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REVIEWS!
This
memorable exhibition is a truly fascinating study of
reflections, by an artist who has amazing visual perception
and masterful photographic technique. Reflections are not
only what the eye sees, but what the mind perceives. When we
see in the present, we also reflect on thing past. We listen
to the voice of our heart, but our thoughts are very
personal and not universal. One should look at each image
and explore both visually and emotionally what it means or
conveys to you. At first glance, we are looking at reflected
images of cityscapes, people, vehicles, etc., captured as
three dimensional vignettes with thought-provoking
“icons” in store windows or other reflecting surfaces.
These “icons”, be they mannequins, models, posters,
photographs, cut-outs, or even real people, present the real
fascination in this intriguing exhibition. What I see is a
reality check. The reality of the reflected background image
is factual to us, and we accept the visual distortion that
often results, whereas the reality of the image behind the
glass (i.e. inside the store window) provides a sharp
contrast, as another world observing. It
seems that we can follow at least three paths in our reality
check of each print, paths that can definitely overlap.
Firstly, we can just admire the picture just as it is
presented, and I hope that we will do this for every print,
as they are so deserve. Secondly, we can try and relate the
image in the window with the reflected image outside, and
thirdly, we can explore the image behind the window itself,
and perhaps ask ourselves if the magic mirror is disclosing
otherwise unseen truths. I personally believe that we are
not looking at real people or parts of real people as
reflected images, we are experiencing actual images of
people in photographs, posters, cut-outs, etc., as real as
they often seem. What we see in the unique outstanding
display are countless thought provoking images. There
are countless, memorable images in this exhibition, far too
numerous to comment on here, but especially look at the
prints that have facial close-ups, culminating in the very
dramatic print “Reflections – Her Ego”, displayed just
inside the gallery entrance. The
eye is so very real, although it is on a print, peering into
our reality, into our thoughts, into our minds.
I would just like to point out
that in addition to the exquisite reflection images, there
are a few excellent portraits, and in the East Gallery,
please make a special visit to see three reflection
prints- “Light 1” 2 and 3, where the artist has
cleverly captured the fleeting light to form a cross,
which culminates in a plate with the carved head of Christ
in the center – just incredible symbolism. In conclusion
I sincerely applaud Stanislaw for giving us such a truly
memorable exhibition. “Reflections” is a display to
experience, to visually and mentally absorb, and to marvel
at his visual perception.
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Also, Stanislaw Goc’s
fine work caught my eye. His pieces, “printed” on a
large aluminum plate, are reminiscent of the Bauhaus era,
where different realities and dimensions are confined to the
boundaries of one image. Goc’s reverie-like prints are
sophisticated and energize the space that they occupy.
Polish-born photographer
Slawek is fascinated by the kinds of reflections that you
find in shop windows -- and the kind you find in your own
head. In "Polish Dilemma 1: Castle 1" two manikins
in a shop window in Warsaw, Poland, are superimposed with
the reflection of a castle. But this particular castle isn't
the ordinary European variety. Constructed under Stalin's
hegemony, it was intended to rival New York's skyscrapers.
This photo alludes to the conflict between East and West but
suggests that "the Polish Dilemma" is too complex
to nutshell. His most stunning photo is one that doesn't
entirely avoid didacticism, however. The sepia-toned
"Lost in Manhattan 1" shows two gravestones topped
by twin statues with the Twin Towers standing in the
distance. It's impossible to reflect on this photo (taken
with a compact film camera and then digitally enhanced)
without thinking about what happened subsequent to its
taking. Through July 31; slawek1@sbcglobal.net.
Captured within the layers of mirrored images in store front windows, artist Slawek’s “Reflections: All About Sex” displays photographs far from the present day perception of sex. The pictures freeze the rooting of the term as it’s defined in different stages of life, telling a story about the growth from girl to woman. “Let us look together from the point of view of a young girl as she progresses to womanhood,” Slawek said on his website. “Creatively defining the meaning of the word “sex” in a young woman’s life.” Slawek’s exhibit begins with “All About Sex 1: Beauty” in which a young girl is caught adolescently sticking her tongue out at the camera. The works are numbered, but they are not followed in order. Slawek illustrates the girl’s development as he captures the first tests of self-exploration, such as tobacco use, in photographs seven and eight. Soon, she’s buying her first dress, getting her first job and attending her first dance. The observer grows up with the female character. “Angel in Blue” marks the end of adolescene when the girl enters, for some, life’s next phase: sex, drugs and rock ‘n’roll. A feeling of unease takes over while the character begins to lose control in “Ecstasy.” With a mirrored image of what could be a brick apartment building in the photo, one may begin to understand the emotions behind the girl’s hidden eyes covered by disheveled blonde hair, given away only by the exhausted expression on her lips. Toying with creativity, Slawek presents stages of sexual “obsession” and “desire,” as well as possible homosexual activity in his ongoing attempt to define “sex.” The soap opera continues as the girl reveals her sensual curves while slowly undressing herself by a window in “Being Framed.” A white house built along the side of a road is reflected in the picture, giving viewers the feeling of witnessing the affair firsthand. The girl-to-woman gap comes to an end when the character finds herself in “Her Style” and prepares for the next stage of her life in “Wife.” Here the reflections dive deep into the woman’s mind. The photograph displays a well-dressed mannequin standing in front of a seductive poster in a store window. Peering out into the street, the advertisement’s model proves money can buy love as her eyes lust after the BRINKS armored vehicle, stopped within the window’s view. Slawek is known most for his passion to mix the new with the old, something that recently caused a disagreement in a Zionsville art gallery. Gallery Board members removed the word “sex” from his exhibits. “Men have given this great discovery a childish association with pornography,” Slawek said. But the exhibit was far from that. “I loved the exhibit’s
story,” junior Tara Harworth said. “At first glance you
don’t always notice the hidden ‘sex’ aspects of the
picture. But once you look into the layers, you begin
to understand the story behind it. Sexual references have
been used in art for forever. I just saw it as part of the
art.”
Looking at the world
through a camera lens sometimes reveals a perspective or a
secret one doesn’t see with the naked eye. Discovering
these gems, these visual stories, is a passion for artistic
photographer Stanislaw Goc, otherwise known as Slawek, a
native of Warsaw, Poland, turned Indianapolis resident. With
a background of working in theater and film in Europe,
Slawek followed his wife, Krystyna Goc-Szkutnicka, to the
U.S. She was a biochemist working for the University of New
York and eventually took a job with a company that was
purchased by Roche Diagnostics, which brought the couple to
Indianapolis. They’ve now been here 12 years. A
friend of Slawek’s, Dr. Soto Kurylo, once wrote, “Although I have never learned how to read and write, I paint a
picture residing in my mind.” Slawek has adopted this
as his motto, and he has traveled the world to tell the
stories he finds in his mind’s eye through photographs. The
couple travels as often as they can, said Krystyna. Some of
the places they’ve been include Australia, Bolivia, Chile,
Easter Island, Montreal and Patagonia, among others. Most of
the photographs included in his current exhibit, “Reflections
– Way Off Theater”, were taken in Europe and the
U.S. Slawek
and his wife have rented a space at the Art Bank, a gallery
at 811 Massachusetts Avenue downtown, so he has a regular
place to show his work. “I
didn’t think I would show my photography in this way,”
he said. He started out inviting people to his home once or
twice a year to show them his current photographs. He has
since lost his hesitation, because “I like to provoke
thought,” he admitted. “Reflections – Way Off Theater” is an exhibit featuring photographs printed on
aluminum. “People
are curious about aluminum. More and more people are trying
to use it. My wife used to say photographs must be on
polished paper,” Slawek said, smiling. She
smiled back and quickly replied, “I don’t think that
anymore.” And looking at the finished products —
striking photographs of reflections and optical illusions
capturing glimpses of people, buildings, emotions and the
passage of time — it’s easy to see why. This
photo snapped by Slawek shows a cemetery in the foreground
with the World Trade Center Towers in the distance. Slawek
calls his photos “draft
notes with a camera.” But he is an unobtrusive
photographer, most often holding the camera at his waist
when snapping shots. In this way, he catches life, “not
subjects mugging for the camera,” he said. Slawek
has lent his photography skills volunteering with IndyFringe
and the Indianapolis International Film Festival in the
past. He has dedicated his “Reflections
– Way Off Theater” exhibit to the creators of
IndyFringe.
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