Photography at Kenise Barnes: An Artificial Reality

When you look at a photograph, do you immediately take what you see as factual? If so, be very skeptical when visiting the new exhibit at Kenise Barnes Fine Art, where you will be presented with works that, while apparently documenting something real, are representations of an artificial reality. 

Entitled "Other People's Fiction," the exhibit features work by artists Corina Gamma, Patrick Jacobs, Laura Letinsky and Lori Nix.

"It's about vision and the difference between fiction and fact and how photography skewers that for us," said gallery Director Kenise Barnes. 

Working in the genre of "set up" photography, Nix creates artificial realities of actual places through small dioramas, building and lighting each model, and then photographs the models to create false perceptions.

"I've always worked in three dimension. I trained as a ceramicist and a photographer simultaneously, so I am always interested in working with my hands," Nix said. "I used to do fabricated landscapes and now am doing architectural interiors, taking inspiration from living in New York City."

Her three works hanging in the show include historic architectural sites such as the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and an art museum being swarmed by bees.

"You'll notice that I am addicted to disaster, danger and mayhem, so these are a look at our future that are post-human," Nix said. "The works show places being overtaken by flowers, insects and animals. The Botanical Garden, for instance, is no longer maintained and there are frogs and plants everywhere."

Jacobs, the only non-photographer featured in the exhibit, created two tiny garden scene dioramas that are viewed through two large peepholes crafted into the gallery wall.

"These are studies from my rose garden series and they can get much larger and complicated. I have been doing this for about 10 years, and they have become much more imaginative at this point," Jacobs said. "Originally, I was interested in taking images from pest control manuals and rebuilding those images and my idea was so you can view them through a circular window of glass lenses into this world embedded into the wall."

Letinsky is a Canadian artist, whose work alludes to human presence through documentation of a contemporary life through objects such as a cake or coffee cup.

"I think her work is fantastic, I'm enjoying it thoroughly," said visitor Antonio DeFeo of Pelham. "We were walking by the gallery and were drawn in and everything is stunning. It's a great collection."

Gamma is a Swiss photographer working in Los Angeles who exhibited photographs from her new series representing scenes from a Los Angeles park.

When organizing the exhibit, Barnes said she thought about what artists and work had the best relationship to one another.

"I'm always currating things in my head and every time I see something, I'm always thinking, 'Who else can I put that with?'" said Barnes. "Some shows are conceptual, like this one, as I like to think of something that ties the work together and speak to one another."

The show runs until April 8th.

Kenise Barnes Fine Art is at 1955 Palmer Ave. in Larchmont, (914) 834-8077, www.kbfa.com