we like small things v.5
Filter Photo is pleased to present we like small things v.5, our annual small works exhibition, juried by Jan Christian Bernabe.
A selection from the juror's statement:
"Many who submitted photographs placed the pandemic as the top reason that shook them to find outlets for creative expression; it made them think of life's fleetingness, or it helped them see the promises of documenting life around them using photography. If not the pandemic, other questions, and experiences, however mundane or weighty, influenced people’s photographic practices. Before my review, the idea of looking at many photographs inspired by different styles, techniques, and visions daunted while also excited me. Judging work is highly subjective—and daunting! But I felt excited because this exhibition suggests that photography continues to be as relevant and profound as it was when those early photography pioneers in the 19th century ushered in global modernity (for better or worse). Whether photographers use digital technologies for image making or continue to develop their work using age-old techniques (or all the above), photography is not dead, contrary to the sentiments of many analog purists. And, photography is art, contrary to the feelings of many “fine art” collectors.
For this edition of "we like small things," I have selected photographs that left me smiling, wondering about photographic processes, philosophizing to myself about the ontology of photography, or wanting to escape into the fantastical environments pictured inside the frames. The short of it is: the images left me wanting to see more from the photographs that I selected. Only after I chose a certain number had I realized that certain genres or subject matter were left out of my final selections. Their lack of representation does not mean that, for example, documentary, landscape, or portrait photography are any less important or relevant than the kind of images I selected. The lack of representation of certain genres of photographs might stand as a call for those who practice inside these photographic genres to innovate or experiment. I encourage photographers to strive to produce images that are less predictable and less referential to other photographers in the canon. I also encourage photographers to strive to leave their photographic mark, to create images that are distinctly theirs."
—Jan Christian Bernabe
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Featured Artists
Jane Fulton Alt
Laurel Anderson
Jennifer Bacon
Alice Becker
Amber Bernard
Milan Bobysud
Todd Bradley
Dillon Bryant
Kaliisa Conlon
Eli Craven
DK
Anastasia Davis
Mary Defer
Tielin Ding
Kyle Dong
Ursula Ferrara
Richard Greene
Kylee Isom
Hillary Johnson
Nadine Levin
Kevin Lyle
Jeff Rothstein
Steve Saunders
Sara Silks
John Unwin
Kelda Van Patten
Inaara Vishnani
Veronica Woodward
Ivan Yu
Jan Christian Bernabe is the Gallery Director and Founder of FLXST Contemporary and Fracas Gallery. FLXST Contemporary is a contemporary art space and incubator in the South Loop (specifically the Motor Row district) focused chiefly on contemporary emerging diasporic and immigrant artists, artists of color, and LGBTQ-identified artists. Opened in December 2022 in Pilsen, Fracas Gallery shows artists and photographers who create work that disrupts and advances the possibilities of their chosen medium(s). Jan is also an educator, scholar, curator, arts & culture critic, and writer.
This exhibition was partially sponsored by The Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Exhibition Dates: September 9th – October 22nd, 2022
Location: Filter Space | 1821 W. Hubbard St., Ste. 207
