February 18, 2010 marked the opening of a new exhibition at the Jennifer Jane Gallery in the Westville section of New Haven, CT. I attended the opening reception which ran from 6-8 pm. The gallery has a very cute smaller space that was easily crowded with all of Joy's fans. Abesse is Latin for absence which is a perfectly suitable name for this collection. Each photo has a sense of longing for human presence. That pining is what gives these different landscapes in different locations around the world cohesiveness.
My favorite was an empty billboard on a desolate landscape. I enjoyed the composition, the way my eye was drawn into the background even though there was a large portion of the frame filled with this large man-made object. Another favorite was a pair of Adirondack chairs empty in some one's back yard. The chairs seemed to speak to me and ask to be sat in! I really appreciate the way Joy can take an everyday view and make it speak to you. The absence of humans but evidence of their existence is dramatic and mysterious. The loneliness isn't eerie just curious enough to make you think again about what you are looking at and what the artists intentions might have been.
Unfortunately by the time I made this post the exhibition has already been removed but you can view Joy Bush's work by using these links.
http://www.joybushphotography.com
http://www.joybush.blogspot.com
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