by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Some of the photographs are surreal. Some are thought-provoking. Some will make you smile and a few are somewhat disturbing.
That’s a wide range of reactions that could only be created by an exhibit on the magnitude of “Why Look at Animals?” the latest offering at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville. The exhibit will be on display through April 5.
The collection of images spans the time frame from 1852 to the present and the entire range of photographic techniques from glass plates coated with a thin film of silver to the latest digital technology. More than 180 images have been drawn from the archives of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film as well as from photographers’ studios, galleries and private collections.
“Even though we’re a contemporary art museum, we have included a wide time range to add historical context that shows the evolution of the art. All the works focus on human relationships with animals – how we view them and how we live with them,” said MOCA Associate Curator Ben Thompson.
The title of the exhibit was taken from an essay by philosopher and art historian John Berger who wrote, “We look at animals because their presence allows us to tell ourselves who we are. They are both like and unlike us, and it is by what we do and do not share that we define ourselves as human.”
The exhibit also includes a collection of antique cameras. Thompson said being able to see the technology used to create some of the photographs adds another aspect to the historical importance of the exhibit.
This is not the first time MOCA has hosted an exhibit limited to photography. Thompson said the discipline represents a significant amount of contemporary art (created since World War II) and photographs have always been well-received by local art supporters.
“An exhibit on this scale and of this quality is a significant financial undertaking for the museum,” he said. “The community responds and supports us when we bring this kind of exhibit to MOCA, especially when we’re the exhibit’s only venue in Florida. We’re presenting things people haven’t seen before in Jacksonville.”
As a complement to the featured installation that fills the third-floor gallery, MOCA is presenting, “Through the Lens” — an exhibit on the second floor that showcases some of the museum’s permanent collection of photography.
MOCA has also scheduled a series of lectures and guided tours related to “Why Look at Animals?” For details, visit www.mocajacksonville.org.
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