New chapter for 'Arabia" at Oswald Gallery

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

By Susan Burkitt

It’s not everyday that an accomplished, published photographer walks unannounced into a local gallery with a presentation in hand seeking to have his latest work shown.

But that’s exactly what Mathias Oppersdorff did this fall, approaching Cary Tijerina, director of the Oswald Gallery, located at 165 N. Center St.
Oppersdorff had been a travel photographer for Gourmet Magazine for 18 years, using his day job to finance documentary-like books of his photography from personal travels, including “People of the Road: The Irish Travellers” (1997) and “Adirondack Faces” (1991).

He came to Jackson Hole to accompany friends on an annual elk hunting trip.
While Oppersdorff’s current work, a series of studio nudes in black and white he shot with a pinhole camera, didn’t catch the gallery’s interest, his much earlier work, “Arabia” – shot during a 14-month trek across the Arabian peninsula in the early ’70s and published in book form by Syracuse University Press in 2001 – “seemed relevant and compassionate” in the current world climate, Tijerina said.

Tijerina explained that the photographs from the book have never been exhibited before and offer a unique view of a region and its people, described in the current media most often in terms of terrorism.

“The photographs have a documentary quality that evokes empathy,” Tijerina said. “They capture people working and playing, but with a measure of compassion.
“Like many of the most successful shows we have had at Oswald,” he continued, “the photographs tread the line between photography and painting.”

In 1961, Oppersdorff drove from Paris to Ceylon, enduring 42 flat tires on his 2v Citroen, a car he says was “beaten to death” by the journey.

A decade later, with a stint as a banker in New York to finance his obsession with the region, he traveled to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, this time with the influence and introductions only available to someone associated with the legendary Azzam Pasha, first Secretary General of the Arab League. The results of this exclusive look at Arab culture only surfaced when Oppersdorff worked with Syracuse University Press on the “Travellers” book. Before that, Oppersdorff said from his home in Wakefield, R.I., “nobody wanted it.”

He said his favorite portrait in the show, of a Yemeni man carrying a heavy sack on a hot, humid day, is the first shot in “Arabia.” Oppersdorff likens it to a “Greek statue.” He noted that all of the photos in “Arabia” were shot with an M3 camera and printed from the full negative.

Oppersdorff, who is retired due to the onset of Parkinsons disease, will attend the artist’s reception for the show on June 23.

Muhammad Assad wrote in “The Road to Mecca” that in making the pilgrimage, he felt that he was “coming to the people among whom [he] would never again be a stranger.” Perhaps you’ll feel the same after viewing these portraits. The show opens Friday and runs until July 13.

Oswald Gallery can be reached at 734-8100. Or visit www.oswaldgallery.com.

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Starting Monday, visiting professor Dr. Lai Orenduff of Valdosta State (Georgia) will teach a five-session course for Central Wyoming College called “Experiencing Jackson’s Art Galleries.”

The first class will focus on giving participants a basic vocabulary of art elements and concepts, pulled from art history and with a view toward art appreciation, Orenduff said.
“Even if an artwork is not in the style they enjoy, I want to help them cultivate an appreciation for the artist’s efforts and be able to articulate the elements,” she said.

While the first two classes will include both art history and art appreciation, Orenduff has pulled images from artwork in local galleries to demonstrate representational, abstract and non-objective works.

The remaining classes will include visits to local galleries and the National Museum of Wildlife Art, ending with student presentations of specific works they encountered during the class. Classes meet 9-10 a.m. June 4 and 6, and 10-11 a.m. June 8, 11 and 13. Call CWC at 733-7425 to register and for further information.

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“It is my job to find forms that are sculptural, that beg to be enlarged.”

This artist’s statement belongs to David Eisenhour, sculptor and benefactor of his local Land Trust in Port Hadlock, Wash.

Eisenhour’s work, largely focused on magnified versions of pieces of nature, includes “details that we may not normally see, and impossible to avoid,” Lyndsay McCandless, owner of McCandless Conemporary, writes. “Nature, specifically seed pods, are the inspiration,” McCandless said. “He loves his magnifying glass and his microscope, the effect that a giant magnified piece of nature has on us.”

For 17 years, Eisenhour worked in two fine arts foundries, William Turner Foundry and Riverdog Fine Arts Foundry, managing both large-scale public works as well as pieces for private collections. He left Riverdog in 2003 to focus on his own sculpting.

McCandless Contemporary, at 130 S. Jackson St, will hold a preview of Eisenhour’s latest sculptures and provide an opportunity to speak with the artist at 6 p.m. on Thursday. An artist’s reception will take place 5:30-7 p.m. on Friday. A portion of sales of Eisenhour’s work will benefit the Jackson Hole Land Trust. Contact the gallery at 734-0649 or visit www.lmcontemporary.com.

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In other art news:
The Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, on the corner of Glenwood and Deloney, opened for the summer season this past Friday. New exhibits this year include one on the museum’s beginnings in 1958, including a glimpse at life in Jackson Hole 50 years ago.

On Friday, the Idaho Falls Arts Council will feature a free showing of “O Brother Where Art Thou” at the Colonial Theatre at 7:30 p.m. in conjunction with the touring Smithsonian Institute show currently on display in the Carr Gallery, “New Harmonies:  Celebrating American Roots Music.”

The display will run until June 16; each week the Arts Council will offer different events to celebrate the distinct cultural identities of gospel, country, blues, jazz, R&B and rock and roll. Call (208) 522-0471 or visit www.idahofallsarts.org.

Courtesy Photo
Mathias Oppersdorff likens this image from “Arabia” to a Greek statue.

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New chapter for 'Arabia" at Oswald Gallery | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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