As it Seems

media release: October 3, 2026 – March 3, 2027

Fall Opening Celebration and Gallery Night Afterparty

Friday, November 6 • Member Preview, 6 PM • Public Celebration, 7–9 PM

Photography is often thought of as a tool for capturing reality, but every photograph is shaped by a series of choices and is subject to post-creation manipulation through editing. As It Seems brings together photographs from MMoCA’s permanent collection that have been visibly altered through a range of artistic techniques, revealing photography as a medium of manipulation as much as documentation.

Featuring works from the 1920s to the present, the exhibition traces artists’ ongoing exploration of the relationship between truth and construction. From early works like James Van Der Zee’s retouched studio portraits, to Barbara Kasten’s colorful abstracted architectural images, and Amir Zaki’s digital interventions in his photographs of California’s built environments— these images speak to the nature of the photographic object and the history of photography as a medium. As It Seems makes visible the creative decisions that shape every image.