Art exhibit highlights women and women's lives
by Veena Trehan
A metal cooking puppet toils over a stove. A disheartened woman gazes out, framed by a ubiquitous Coca-Cola machine. Against the somber grey of sky and sea and the glow of a white city , a mother holds her son closely as if to defend him from a nearby man.
Until April 1 at the Takoma Park Community Center, a building that resonates with drilling and disorganization of construction, are a mélange of images of startling beauty.
"The work is both lyrical and strong. It is an opportunity for the Takoma Park community to see strong works from other places," said Alice Sims, head of the Exhibitions Committee of the Takoma Arts and Humanities Commission that selected the center?s second art show.
Many photographs of the Turkish exhibit For Women by Women feature women gorgeously framed in poses of reflection, isolation or conflict. Others focus on females in happier circumstances or children or animals. Colors range from sepia to brilliant jewel tones, and include special photographic effects.
"We were trying to make it as colorful and unique and as diverse as possible," said contributing photographer Nil Sismanyazici-Navaie, whose organization Arts For Global Development coordinated the exhibit's visit to Takoma Park.
"Most pictures by the amateur and professional Turkish female photographers feature women at work, occupied in life's mundane tasks or caring for children. They often clasp them as if to protect them from the harshness around them.
The project was born a year ago, when an incident between police and activists on International Women's Day spurred a group of Turkish photographers to raise awareness of and contribute to women victims of violence. The show, which has toured London and Turkey, has raised close to $10,000 to date for shelters supporting those who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse.
The show's strengths, its raw emotionality and diversity - are tied to its weaknesses. One may wonder about the powerful stories that lie behind the arrestingly beautiful photographs, yet there are few descriptions to satisfy the viewer's curiosity. The narrow hallway location doesn't allow the depth of perspective necessary to fully appreciate closely spaced pictures of divergent themes.
For viewers who want the photographs framed in better surroundings, they can purchase them for $150 to $175. The money supports a womens' shelter in Eastern Turkey.
The community center rotates art shows. On April 1, Catherine Miller?s colorful paintings of landscapes, children and pets will become the center's third exhibit.
For now Takoma Park residents can enjoy the sublime photographs of women and children that arise from conditions of conflict and poverty, much as the exhibit blazes from the unfinished building.
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