Barry Phipps
Regardless of what you might expect from the title, there are no grain silos, no rippling fields of corn, no vast prairies dotted with only the occasional lone-standing tree.
In fact, New Midwest Photography, at the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center through Oct. 28, isn’t even about the landscape of the region; it’s about the people.
“Really, the point of the show is about the artists making work in this part of the world. Sure there are some landscapes, but I want the images themselves to provide an inroad into who these people really are,” says Andy Adams, curator of the multi-faceted FlakPhoto project.
The 10 Midwestern artists in the show demonstrate a wide variety of techniques and subjects: from brightly lit, bustling cityscapes to quiet, haunting portraits.
Some of the show’s most striking images are the shadowy, almost mystical photographs of Tytia Habing, an artist based in Watson, Illinois (population: 750).
Recalling Sally Mann’s Deep South and Immediate Family, a section of Habiny’s series, titled Tharin, includes more than a dozen photographs of the artist’s young son. Shrouded in the leaves of a tree or clutching an animal’s jawbone against his chest in a close-up shot, the boy appears timeless and almost magical. The stark black-and-white photographs depict what Habing describes as a “free-range way she raises her children, a lifestyle she feels is quickly fading.”
The photos are clustered together as if they were a cross-section of a book, showing the strength of Adams’ curatorial skills. “I wanted viewers to be able to turn the corner in the gallery and enter into a totally different tonal space,” says Adams.
Also on display is the work of Iowa-based artist Barry Phipps. His photos, displayed equally sized and side-by-side, capture the beauty of a small town in bright light, standing in stark opposition to Habing’s work. A derelict orange brick building atop a two-tone storefront is shown against a cloudy sky; a vintage sign reads “Miracle Car Wash.”
Adams met Phipps not through a gallery or another artist; he found him on Instagram.
“It’s become a really important part of the show,” says Adams of the social media platform; FlakPhoto itself has a busy Instagram account.
Tytia Habing
After starting the FlakPhoto project in 2004, Adams, a UW-Madison communications grad, has combed the internet and social media platforms for promising photographers. The website also helped him pull together the current show. He put out an open call and fielded hundreds of submissions, selecting a carefully balanced group of works.
Now Adams is setting his sights on a Midwestern photography festival, which he hopes to organize in Madison. With successful book and film festivals, maybe it’s time.
“My goal would be to present and program more photography happenings in Madison, and make that a reason for the Madison community to come together, but also to create opportunities for the Madison-Milwaukee communities to connect as well,” says Adams. “That’s ambitious, but it has to start somewhere.”
