KRISTINE THOMPSON : an archive of feelings

FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING RECEPTION: 10/03, 6 - 9 P.M.
artICULATE aRTIST tALK: sUNDAY, 10/07 AT 4 P.M.

Artist Kristine Thompson makes her Baton Rouge Gallery debut with An Archive of Feelings, an exhibition of recent photo-based work examining how images of death, violence, and mourning circulate in the media. Engaging photographic imagery in an experimental and tactile manner, Thompson considers when and how pictures might elicit empathy on the part of the viewer.

The exhibition includes a large installation, titled “Images Seen to Images Felt,” which consists of photograms made by pressing light sensitive paper against a computer screen in a darkroom. These direct impressions feature images collected by the artist from a wide array of online news sources and, collectively, they represent “a kind of archive of ongoing violence and the grieving that follows.” Thompson sees turning these virtual photos into tangible prints as a way to advocate for a slowed-down, more deliberate way of viewing these individuals and circumstances.

In a companion project of Thompson’s, “Difficult Things Seen Cannot Be Unseen,” she photographs individuals’ eyes on a macro scale so that the printed news photographs being held are made visible in the eye’s reflection. Thompson explains, “As viewers look the individuals in the eye, they contend with the challenging photos that each participant has selected.”

Thompson earned her BFA from Northwestern University and an MFA from University of California, Irvine. Thompson currently serves as an Associate Professor of Art (Photography) at Louisiana State University, here in Baton Rouge. Dating back to 1999, her work has been featured throughout the United States, including exhibitions in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Denver, among many others. Additionally, she has been involved in more than a half dozen curatorial projects, had writings published by Phaidon Press and UCR/California Museum of Photography, and received numerous honors.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Jamie Baldridge, David Horton, and Heather Ryan Kelley. All works from these four artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) through November 1, 2018.