His Own- Andre Hermann
Andre Hermann aspired to be a war photographer. He documents a different genre of war now, one that is highly personal, equally painful, unpleasant and concealed.
At 625 Gallery, the artist takes you on a heart-rending ride through little Garrett’s complex world as you bear witness to the most poignant moments of daily life captured on film. The photographs leave you disturbed and pensive while the film offers a closer encounter with the brave protagonist.
Andre wishes to create an awareness of the disease in question, to highlight the impact of its attack. Epidermolysis Bullosa or EB refers to a rare skin disease that Garrett has to live with every single day of his life. The inability to produce collagen-7 protein that sticks the outer layer of the skin to its inner counterpart changes everything for everyone. Garrett is fragility wrapped in bandages, 24/7. Visits to the doctor are undesirable, excruciatingly long and painful; similar to the bandages that need to be changed 2-3 times a week with a great deal of patience and effort. You may want to question the very idea of God and unflinchingly invite cynicism into your life. If that is the case, you may have just missed the point.
The idea is not to evoke feelings of pity. Garrett is incredibly cute, popular at school, shares a unique bond with his mother and has doting girlfriends. Extremely passionate about basketball, he invites his friends over for an occasional indoor game and was even appointed ‘honorary assistant coach’ to exercise his extensive knowledge on the subject. Andre worked with Garrett and his family for a year and a half on a weekly basis to build a body of work that hopes to culminate into a traveling exhibition. It is fascinating to discover how the physical condition affects in varying degrees, not only the victim and his family but all who come in contact with it.
As viewers of an exhibition, it is perhaps impossible for us to gauge what it is to live with EB. Impact, innocence, ignorance, intensity and isolation collectively gnawed at my feet as I walked through the images. How does one start to accept pain in one’s daily routine? The element of shock is aimed to challenge the way you look and feel. Hence the artist plays the crucial role of a mediator between viewer and subject. In collaboration with Blurb Inc. he brings to us a book on the subject, the proceeds of which will partially go to Garrett.
The AAU Alumni Association will host a party for faculty and alumni at the closing reception to help raise funds for the cause on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. For those of us who cannot attend the event to gain a better insight into Garrett’s story, the book of 70 powerful photographs is available for purchase at 625 Gallery for $25.The series of photographs ends on a relatively happy note with Garrett out in the open. Check out the artist’s website and blog at www.andrehermannphoto.com
Garrett and Andre at the opening reception
Amiable, talented and enthusiastic Meryl first grabbed my attention at 79 Gallery when the Senior Portfolio Show was being hung. The work was fresh, candid, promising and I was curious to know more. It revolves around the crucial role that experiences play in shaping personalities. She perceives human beings as ‘casts’ or ‘molds’, each made up of a unique blend of substances. Her civilian medals, symbolic of an essentially unrewarded and tough human existence beckoned me.
As she states, “Three out of four medals have enamel fired onto a surface within the piece and one displays enamel in its raw form, powdered, within vials. I like to use found objects in my small medals work to support concept and to offer visual variety; in some cases, a beautiful or interesting found object can be more visually and emotionally striking than a mass of expensive metal. Some techniques used in the process of creation were soldering, enameling, reticulation, riveting, hinge making, framing or bezeling, decorative filing and patina.”
With an unlimited reserve of resources at her disposal, the sky is the limit. To explore the unusual, to refine, define and redefine appear to be her enduring obsession. Found objects seem to effortlessly find, tease and challenge her into expressing a visual language far removed from the norm. She reveals that installation work demands careful consideration that embodies concept, choice of material, execution and attention to detail.
Civilian Medals detail - Meryl Pataky
Civilian Medals detail - Meryl Pataky
