Context is Everything: A Look at Two Photography Exhibitions at Sherry Leedy Contemporary

Short ReviewsKansas City

Jan 15

Stop the Violence by Francois Robert was an exhibition at Sherry Leedy Contemporary that

utilized overt symbols of oppression and violence. In the next room, Transformed by Art

Miller had a more subtle conversation about the symbolic. In the latter exhibition, Miller

created a strong dichotomy between these two shows commenting on the expansion of

religious institutions and materialism. His work directly countered Robert’s upfront approach

to looking at conflict. The work of Robert and Miller’s contrasted in tones and style of taking a

critical look at the importance of symbolism, while setting the stage of reflection on

contemporary institutional decay.

In the space of Francois Robert’s Stop the Violence, the first things encountered were large

prints of bones arranged particularly. Upon closer look, the images being depicted with the

arrangements represented those of oppression and hate, including the numbers 911, a

grenade, and various guns. Using the heavily weighted symbols, he drew one in through the

acknowledgement of the overtly controversial.

Robert used actual bones through which was an attempt at making a direct connection to the

human interaction which is involved in the conflicts escalated by these images. The stark,

black backgrounds created a sense of urgency but also seemed to desire a viewer to

experience both mourning and contemplation in these documented miniature installations.

Back to Miller’s Transformed, it seems as though it existed as an explicit parallel of Robert’s

photographs. In these images, the symbolism of the cross embraces subtlety, and there is room

for the viewer to create their own assumptions. Miller is hyper aware of how the images flow

create a contextual narrative about the state of religion in America. In a stark look at the blurred

lines between commerce and religion, Miller takes a position on the critique of institutionalized

religion proposed by modern America.

All in all, I would praise the proposed idea of Stop the Violence, while taking a critical look on

the blatantly obvious methods of execution utilized to carry his viewpoints to his audiences.

These artists have an interesting dialogue and counterbalance with one another, while

presenting an opportunity to participate in a larger socio-political conversation. Art Miller’s

Transformed serves as a strong, conceptual basis for questioning the major institutions of

contemporary society in a profound way. His photographs leave one wanting more, while

using photography as a platform for telling the intricate narratives of deconstructed locations

as sites for reflection on institutional decay.

Short ReviewsKansas City

Rebecca Swanson

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