Seeing the familiar for the first time

Filter Photo is pleased to present, Seeing the familiar for the first time, a small works exhibition juried by Industry of the Ordinary.

Juror's Statement

When I was a small boy, my parents would take me on road trips to see interesting things. In my child’s mind, they seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the interesting. They had, I imagined, always known what they knew, and their jobs as parents essentially entailed enumerating the many things that my mind should find wonder in. But I found so many of these experiences at the time to be oddly underwhelming. Instead, I was struck by their wonder and enthusiasm – and I noted how they would turn to see if I was seeing the world they saw.

In time we must surely turn to our own children and, pointing at some important object, look to see if wonder has flickered across the faces of our charges. We wander through the world pointing, counting, and turning to the faces of the uninitiated. And slowly we come to know that no amount of castles can populate the imagination of a child. Theirs’ are minds of infinite wonder, but they examine their lives as they find them. Their streets, their friends, their favorite trees to climb. Extraordinary things are beyond counting, but the wonder that we pass on to the ones we love is an ordinary thing. And no less precious for it.

Industry of the Ordinary’s approach to selecting work for this exhibition is akin to wandering as a child might.

Featured Artists

Tuan Bui

Tag Christof

Jacob Foster

Lori Kella

James Kuan

Kevin Lyle

Diego Rodriguez

Samantha VanDeman

On View: September 20 – October 19, 2019

Location: Filter Space | 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 207

Image © Tag Christof