Recent
photographs by Prof. Martin Benjamin from China, Cuba and Vietnam will be featured in a show opening Thursday,
March 25, in the Mandeville Gallery at the Nott Memorial.
“China/Cuba/Vietnam:
Recent Photographs by Martin Benjamin” runs through Sunday, May 23. It is free
and open to the public. A reception is set for Thursday, April 8, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Benjamin,
professor of visual arts at the College, grew up in a simple pre-Internet world
when “Main
Street,
the corner store, and trout streams” were his primary sources of amusement and
wonder. He is part of a generation who witnessed some of the nation's most
psychically traumatic events in the 20th century – political
assassinations, atomic bomb tests, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Vietnam War.
As a budding photographer in college he realized what Diane Arbus meant when
she said, “Photographing is not about being comfortable, either for the
photographer or the subject.”
Benjamin's
photos capture what engages him, but that doesn't mean exclusively what is
beautiful. This collection was taken during his forays to China, Cuba, and Vietnam (often at his peril). These photos range
aesthetically from the beauty of the landscape and people to the gritty
realities of the street market and daily life. Along with evoking a range of
reactions, they also tell a between-the-lines story of the photographer and his
subjects.
Gallery
hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in the Nott Memorial.
For
more information, call 388-8344.
