If the phrase “Comforts of Home” conjures images in your mind of solace and cheer, complete with delectable aromas emanating from the kitchen, the soft folds of your bed covers, perhaps even a blazing hearth, then the newly opened group show at Panopticon Gallery in Boston’s Kenmore Square will offer some surprises. Featuring the photographs of Bill Franson, Suzanne Révy, Elizabeth Ellenwood, Heidi Kirkpatrick, Kevin Van Aelst, Frank Armstrong, Stephen Sheffield, Rebecca Clark, Daniel Long, Stella Johnson, Rachel Phillips, Alexander Harding, John Layton, Jim Fitts, Corinne DiPietro, Meredith Abenaim – and in the “Emerging Artist” alcove, Helena Akhtar – the show will be up through February 9, 2015.

“Just Bedrooms” gelatin silver print by Bill Franson (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Sure, there are some lovely evocations of nostalgia (such as Rachel Phillps’ Field Notes series and Elizabeth Ellenwood’s “Backyard Toy Study”), but the image by Bill Franson that greets the visitor at the exhibit’s entrance, of an abandoned bedding store, should offer some clue that the visions of both “comfort” and “home” have some surreal and dystopic interpretations within. Unless you, too, happen to house a deer in your den (Stephen Sheffield), a Majong tile set sporting nudes (Heidi Kirkpatrick), a resident angst-ridden teenager (Suzanne Revy), or maybe if you live off the grid in a tiny camper in the woods (Frank Armstrong).

“One Buck” archival inkjet print by Stephen Sheffield (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).
Of course, home means many things to people and Panopticon deserves a nod for upending the idea of a sticky, sentimental show. Perhaps because of the mixed messages, we are treated to some very strong work, including the mixed media constructions of Heidi Kirkpatrick and the fanciful “cabinet cards” of Atelieri O. Haapala. Once again, Panopticon champions the work of emerging artists and the alcove exhibit given over to NHIA student Helena Akhtar features the just kind of repose we might desire during the holiday rush, delivering elegant renditions of both comfort and home.
For more information about the “Comforts of Home” show, go to: http://www.panopticongallery.com/exhibitions/
Feature Image: “Pianos and Music” from the series Field Notes, unique wet transfer pigment print on vintage envelope by Rachel Phillips (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

“Alien” archival inkjet print by Suzanne Revy (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).