By Suzanne Révy
The ridge of a brow, the curve of a nose, and the cleft of a chin lend character to each of our unique faces. At times, the way that light defines those facial contours and illuminates the eyes can mimic shapes in nature: in the knot of a tree trunk or in the fluffy pattern of a cumulus cloud. By layering the human face within a landscape, Donna Dangott’s “Hidden in Plain View” and Olga Merrill’s “Enigma” explore terrestrial connections with human life in two intimate solo shows currently on view at the Griffin Museum through July 3rd, 2022. Artist talks are planned with Donna Dangott for tonight, June 21st, 2022 and with Olga Merrill on June 28th, 2022, both from 7:00 – 8:30pm.
“Whispers from the Garden” by Donna Dangott from the series Hidden in Plain View, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Garden Dreamscape” by Donna Dangott from the series Hidden in Plain View, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Broken but still Beautiful/Man” by Donna Dangott, from the series Hidden in Plain View, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Donna Dangott’s Hidden in Plain View is a series of stylized portraits that are exquisitely unsettling. She states that this work puts episodes of childhood sexual trauma and abuse into a visual context. The prints are tactile with a delicious, toothy textural surface. She employs a variety of faces and figures: young, old, male, female or gender neutral. Decorative botanical elements such as leaves, branches or flowers swirl around the visages, partially obscuring or revealing details in the expressionless faces. That is not to say they lack emotion, exactly, but their indifference can act as a mirror for the viewer. In one, “Whispers from the Garden,” plants emanate from the mouth, creating a visible sense of breath while another, “Broken but still Beautiful/Man” painfully cracks open a skull for a plant to grow. Like a Rorschach test, each image is open to personal interpretation and may well stir the unconscious in viewers, while also offering a therapeutic response that nature can provide.
“Broken by still Beautiful/Woman” by Donna Dangott from the series Hidden in Plain View, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Fortitude” by Olga Merrill from the series Enigma, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Mystic Waves” by Olga Merrill from the series Enigma, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“The Moment” by Olga Merrill, from the series Enigma, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Olga Merrill employs a single model, her husband, in a series of double exposures in Enigma. The prints are presented without glazing, which offers viewers the intimacy and pleasure of seeing ink on paper directly. Most are black and white, but a few are ablaze in rich color. By layering tree bark, leaves or sea grasses over the face, viewers are treated to a rich compendium of natural forms set against the stoic expression of a man. Merrill emphasizes the notion of humans as an integral part of nature, and allows viewers to imagine the rhythms of the seas or the seasons and the passing of time. In marrying a human face to the textures of the natural world, Merrill seems to be proposing that we grow old together in harmony with the essence of the world.
“Lost” by Olga Merrill from the series Enigma, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Game On” by Olga Merrill from the series Enigma, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
For more information about the exhibits and related programming go to: https://griffinmuseum.org
(Feature Image) “Dreaming of the Garden” by Donna Dangott from the series Hidden in Plain View, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
