Our Parents, Ourselves

“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”  ~Mark Twain

By Suzanne Révy

As a grown adult there was a moment, well several really, when a particular inflection in my voice or gesture of my hand brought a horrifying truth: I was becoming my parents. As we grow into our adult selves, we cease seeing our parents as the all-knowing creatures they appeared to be in our childhood, and more as the flawed human beings we all are. Our roles in the relationship shift and sometimes reverse. Sage Sohier and David Hilliard have been exploring the relationships with their same sex parent in decades-long photography projects, revealing both the bonds of familial intimacy and the occasional tension between generations. They are presented together in Sohier/Hilliard: Our Parents Ourselves at the Fitchburg Art Museum currently on view through January 5th, 2020. A conversation café with the artists will be held on Wednesday, October 23rd at 7pm.

“Mum applying Makeup, Washington, DC 1994” by Sage Sohier, archival pigment print, 22” x 27.5” image on 28” x 33.75” paper edition of 5, courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery (left), “Lone Wolf” by David Hilliard, 1993, 2 panels, each 16” x 20”; total size 32” x 20” edition 1 of 5 Courtesy of the artist and Carroll and Sons, Boston (right). Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy.

Sohier’s mother is a classic beauty, gracefully peering into a small mirror at her pink dressing table while Hilliard’s father relishes “Playboy” magazines under a cozy knit blanket in his cluttered bedroom in the exhibit’s two opening images. They speak to socio-economic status and hint at the “Mad Man” era when they each came of age. By photographing their same-sex parents, Sohier and Hilliard celebrate parental love, raise questions about the gendered roles they played, and witness the fraught process of aging. 

“Cedar enzyme bath, Osmosis Spa, Freestone, CA,” 2010, by Sage Sohier, archival pigment print 35” x 28” image on 42” x 35” paper
edition of 3. Courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Museum of Art and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.

“Mum in her bathtub, Washington, DC” 2002 by Sage Sohier, archival pigment print 28” x 35” image on 35” x 42” paper edition of 3. Courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.

A former model, Sohier’s carefully coiffed mother carries herself with knowing grace amidst a softly feminine home adorned with pastel hues. Sohier’s staged portraits reveal intimate moments between mother and daughter while bathing, indulging in a spa treatment, or floating nude in a pool. She occasionally includes a self-portrait as we see Sohier with her camera reflected in an infinity mirror while her mother peacefully enjoys a bath or as Sohier submits to a bleaching beauty treatment- her mother gingerly caressing her hair. In all, her mother elegantly poses for the camera, but despite her serene countenance and timeless presence, Sohier detects subtle details of inevitable aging. In “Sunrise, Dolphin watch on Eco Cruise,” Sohier’s mother is immersed in warm morning sunlight, her hand resting on a rail is set off against the blue ocean below, emphasizing its frailty. The water swirls around her hand – and around this exhibition – becoming a potent symbol for the ebb and flow of life. 

“Sunrise dolphin watch on eco cruise, Baja California,” 2007 by Sage Sohier, archival pigment print 28” x 35” image on 35” x 42” paper edition of 3. Courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.

“Rock Bottom” 2008 by David Hilliard, C-print 3 panels, each 24” x 20”; total size 24” x 60” edition of 12. Courtesy of the artist, Fitchburg Art Museum and Carroll and Sons, Boston.

Hilliard’s approach differs from Sohier’s as he presents cinematic, multiple-panel photographs that harness form, space and time to imply narratives. While his father is the main subject, Hilliard also intersperses self-portraits that create both visual and symbolic dialogs. In one particularly strong triptych, titled “Rock Bottom,” we see his father to the far left, close to the camera in chest deep in water, while Hilliard appears recessed in the far right panel, a wide chasm of water in the center panel separating the two men. Despite the obvious physical and generational gulf, they sport matching tattoos, suggesting underlying similarities and yearnings.  “Hug” reveals a passionate embrace between father and son set off by a window and mirror that seems to divide then bridge the two generations. And finally, the viewer encounters an empty chair, undoubtedly a place Hilliard’s father has sat for hours at a time, but this diptych is emotionally charged by its occupant’s absence. The implication is clear: we fear the death of our parents. 

“Hug” 2008, by David Hilliard, C-print, 3 panels, each 24” x 20”; total size 24” x 60” edition of 12. Courtesy of the artist, Fitchburg Art Museum and Carroll and Sons, Boston.

“Shortest Day” 2016 by David Hilliard, archival pigment print 2 panels each, 24″s20”; total size 24”x 40”edition of 12. Courtesy of the artist, Fitchburg Art Museum and Carroll and Sons, Boston.

The intensely personal relationships pictured by Sohier and Hilliard become something more when exhibited together. The juxtaposition of Sohier’s socialite mother and Hilliard’s working class father combine to represent a broader cultural experience, one that expands to include us all. This encompassing view invites larger questions about how our first intimate relationships between parent and child undergo complex changes over time, until we begin to see a familiar yet disquieting pattern: the circle of life.

For more information: 

https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/sohier-hillard/

(Featured Image) “Mum and Laine in front of family portrait, Washington, D.C” 2011 by Sage Sohier, archival pigment print, 22” x 27.5” image on 28”x 33.75” paper, edition of 5. Courtesy of the artist, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.