| | |  Vallarta Living | Art Talk | April 2009 
El Trópico de Cáncer: Four Photographers in the Hot Zones
 Lynn Auch - PVNN
| | An Old Charbonnière in Haiti (Jonathan Auch) | |
Four emerging artists will be showcased in a unique photographic exhibit at T. Fuller Fine Art on Friday, April 24, 2009 from 7-9 pm. The first in a series of exhibits committed to recognizing and assisting talented artists, this collection will center on photographs shot in the Tropic of Cancer in the Caribbean, Mexico and Southeast Asia.
The work of Jonathan Auch, Elizabeth Fladung, Edmund Fladung and Ed Fladung differs thematically from photojournalistic investigations of Haitian deforestation to portraitures of Jamaican men to street life in Cambodia, but the intent of El Trópico de Cáncer is to show the connective tissue of humankind in a latitude where the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun to its maximum extent.
Photos ranging from inspiringly exquisite to candidly harsh show the fragile balance between life at its most sublime to situations that are past resuscitation. Turning a corner in Port-au-Prince, Kingston, Bucerias or Phnom Penh can quickly result in images that morph from heavenly to demonic impressions.
The photographers chosen for this show offer variety in their vision and intent as artists.
Jonathan Auch is a photojournalist from New York City whose Haitian photographs documenting the demise of the poorest country in the world will be featured in the exhibit. After studying illustration and photography at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Jonathan returned to his birthplace to work for Magnum 7 photographer, James Nachtwey.
Jonathan shoots photographs first as a journalist and then as an artist, but his intent is primarily to bear witness to important events for the purpose of leaving enduring impressions. Jonathan does not explain his work; his stories on film will fend for themselves although he believes there is a fine line between the perception of reality and the continuous evolution of truth. Jonathan is also successful as a cinematographer for short subject films and as a still photography for PBS-funded documentaries.
Elizabeth Fladung has a keen interest in story telling through visual mediums. She has been involved with film and photography from an early age. After attending California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, she spent eight years as a freelance art, documentary, and editorial photographer in New York City. For the last two years she has made Puerto Vallarta her home. She travels frequently for work and in her spare time documents life in Mexico.
In this show, Elizabeth offers a collection of images of Jamaican men. Always drawn to humans and their imprint on society Elizabeth seeks to capture personalities and the subjects she is photographing. Having had a strong interest in Jamaican culture from a young age, Elizabeth chose to document the essence of what makes Jamaica truly hypnotic - its people.
Covering Southeast Asia in this exhibit is Edmund Fladung, a native of Philadelphia who now lives in Nayarit. Edmund is a surfer, photographer, graphic designer and writer whose graphic eye informs his photography. His work occasionally revolves around typologies: bicycles, signs, VW bugs, flip-flops, close-up portraits and street scenes. There is often a humorous undercurrent in his photography.
Edmund, who holds a BFA in graphic design from The California Institute of the Arts, considers his photographs to be personal - they are documents about his daily life and various travels. Like many photographers, Edmund avoids explanations about and instead chooses to tell his stories without burdening the viewer with his own emotional attachments. The one unifying discipline in all of his visual and written work is to leave his viewers with a good story.
Photographer Ed Fladung's Mexican landscapes complete the fourth component of the El Trópico de Cáncer photography collection at the gallery. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Ed's first education in photography came from his grandfather, a well-known Maryland naturalist and self-taught photographer who allowed Ed to remain in his darkroom as long as he was attentive.
From this experience, Ed developed a love for developing his own film, a process he engaged in for many years until the advent of the digital camera, which he now uses. Ed has studied with well-known Berkeley photography educator Peter Pfersic and with large format landscape photographer Tim Cooper. Ed has lived in Mexico since 2003 and now makes his home in Bucerias. Ed's work captures the visual allure of Mexico - it is rich in saturated pigment and vibrancy.
All four photographers will be at the El Trópico de Cáncer opening, which the public is invited to attend on Friday, April 24, 2009, from 7-9 pm, at T. Fuller Fine Art, Corona 169 (between Morelos and Juarez) in downtown Puerto Vallarta. For additional information, please contact Lynn Auch, Gallery Director, at (322) 222-8196. |
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