nocturnal surise...a reflection on suffering

Delay. Delay. Delay. It has been a while. All of this time i have been waiting to collect my thoughts and some images for Philip's exhibition, Nocturnal Sunrise. With the exhibition at a close and all of the hard work behind us, I am taking the time to reflect on his dramatic and stunning series of photographs.

The many times I have spent looking at his work, seeing his vision and philosophy come to light has led me to ponder further his art and how art in general impacts life. For those in need of introduction, my husband Philip makes large-scale black and white photographs that are graphically stunning and possess a lusciousness that is hard to ignore. Nocturnal Sunrise is a series he completed for his Masters of Fine Art thesis.


He has photographed all over the map, from New Orleans to Tahiti and compiled an abstract, high contrast visual language that acts as a metaphore for human suffering. The images are dark and stir up a mixture of emotions, from sorrow to humor, yet they all provide an entrance or exit into the light beyond this darkness. Upon first glance you cannot help but ask yourself what you are looking at. The longer you look you get transported into the experience of the image.

The experience of looking at this work can be overwhelming. It can also be uplifting. I found it interesting to watch people connect to different photographs for different reasons. It was exciting to hear their reactions because they were all so personal. Similar to the way one starts to see things in an abstract painting, I saw people feel things with his work. Even though the work is on the darker side thematically, photographing cemetarys and decaying anything as a general rule, it still possesses a lightness that makes it approachable and beautiful.


I feel a significant importance to placing emphasis on darkness because our society-American society-is constantly aiming for superficial positivism. We see it all the time with Hollywood starlets showing us how to look, government officials holding high a facade of how to act, and the many products of commercial, consumerism showing us how good life can be if you use their product. In the real world-the world of humanity governed by the complexity of emotions-we struggle with our own personal lives and while we aim for our individual pursuit of happiness, we do suffer. Dealing with the suffering does not come quick or easy.

We live in a world of over-prescribed medication and if we are not given permission to sedate our emotions by our doctors, we can run to the nearest store for liquor to self medicate, or worse, our local drug dealers. I believe in the power of art to open our subconscious minds and bring forth our hidden emotions. I believe that Philip's work does just that and so do many other artists, musicians, and poets alike. What is more poignant, whether we are aware of this power or not, is that we truly are affected deeply by our art of choice. The way a song can move you to dance or even to tears, or how a book clings to you as you read for endless hours, or a visual work draws you to deep contemplation-art sets part of us free.


I have come to know art as a way of releasing my inner fire, allowing whatever needs to come through me come out into the world, rather than get stifled and suffocted inside me. This is not only for making art, I think the same of being with others artwork. I know Philip's work holds a intimate place in my world because of my love for him, but I still must thank him for simply getting his art out into the world.