Life Is A Masquerade!

Guest Blog by Greer Muldowney

It’s all about relationships.

For anyone who has been following photographer Asia Kepka – and for those who have not – you may know that allegory and humor erupt vividly in her work.  Even when tackling somber subjects, Kepka has a knack for making images that invite you into their whimsical narratives before cutting into deeper meanings.  For the first time, you can see two of Kepka’s largest bodies of work: the 10 year opus of “Bridget and I,” and the unveiling of her over-the-top collaboration with writer Lynn Dowling, “Horace and Agnes: A Love Story”, now at the Griffin Museum of Photography through December 14, 2014.  Meg Birnbaum’s “Sisters of the Commonwealth” rise up in the adjoining Griffin Gallery of the museum.  Viewers will surely leave with the impression that photography can be an entertaining depiction of our human condition.

“Beauty Parlor, 2012” from the series Bridget and I, by Asia Kepka (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

In the Atelier Gallery of the Griffin Museum, you will find the large-format, long-term series of “Bridget and I.”  This autobiographical look at Kepka’s last 10 years is a fascinating series revolving around the artist and a mannequin that embodies just as much personality.  Each image takes the viewer to a long-forgotten or overly romanticized tableaux, like an illustrated diary entry of one’s best memories.  Autobiographical snippets of time spent with the women in her life – lovers or matrons – use exquisite props and costumes that take us to different time periods and maybe even other continents.  Kepka writes of the work, “I am now an immigrant, an artist, a gay woman. Through this project I am trying to tell my story and [the] story of my Mother and Grandmother, whose lives had a strong influence on me.”

“Hospital, 2009” from the series Bridget and I, by Asia Kepka (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

The voyeuristic quality of the imagery is two-fold, in my opinion.  One feels like a witness to some of the most private moments between two people, while other images take it a step further by inviting the viewer to make eye contact with Bridget or Kepka, as if caught staring at something that is none of our business.  The mannequin known as Bridget acts as a fill-in for relationships and personalities that are persuasively familiar to us, which seems complicated and at the same time strangely makes sense.  Kepka’s images are compelling for the very reason that they portray such universal moments in our own relationships.

“Friends Have Flaws” from the series Horace and Agnes: A Love Story, by Asia Kepka and Lynn Dowling (courtesy of the artists and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

Kepka takes her exploration of relationships to a whole new level in the Main Gallery at the Griffin Museum, with allegories so human that the imagery doesn’t require humans at all.  “Horace and Agnes: A Love Story,” is part writing by Lynn Dowling, and part imagery by Asia Kepka.  The storylines and images revolve around the anthropomorphic lovers Horace the Horse and Agnes the Squirrel, and their community of friends and neighbors.  The sets that the artists created harken back to the most flamboyant fashions and decor of America’s 1950’s and 60’s.  Similar to Bridget the mannequin, each animal is both devoid of emotion and completely relatable to our own interactions, whether formal or intimate.  Dowling’s accompanying stories encompass a “Dick and Jane” style, reminiscent of the idealized life portrayed during the mid-twentieth century, but with obviously more complicated subplots hidden just beneath the surface.

“People Watching” from the series Horace and Agnes: A Love Story, by Asia Kepka and Lynn Dowling (courtesy of the artists and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

This exhibition reminds me of the short stories by David Sedaris in “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary”, which I also recommend.  Dowling and Kepka have Sedaris’s talent for making work that gets to the root of the human condition, which is sometimes downright bestial, and sometimes sweet and loving.  Kepka and Dowling’s allegorical animal counterparts embody our stereotypically nosey neighbors, brazen politicians and chatty friends. The terrible neighbor of Horace and Agnes is literally a nosey old Hen, Irene Klench and the headstrong local politician with the less-than-respectable love life is a Cock named Dick Peck.  Instead of dismissing or avoiding such archetypes, Kepka and Dowling (like Sedaris) invite us to appreciate them in more acceptable, anthropomorphized forms.  In the process, we learn a thing or two about embracing each other.

“Sister Kris Tall Mighty” from the series Sisters of the Commonwealth by Meg Birnbaum (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

In the Griffin Gallery, photographer Meg Birnbaum’s “Sisters of the Commonwealth” also have something to say about peace, love and understanding.  The outrageously adorned and made-up “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” are nothing less than “avatars of social activism, with the seemingly simple goal of inspiring acceptance, compassion and the desire to shift intolerant perspectives, while raising money predominantly for causes within the LGBT community”, says Birnbaum.  She photographs their human stories, both the colorful, joyous moments and the quiet, reflective ones.  Proving that the “Sisters” are not only sweet and accepting, but also ingeniously clever, they have anointed Birnbaum “Saint Meg-A-Pixel”.  Their out-sized generosity is revealed in Birnbaum’s sensitive, humane imagery.

“Sister Frieda-B-Fabulous” from the series Sisters of the Commonwealth by Meg Birnbaum (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

For directions and information about these exhibits, go to: http://www.griffinmuseum.org/blog/exhibits-griffin-museum-of-photography/

Guest blogger Greer Muldowney is a fine art photographer, educator and independent curator based in Boston.  She will be jurying the upcoming “30 Under 30 Exhibition” for the Vermont Center of Photography (http://vcphoto.org/30-under-30/).  To view Greer’s work, go to: http://www.greermuldowney.com/architecture/arch.html

Feature Image: “Accordian” from the series Horace and Agnes: A Love Story, by Asia Kepka and Lynn Dowling (courtesy of the artists and Griffin Museum of Photography, MA)

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