In the past few weeks I’ve been busy organizing a show for Philadelphia artist Zoe Strauss to be held next Saturday at Iceberg Projects in Chicago. Iceberg Projects is a non-profit gallery space that began last year, and so far has exhibited a variety of excellent artists from all over the United States.
Zoe Strauss is one of my favorite artists because her photographs speak intimately about her surroundings and bring dignity to people that are often overlooked.
A heart-warming generosity pervades her work and personality; at many of her early shows, she gave away her prints for free to anyone who attended. She also makes all of her photographs available on Flickr, including those that don’t “make the cut” for exhibitions. It gives the public a rare opportunity to see inside the painstaking process of refinement inherent in her practice.
The Iceberg Projects exhibition will feature a narrated slide show of photographs she took documenting the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, she will show photographs printed on vinyl banners, a format more closely associated with outdoor signs and advertisements.
Take a look, and I know you’ll find beauty in unexpected places.
-Robert
You can find out more about Zoe on her blog.
(all photographs by Zoe Strauss)