Inver Hills Art Gallery • Now thru January 31, 2018
The Inver Hills Art Gallery in the Fine Arts building on the main campus of Inver Hills Community College is hosting Memorial, an art exhibition by Justin D. Allen, a photographer and book artist from Fredericksburg, Iowa. Running from Tuesday, January 16, till Wednesday, January 31, 2018, the exhibition features photographs, sculptures and installations depicting the relationship between objects and memories.
WHAT:
MemorialWHO:
Justin D. AllenWHEN:
Tuesday, January 16, 2018, thru
Wednesday, January 31, 2018Gallery hours:
Monday and Wednesday: Noon –5 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: Noon – 4 p.m.WHERE:
Inver Hills Art GalleryInver Hills Community College
2500 East 80th Street
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
Artist bio
Justin D. Allen is a photographer and book artist living in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Justin earned a B.F.A. in Photography with a Minor in Graphic Technologies from the University of Northern Iowa. Although the bulk of his work exists in photobooks, many three-dimensional found and re-purposed objects accompany the photographic work.
Justin’s photographic work varies from documentary to abstract storytelling, using the photograph as visual metaphor. The medium and style of photographs may change from project to project, but travel and investigation are the roots of Justin’s work.
Through this exploration, he hopes to point out small banks of curiosities and wonder hidden in the common world. Through humorous juxtapositions, poetic relationships, and chance, he hopes to bring the simple elegance and mysterious complexity of the world around us to the forefront of the viewer’s mind. — Courtesy of Justin D. Allen
Artist statement
Memorial
On June 29, 2013, I was involved in an accident that kept me in the hospital for nearly a month and a half. Due to the nature of the injury, I am unable to recall anything that happened during a period of more than three weeks after the incident. During this time, a dear friend gifted me an instant camera which I used to document my time in rehabilitation. Eventually, the long term functions of my memory began working again but I have never been able to recall any of those first weeks in the hospital. For me, the instant photographs act as artifacts; becoming physical memories of this time. Still, I am left to fill in the spaces between these photographs since I am not able to understand the specific context or timeline in which they were taken.
To find out more about the exhibition, visit Memorial.
My unique experience with these photographs led me to investigate the relationship between objects and memories; in particular, how objects are used to substitute or supplement a memory. Although objects can help us recall memories, these very same objects slowly change the facts of the memory over time. On many occasions, I have been surprised when I discover that my memories are not a factual representation of an event. This often happens when I find a detail in a photograph or other object that does not match the memory of the event it represents. This led me to search for unique ways individuals have chosen to memorialize themselves and others with objects, find examples of how one chooses to glorify an act or event, and even test the limits of my own memory.
— Justin D. Allen
To learn more about Memorial at the Inver Hills Art Gallery, contact:
Erin Goedtel
Gallery Curator and Coordinator
651-450-3101
You can also like the Inver Hills Art Gallery on Facebook.
