Art View
by Paulette Thenhaus
Serious Discards
For more than a decade, Tom
Foley has photographed societyÕs discards — in plainer words, trash
— just as he happened upon it. But for his solo show at the Buchanan Center
for the Arts in Monmouth it appears that heÕs ready to discard his past pursuit
in favor of a more formalist view.
The majority of black and
white photographs are pristine close-ups concentrating on the line, shape,
texture of industrial building materials. Stains, rivets, grain on metal,
concrete and wood are all in sharp focus. They are straight-forward studies,
referring back to a mid-20th century interest in close-up, sharp-contrast
images of nature and industry. Working in that tradition, Foley rejects the
digital phenomena in his art shots and prefers processing and printing his own
roll film. And so doing, controls his film and image quality.
For me though, the real
interest is where his Òtrash photosÓ resurface in photo collage. They do so in
various pieces. In ÒV.O.P. call 11Ó (V.O.P refers to Village of Oak Park where
many of the prints are taken) the actual litter is alive with graphic images
— Fritos bag, Charles Schwann ad, a pasta wrapper inter-mixed with
crumpled tissue, glass and plastic. Here the tonal contrasts of solarization
and the scale of the randomly juxtaposed graphics and textures is intriguing. A
visual time capsule is created, though the composition owes no thanks to
logical planning...just to the eye that framed it.
ÒDropÓ Nov. 2004 Lab ScrapesÓ is actually a mini installation.
A photograph of darkroom trash (remember when everyone had a basement
darkroom?) hangs above the actual, chemically stained trash topped with a metal
film canister. The heap sits on the gallery carpet. Here the concept of the
illusion of photography and the reality of the object come into play. Also, the
photographer has personalized a real aspect of his own professional life.
Another image that plays on
the idea of illusion and reality is ÒV.O.P. wire II 2Ó. A small silver gelatin
composition of a fallen wire tomato cage leans against stone blocks and loose
bricks. The dark circular lines of the wire cast a long fine shadow against the
stones. Which is more real, the shadow or the object that casts it? Within a
photograph they hold the same "reality" weight. In this particular
photograph, the shadow is the more interesting.
Though many of the works
can be appreciated for their spontaneity and wit, a large floor piece of 8Ó x
10Ó prints of the Peace Sign, spontaneously drawn in the dark room, seemed to
me more derogatory of the symbol than a positive affirmation of it.
With this exhibit, Foley
proves he can pull a first-rate ÒstraightÓ print. He has also shown he can
cover new ground with his traditional imagery. This could be the crossroads
where the artist decides what concepts to ÒdiscardÓ and which to refine and
pursue in new formats.
ÒTime and ChangeÓ
photographs by Tom Foley are on display at Buchanan Center for the Arts, 64
Public Square, Monmouth, Illinois, till February 4. More info? Call (309) 734-3033.
MORE ART
KaldiÕs
124 E. Simmons St., Galesburg
Harland and Joanne Goudie will host a reception for
their paintings of Galesburg places on Friday, January 20th from 4-6pm.
Knox College
Ford Center for the Fine Arts
Knox College Art Faculty Show reception: Friday,
Jan. 27, 6-8pm.
Monmouth College
Hewes Library–Len G. Everett Galleries
Rob & Lori Reed host a reception for
ÒRock-Pixel-ScissorsÓ on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2-4pm.
QÕs Cafe
319 E. Main St., Galesburg
Ron Hunt, watercolor and John Van Kirk, photography,
on exhibit through January.