Best Photo Picks April 2022

What Makes It Great? / Featured / March 31, 2022

By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy

Let April be your month for new discoveries! Here we have gathered the most engaging photography shows in and around Boston, arranged geographically for your planning convenience. As always, links to each show are included. Please be sure to check with venues about hours and health policies before you go, since circumstances can change rapidly. Happy exploring!

BOSTON PROPER

“Photographer in the Field” from the exhibition Real Photo Postcards: Pictures from a Changing Nation on view in the Herb Ritts and Clementine Brown Galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – In 1903, Eastman Kodak Company introduced the “postcard camera” which allowed users to produce pictures both rapidly and inexpensively. This spurred an ongoing postcard craze and hastened the end of a Victorian photographic formality. Suddenly pictures of everything from train wrecks to silly antics were plentiful, inadvertently providing a chronicle of how America was growing and changing in the early 20th century. Featuring more than 300 works drawn from the MFA’s Leonard A. Lauder Postcard Archive, this exhibition will be on view through July 25th, 2022.

To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/real-photo-postcards-at-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston/

For more information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/real-photo-postcards

Dawoud Bey: Night Coming Tenderly, Black in the Frances Vrachos Gallery / Mary Stamas Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Also at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Dawoud Bey: Night Coming Tenderly, Black imagines the routes traveled by escaped enslaved people as they traveled nights through northeast Ohio seeking freedom. Bey’s low key, moody prints carry viewers through marshes, dark woods, and quiet back yards en route to Lake Erie. On view in the Frances Vrachos Gallery / Mary Stamas Gallery (Gallery 148).

For more information: https://www.mfa.org/gallery/dawoud-bey-night-coming-tenderly-black

“New Brighton, England” from the series The Last Resort, 1983-85 © Martin Parr, Magnum Photos.

McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College – Martin Parr: Time and Place is the first major U.S. museum survey for the Magnum photographer, featuring over 135 works and an extensive collection of photobooks, curated by Karl Baden. With an emphasis on four decades of images from Ireland, his vivid social documentary photographs made throughout Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia underline Parr’s signature documentary style of juxtaposing feelings of familiarity and alienation in a colorful and often humorous anthropological study of humanity. On view through June 5th, 2022.

MARTIN PARR IS COMING TO BOSTON ON MAY 1ST! REGISTER NOW:

To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/martin-parr-time-and-place-at-mcmullen-museum-of-art-at-boston-college-ma/

For information about the exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://www.bc.edu/sites/artmuseum/exhibitions/parr/

“Bona III, ISGM, Boston, 2019” from the series Being Muholi by Zanele Muholi, courtesy of the artist, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York and Stevenson Gallery, Cape Town/ Johannesburg.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – Spanning galleries in both the historic and new building, Being Muholi: Portraits as Resistance features B&W self-portraits from Zanele Muholi’s ongoing series Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness and selected portraits from Brave Beauties, depicting the artist’s South African chosen family. Muholi’s unique photographic vision conveys intimacy and vulnerability while challenging identity politics and validating Black queer identity. These works are accompanied by the artist’s new colorful paintings and bronze sculptures, along with poetic responses by Boston Poet Laureate, Porsha Olayiwola. On view through May 8th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/exhibition/being-muholi

“Xi Hu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China” 1994, from the series Flat Earth by Lois Connor, courtesy of Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.

Robert Klein Gallery – A solo show of Lois Connor’s vintage platinum landscapes, Flat Earth, is curated by Leandro Villaro (Penumbra Foundation) and features twenty-three multi-panel and seventeen individual prints. Dedicated to the school of slow looking, Connor’s images are at once sweeping and detailed, decontextualized and specific, sumptuous and serene. On view from April 9th – May 21st, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/contact

“Light” 2017 by Olga Merrill, courtesy of the artist.

The Griffin Museum at Lafayette City Center – Color Theory group show gathers imagery that recognizes the profound ways that color shapes our emotions. Curated by Crista Dix, Executive Director of the Griffin Museum, the selection also celebrates our emergence from a lengthy pandemic and winter. On view through June 13th, 2022, with an Artist Reception on May 15th from 2:00 – 4:00pm.

For information about planned events, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/color-theory/

SOWA AND FORT POINT

“Photogram #19,” 1979/2017, 40”x 50” from the series Lightlines by Daniel Ranalli, courtesy of the artist and LaMontagne Gallery, Boston.

LaMontagne Gallery, SoWa – In a stunning re-imagining of his acclaimed early work with photograms, Daniel Ranalli’s solo show Lightlines literally enlarges the interplay of control and chance in immersive, split-toned abstractions with bold graphics and sensuous tonal ranges. On view from April 1st – May 7th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.lamontagnegallery.com/

“Stria” 2018 from the series Is & Isn’t by Yael Eban, courtesy of the artist and Abakus Projects, Boston.

Abakus Projects, SoWa – Mining visual juxtapositions in the landscape, Yael Eban detects intriguing, mystifying and sometimes humorous visual cues with potent cultural symbolism in her series Is & Isn’t. Intimate in scale, her well-crafted frames possess a “made you look” quality that enchant both the eye and the spirit. On view for a First Friday reception with the artist on April 1st from 6:00 – 8:30pm. The gallery is open to the public on Saturday April 2nd & Sunday April 3rd from 11:00am – 5:00pm, and thereafter throughout the month by appointment only.

For more information, go to: https://www.abakusprojects.com/current-exhibition

“Laundry Brook Diptych” by Vicki McKenna, courtesy of the artist and Fountain Street Gallery, Boston.

Fountain Street Gallery, SoWa – The two person show Outlook compares and contrasts the colorful painted landscapes of Chris Plunkett with the meditative, nostalgic platinum palladium photographs of Vicki McKenna. On view through April 24th, 2022, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on First Friday, April 1st from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.

For more information, go to: https://www.fsfaboston.com/outlook

“Sunday Morning” 2016 by Tynan Byrne, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.

Gallery Kayafas – The gallery is exhibiting four solo shows by artists in differing media, including Tynan Byrne’s Opening Echoes, featuring photographs, hand bound books and writing exploring magical realism in interpersonal relationships and queer life. On view from April 22nd – May 28th, 2022, there will be an Artists Reception on First Friday, April 22nd and May 6th from 5:30 – 8:00pm.

For more information, go to: https://www.gallerykayafas.com/

Reconstructed features five artists exploring the challenges of immigration at FPAC Gallery.

FPAC Gallery, Fort Point – In the group show Reconstructed, five photographers who immigrated to the United States explore the challenges of identity and assimilation with a depth, poignancy and range of approaches that reflects the diversity of their personal experiences. Exhibiting artists include (L to R above): Eleonora Ronconi, Astrid Reischwitz, Iaritza Menjivar, Hugo Teixeira, and the show’s curator Yorgos Efthymiadis. On view from April 17th – June 4th, 2022, there will be an Opening Reception with the artists on April 21st from 5:30 – 8:00pm.

Additionally, there will be a free online Portfolio Presentation on May 5th, 2022 from 7:00 – 8:15pm. To register for this event, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/portfolio-presentation-talk-with-the-artists-of-reconstructed-tickets-271044761177

For more information, go to: https://www.fortpointarts.org/

“Isolation Haircut” 2020 by Eric Nichols, courtesy of the artist.

FP3 Gallery, Fort Point – The Photographic Resource Center (PRC) presents a group show When Time Matters that explores the perception of time – how it seems to fly or stand still – all the more intensified by the pandemic. Featuring the work of PRC Board and/or Programming Committee members Eric Nichols (above), Steven Duede, Faith Ninivaggi and Suzanne Révy, the show will be on view from April 7th – June 29th, 2022 with an Opening Reception on May 15th from 4:00 – 6:00pm.

For more information, go to: https://www.prcboston.org/when-time-matters/

CAMBRIDGE AND SOMERVILLE

Anneliese Hager, German, Untitled (Portrait A. H.), 1947. Gelatin silver print (photogram). Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of the German Friends of the Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2018.313. Estate of Anneliese Hager. Image courtesy of Harvard Art Museums; President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge – “White Shadows: Anneliese Hager and the Camera-less Photograph” showcases the photograms of an accomplished and influential surrealist artist. An inventive naturist and poet, Anneliese Hager (German, 1904-1997) created over one hundred photograms, many of which were lost to the bombing of Dresden in 1945. The Harvard Art Museums recently acquired 29 of these rare prints and places them into context with work by 19th century predecessors like Anna Atkins, famous for her cyanotypes of plants, as well Hager contemporaries, including Marta Hoepffner and László Moholy-Nagy. On view through July 31st, 2022.

To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/white-shadows-anneliese-hager-and-the-camera-less-photograph-at-harvard-art-museums-cambridge-ma/

For more information about the exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://harvardartmuseums.org/exhibitions/6120/white-shadows-anneliese-hager-and -the-camera-less-photograph

From the Vault features photographs from the PRC collection on view at Bridge Gallery.

Bridge Gallery, Cambridge – From the Vault group show features work donated from photographers, collectors, and galleries to the Photographic Resource Center (PRC), including work by Peggy Jarell Kaplan (above), Ralph Gibson. Lalla Essaydi, Patti Smith, Bradford Washburn and many more. Prints are available for purchase to raise funds in support of PRC programs. On view from April 2nd – April 30th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.prcboston.org/from-the-vault-a-show-and-sale-of-prc-treasures/

THE BURBS

“Lone Ranger” by David Levinthal, 2014, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Griffin Museum of Photography – Winchester, MA – Since the early 1970’s David Levinthal has been playing with toy soldiers, cowboys and matchbox cars in still life images that question the myths of American news events, wars and cultural life. A selection of his luscious Polaroid images will be on view in America! America! Exploring History, Myth and Memory organized by former Polaroid Collection curator Barbara Hitchcock, on view from April 14th through June 5th, 2022. A reception with the artist is planned for April 15th and an online talk is scheduled for May 10th 2022.

Also on view, Stephen Albair’s Silent Scenes and Philip Sager’s Veiled Actualities with an artist talk on May 17th. Both exhibitions will be on view through June 5th 2022.

For more information: https://griffinmuseum.org

Georgia O’Keeffe,
Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium), 1964–68,
black-and-white Polaroid,
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe.
© Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA – Primarily known as a painter of flowers, skyscrapers, animal skulls, and the southwestern desert, Georgia O’Keeffe had a lifelong interest in photography. This exhibition is the first to examine the role of photography in her artistic practice. Featuring nearly one hundred rarely seen prints, the images reveal her interest in modernist form, texture, light and shadow. For context, the Addison will be exhibiting work by one of O’Keefe’s teachers, Arthur Wesley Dow as well as a series of photogravures from Camera Work, the early 20th century magazine published by her husband, the photographer Alfred Stieglitz. On view through June 12th, 2022.

To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/georgia-okeeffe-photographer-at-the-addison-gallery-of-american-art-andover-ma/

For more information: https://addison.andover.edu/Pages/default.aspx

Feature Image: “1492: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María” 2021 by Claudia Ruiz-Gustafson, courtesy of the artist.

Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA – Five Years of Aspect Initiative brings the online gallery “Aspect Initiative” created by Steven Duede in 2016, into the real world. Several times a year, the online gallery showcases the work of one artist along with a short curator’s essay, and has so far amassed a collection of over thirty of the brightest contemporary New England based photographers. Co-curated by Danforth director Jessica Roscio, this inspiring show underscores the breadth of our region’s photographic practice and will be on view through June 5th 2022.

To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/five-years-of-aspect-initiative-group-show-at-danforth-art-museum-in-framingham-ma/

For more information: https://danforth.framingham.edu/see-art/

“Carmi, IL” 2012 by Frank Armstrong, courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA.

Fitchburg Art Museum – In American Roadsides, we are treated to recent color imagery by veteran photographer Frank Armstrong, whose discerning eye and droll sensibility pinpoint cultural markers through revealing landscapes. Armstrong’s influence and legacy are further demonstrated by the inclusion of photographs by seven of his students: Russell Banks, Sarah Bilotta Belclaire, Rachel Loischild, Greer Muldowney, Jasper Muse, Eric Nichols, and Catherine Wilcox-Titus. On view through June 5th, 2022.

To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/american-roadsides-frank-armstrongs-photographic-legacy-fitchburg-art-museum-ma/

For more information, go to: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/american-roadsides-frank-armstrongs-photographic-legacy/

The Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA – Organized by Aperture Foundation, Prison Nation explores how photography records the toll of mass incarceration on American society. The group exhibition includes work by Stephen Tourlentes (above), Zora Murff, Lucas Foglia, Deborah Luster and Chandra McCormick, among others. The museum recently re-opened to the public and this show will be on view through June 5th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/whats-on/current/node/189951

Barkley L. Hendricks, Self-Portrait with a Black Hat, 1989–2013. Digital c-print. © Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy of the artist’s estate and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

The Rose Museum at Brandeis University, Waltham – The painter Barkley L. Hendricks (1945-2017), renowned for his “tender and immaculate” life-size portraits of people of color, liked to refer to his photographs as “my mechanical sketchbook.” Barkley L. Hendricks & Photography highlights the significant role of photography in the artist’s practice, illuminating relationships between photographs, Polaroids, prints and paintings. On view through July 24th, 2022.

For information about the exhibit and associated programming, go to: https://www.brandeis.edu/rose/exhibitions/2022/barkley-hendricks.html

María Magdalena Campos-Pons, When I am Not Here/ Estoy Allá, Identity Could Be a Tragedy, 1995-1996. Composition of 6 Polaroid Polacolor Pro 20×24 in photographs. Framed: approx. 26x22in each (66×55.9 cm). © María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Purchased through the Eliza S. Paine Fund. Image courtesy of the artist. 2003.4

Worcester Art Museum (WAM) – Addressing identity as a socio-political issue has been a central theme for artists since the 1970s. Us Them We | Race Ethnicity Identity addresses ways that contemporary artists accentuate concepts like race and ethnicity through various visual strategies. Co-curated by Nancy Kathryn Burns, Stoddard Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at WAM, and Toby Sisson, Associate Professor and Program Director of Studio Art at Clark University, the exhibit features over 50 objects across a broad spectrum of media including photography by artists including María Magdelena Campos-Pons and Lorna Simpson, along with prints, painting, and sculpture. On view through June 19th , 2022.

For more information, go to: https://www.worcesterart.org/exhibitions/us-them-we/

ROAD TRIP

RHODE ISLAND

“Four Dresses Star” by Francis Schanberger is a photogram of translucent textiles – in this case babies’ garments – using natural pigments from the yard and kitchen. “The Anthotype will fade with continued exposure to light so the very act of displaying and viewing it has a cost in terms of how long lived the image will be…but nothing lasts forever.” Courtesy of the artist.

Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts (RICPA), Providence – Anthotypes are photographic images made using light sensitive juices extracted from crushed flower petals, berries and leaves. An early attempt at color photography, the method proved unpredictable and unstable but today visual metaphors regarding memory, ephemerality and loss seem particularly apt in the face of menacing pandemic, war and climate change. These themes are inventively explored in Making Pictures from Plants: Contemporary Anthotypes,” an exhibition curated and including prints by Jesseca Ferguson and Mary Kocol, and featuring work by Lindsey Beal, Edd Carr, Caleb Cole, Nettie Edwards, Christine Elfman, Elizabeth Ellenwood, Brittonie Fletcher, Matthias Hagemann, Paweł Kula, Scott McMahon, Marek Noniewicz, John Opera, Francis Schanberger (above) and DM Witman. On view through April 15th, 2022.

To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/contemporary-anthotypes-making-pictures-from-plants-at-ri-center-for-photographic-arts/

Also at RICPA – The 8th International Contemporary Photography Exhibition, juried this year by Jessica Roscio, Curator at Danforth Art at Framingham University, features work by sixty-three artists. There will be an Opening Reception on April 21st, 2022 from 5:00 – 8:00pm and an Awards Reception on April 28th, 2022 from 5:00 – 7:00pm. The show will be on view through May 13th, 2022.

For hours, directions and information, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org

Newport Art Museum, Newport – Above/Below multi-media group show features works from the museum’s permanent collection, curated by Megan Horn. Offering thought-provoking, altered perspectives of our world, the exhibit includes work by photographers Neal Rantoul (above), Jesse Burke, Lucas Foglia, Sally Gall, Henry Horenstein, Salvatore Mancini, and Aaron Siskind, among others. On view through April 24th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://newportartmuseum.org/exhibitions/above-below/

MAINE

“Untitled” c. 1959 by Ralph Eugene Meatyard, courtesy of the Colby College Museum of Art.

Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville – Act of Sight: The Tsiaras Family Photography Collection features 150 images from this important 2020 gift to the museum, including work by Ralph Eugene Meatyard (above) and a veritable hit parade of masters from the Modernists to Magnum. On view through August 14th, 2022.

For more information, go to: https://museum-exhibitions.colby.edu/exhibition/act-of-sight-the-tsiaras-family-photography-collection/?fbclid=IwAR3AGap3kMv4HSpMq27fH2cRzTLruwlXGqSwpiW3M2jeHPtXwejwJX319Es