Live Review

There is something to be said for simplicity, and Aaron Geller, a sophomore at Kalamazoo College, would probably agree. His photography exhibit at the Fine Arts Building, a collection of candid, black and white shots, is eye-catching because of its simplistic style. Without being vibrant or flashy, Geller allows these raw images to speak for themselves. And in taking the time to process these shots, one discovers the depth behind their matte-paper surfaces.

Geller traveled to Israel this past summer with four cameras in tow. Favoring his Yashica 635 TLR, Geller slung this manual model around his neck for the duration of his visit. Taking advantage of the TLR’s dual format, Geller used 120 roll film; a unique but effective approach, as this film records images in squares.

The exhibit displays the photographs Geller took on his trip, and the overall effect mirrors the style of the photographs, simple. Each white wall of the square room almost becomes part of the two or three, unlabeled, unframed images tacked to its surface. The soft lighting scattered throughout enhances this connectivity between exhibit and art, blurring borders and edges. It becomes an experience rather than separate pieces. A collage composed of thirty-six snapshots heightens this effect. Together, side-by-side, the images complement each other, inevitably appearing intertwined like the lives and emotions they have captured.

In a short explanation at the forefront of his exhibit, Geller writes, “There is a tendency to stereotype people into groups – the objective of this gallery is to challenge this view.” His collection of images does just this. The square photographs reject boxed in expectations and perspectives. A group of young girls huddle around a well, a dark-haired woman clutches a paintbrush and gazes up from a canvas, a middle-aged man flashes a slight grin from a restaurant booth: the candid images are careful snippets of intimate moments that invite viewers to peer into individual experiences.

Geller has also done a fine job in terms of printing. Though the prints are large (all are 3 feet by 3 feet), the clarity has not been compromised. Upon close inspection, some of the photographs are somewhat grainy, but this is merely due to size rather than quality, and the size is worth the minor graininess. These big images boast big contrast. Not one lacks a true black or white or a broad palette of gray hues in between, which highlight vital details that would otherwise be lost: a crinkled frown, a flower loosely tangled in a bundle of hair, the texture of a brick stretch of sidewalk.

The exposure required to achieve such contrast did have its costs, however, and a few photographs could have benefited from a little dodging and burning. Ivory, cloudless skies appear unrealistic, especially when power lines are fragmented and disappearing in its brightness, and a woman’s foot looks inhuman when it blends into her surroundings.

These discrepancies aside, the exhibit is truly a showcase of Geller’s talent in the darkroom. One image in particular, a photograph composed of two overlapping shots, speaks to the greater messages and complexities that are layered into Geller’s simple works.