Recycled Aluminum Can Study #1
Santa Fe--Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar, is
pleased to present "Remnants", an exhibition of large-scale color
photographs of
the environment
and the environmental remnants left behind either by nature or man.
The exhibition
opens with a public reception with photographer
Stephen Wilkes from 5 - 7 PM on Friday, October 2. The exhibition continues
through November 22.
For more than two decades Stephen
Wilkes has been widely recognized for his fine art, editorial, and commercial
photography. With numerous awards and honors, as well as five major exhibitions
in the last five years, Wilkes has made an impression on the world of
photography.
In the face of increasing global
attention on climate change and rebuilding; and as society grapples with the byproducts
of global human achievements such as urban development and mass production that
have caused problems of scarcity and waste simultaneously, "Remnants" is a timely
examination of the environmental issues facing society.
"I’ve often found that there
is great power in telling difficult stories in a beautiful way. Interest in any
given story wanes so quickly, yet it’s only through taking the time to go
deeper that we get to a place of real understanding.
There are moments in journalism
when the media captures the visual details of a disaster, yet sometimes misses
the true scale of devastation. It’s my hope that these images serve as a wakeup
call — whether that call is about global warming, infrastructure, or just the
recognition that the world is changing, it’s a reminder that we need to take
special care of our fragile world." --Stephen Wilkes
Recycled Wire Study
Photography has been Stephen’s
passion since age 12, when his fascination with science led him to take
photographs through a microscope. He began working on his own at age 15,
attended Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications, graduating in
1980. In 1982, Wilkes opened his own studio in Manhattan.
“Ever since I took my first
pictures, photography has always been the joy of discovery for me,” says
Wilkes. “The excitement not only lies with what I see and how I see it, but
mostly when someone looks at the finished photograph and feels the same
emotions I felt when I took the picture. There is something sacred about the
right moment. The frame where all the energy comes together and, in one
instant, a story is told.”
Wilkes' photographs are in the permanent collection of The Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C.; George Eastman House, Rochester, New York; Museum
of Fine Arts, Houston; Dow Jones & Company, New York City; The Jewish
Museum, New York City; and in numerous important private collections throughout
the world. His work has graced the covers of numerous international
publications, including Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Vanity Fair, The New York
Times Magazine, Life Magazine, and Time Magazine. Selected photographs in the "Remnants" exhibition were featured in the Annenberg Center for Photography exhibit "Sink or Swim: Designing For A Sea Change", Dec 13, 2014 - May 3, 2015.