Camberville had a lot of excellent photography happenings this summer. From the Photographic Resource Center’s latest exhibition to George Annan’s pop-up at Joy Street Studios, there was something exciting in the air.
There still is, despite the end of summer. Two new photography shows are at Cambridge’s Bridge Gallery and Arts at the Armory’s Rooted Cafe in Somerville. Though opposites in subject matter and style, they encapsulate what’s so exciting about the medium: its immediacy, its intimacy, its self-awareness about the complexities of representation.
In “See How They Run: Political Portraits by Mark Ostow,” the artist presents images taken for New York Magazine and Politico from two decades of campaign photographs, including from the 2020 presidential race, just in time for another one: A close-up of a frazzled Biden puts his furrowed brow front and center; Trump’s portrait shows him gesticulating wildly. Some of Ostow’s shots feel unexpectedly soft, even intimate. We see a contemplative shot of Barack Obama with empty space above him that lends a powerful sense of gravitas to the image. Mitt Romney’s photo has such a shallow depth of field that only his eyes are in sharp focus. Seen from below, his face is calm and confident, his expression enigmatic.
At Arts of the Armory’s Rooted Cafe, Lebanese-American artist Feda Eid showcases a series of striking archival prints in “Rooted Revelations.” Eid’s parents fled Lebanon’s civil war in 1982, and much of her work deals with themes of assimilation and the discrimination she experienced growing up in the states.
Many of this show’s images come from her “Made in USA” series, in which she juxtaposes textiles of Southwest Asian and North African peoples with American aesthetics. It’s powerful to see the patterns of a picnic blanket alongside her traditional garments. In one image, the picnic blanket and basket are transformed into a head covering – a powerful visual portrayal of assimilation. She looks directly at the camera, as if challenging the viewer. Her vibrant red, white and blue color palette remixes the American flag’s aesthetic, but it also just looks fantastic in the Armory’s space, with its yellow wall and warm lighting.
“Rooted Revelations” opened Monday and runs through Oct. 2 at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville, with a reception and performance Saturday. “See How They Run: Political Portraits by Mark Ostow” opens Saturday at Bridge Gallery, 5 Pemberton St., North Cambridge, with a reception and runs until Oct. 19.
Share your own 150-word appreciation for a piece of visual art or art happening with photo to editor@cambridgeday.com with the subject line “Behold.”
This post was updated Sept. 9, 2024, to correct the time range of photographs being exhibited by Mark Ostow.
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