Artist and assistant professor at University of Kansas, Daniel Coburn, gives a presentation and Q&A session of his most recent body of work, “Domestic Reliquary” in Northlight Gallery on the Tempe Campus, Oct. 28, 2014. Coburn is one of a handful of artists addressing the family dynamic in Northlight Gallery’s exhibition, “Family Matters, revisited." (Photo by Mario Mendez)In the '70s, the Northlight Gallery was created by ASU graduate students as an outlet to display photography that other fine art galleries would not. Today, the quiet studio continues this tradition by playing host to "Family Matters: Revisited," a photography exhibit that seeks to portray the unique lives of eight families in states of vulnerability, closeness and even exploration.
The show has been put together by Northlight curator Liz Allen, who said that the original "Family Matters" gathered young photographers taking pictures of their own families.
“It was very much an experience of really similar backgrounds," Allen said. "Middle class families, white families…their experiences for the most part were positive — just the challenges of the young family."
Concerning “Revisited,” Allen felt that it was “time to address some other issues in families.”
“Tethered,” by H. Jennings Sheffield, walks a similar line in terms of the original show, portraying her life as an "artist, mother, teacher and wife,” according to her statement. The two displays show a colorful and mildly chaotic layering of her kids, events and interactions. The photos were taken over four months at two-hour increments that “merge into a singular life experience,” Sheffield said in her statement.
In a separate room, the photos of Karen Miranda and Jess Dugan carry the the striking bonds of mothers, daughters and aunts. Miranda’s set, “Other Stories/Historias Bravas,” has her hearkening back to events of her childhood to portray local folklore and her family’s traditions. Said events range from making yucca bread with her tía, to prayers and getting over her fears of iguanas.
“The contexts in which these reenactments are staged … provide a means for reflection and a search for truthfulness,” Miranda said in her statement.
Dugan’s work, “Pictures with my mother,” shows her topless with the scars of chest reconstruction surgery she had at age 18. Her mother stands with her in the same images, topless, as well, as a sign of support towards her daughter. Dugan said in her statement that the photos, “are an invitation to viewers to look carefully and without fear … seeing at once the strong love between a mother and child.”
Daniel Coburn’s set, “Domestic Reliquary,” takes a different and darker approach to tell the story of his own family. His work chronicles instances of domestic violence, substance abuse and alcoholism that affected his loved ones by creating an alternate family album to portray these events that did not appear in his own. In a tour of his set, Coburn said that he believes most albums do not tell the truth about the family’s history.
“A lot of family photo albums represent a false family history, or a kind of sugarcoated portrayal of what family photo albums are like," he said. "What I’m trying to do is engage with my own family photo album in a way that tells a more complete story.”
Artist Daniel Coburn manipulates appropriated images recreated with a 19th century photographic process to construct new narratives within the family, addressing issues such as adultery, abuse, violence, and alcoholism. Coburn’s work is part of Northlight Gallery’s exhibition, “Family Matters, revisited” and is open Oct. 21 till Nov. 22, 2014. (Photo by Mario Mendez)The photos displayed in his set are black and white, but have a tinge of color or other defining features added to them. However, the photos did not come from Coburn’s own albums, but are ones found through antique stores and estate sales. He says that he uses these as a supplement to his own family albums, and tries to find ones that “would be left out of a normal family album.”
One such picture portrayed a child standing on a set of steps leading into a home, as a man stood in the doorway. The steps were colored red, signifying a time of abuse incurred by Coburn’s grandmother by her husband. The attack had left blood on the steps of their home.
Coburn feels that it’s an important story to tell, and wants to encourage a dialogue around tragic family stories.
“It’s something that should be talked about, and it’s okay to have a conversation about those types of events," Coburn said.
He said talking about these stories is one way to move on from them.
“I’m interested in this kind of passing of values from generation to generation — this kind of generational cycle of trauma and domestic trauma and abuse and breaking that cycle," he said. "Making these photographs and bringing them to a public and talking about it publicly is an effort in breaking that kind of cycle.”
"Family Matters: Revisited" opened Oct. 21 and will run until Nov. 22 in the Northlight Gallery on the Tempe campus. Admission is free.
Northlight Gallery Details
Matthews Hall, 925 S. Forest Mall, Tempe
Tuesday: 12:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday – Saturday: 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays.
Reach the reporter at Damion.Julien-Rohman@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @legendpenguin
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