BRATTLEBORO-Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts (MGFA), 183 Main St., presents "Beyond Reason," an exhibition of stop-action images of burlesque dancers and circus performers, by New York photographer Amy Arbus, who is represented by MGFA.
There will be an opening and artist reception Saturday, Aug. 24, 5 to 7 p.m. The next day, commencing at 3 p.m. at the Brattleboro School of Dance, MGFA and New England Center for Circus Arts will host a short circus performance followed by an artist talk at 4 p.m. with Arbus at the gallery.
After the pandemic, Arbus was able to venture with her curiosity and camera into town fairs and traveling circuses, where she became enthralled with the contortionists, trapeze artists, and acrobats.
"[Famed fashion photographer] Richard Avedon taught me that if you go into a photo session and come out with only what you expected, it was a failure," Arbus said in a news release. "Watching the performers' extraordinary feats, the audience roars with laughter, gasps, covers their eyes and stares in disbelief. Meanwhile, I am photographing at 10 frames per second to capture the action. I look for moments that happen so fast that we are not conscious of seeing them."
Mike Carroll, owner of Schoolhouse Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts, sums up Arbus's exhibition: "With her camera, Amy Arbus has discovered bodies in the exquisite arch of pain, desire, and beauty. These performers have made an almost gruesome request of their own bodies to do something beyond reason."
"Our shared astonishment, the incredulity of the physical acts, and the beauty of Arbus's exquisitely printed black-and-white photographs, attest to the skill of this remarkable artist and to the masterful presentation of her latest body of work," organizers say.
For more information about the exhibit and the artist talk, visit mitchellgiddingsfinearts.com or call 802-251-8290.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.