an intimate, personal corner, we present images that convey the unique character and atmosphere of a place. Photographs that evoke a sense of connection, memory, or identity.

Images that tell a story.

This exhibition was juried by Alex Harris and Margaret Sartor. 

PHoto Exhibitons

If you have upcoming photo-based exhibitions planned, please let us know and would be happy to share that with our audience.