by Rachel Hill
Daily Lobo
A well-known proverb posits a picture is worth a thousand words. So, is a word and its myriad meanings likewise worth a thousand pictures?
A new exhibit at the UNM Art Museum, "Touch and Be Touched by Photography," explores that question.
mirror, which reflects an older couple seated beneath a clock.
"It shows the history of the couple, and I think it goes with the definition, 'to move or stir the feeling of,'" Arrossa said.
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Sherri Sorensen, assistant curator of prints and photographs, said the photos are "embedded with signs." She said she began working on the project with Reeves in April, and the two found the project became more thought provoking as it progressed.
In a photograph, the meaning extends beyond the subject, and you'll keep finding things in the details, she said.
Reeves said many people assume photographers have less control over their art than other artists, because they don't make physical contact with their subjects.
As camera technology becomes simpler, the perception of distance between photographers and their images continues to grow, Reeves said.
"I'm arguing that photographers do have huge amounts of control, from light and composition, through the developing process," Reeves said. "A photograph is not a window into objective reality."
To demonstrate this point, Reeves pointed out an exhibit photograph titled "Gestapo Informer Recognized by a Woman She Denounced." The photo shows one woman laying her hand on another's arm - a recognizable touch - but this visual connection also represents itself in a metaphorical sense.
Reeves said that because of its title, the photograph calls to mind the Oxford definition -- "to hurt or wound in mind or feelings, as if by touching a sore or tender part."
Photography is not simply a representation of its subject, Reeves said.
"An image is not a document of unconditional truth, but an ever-shifting representation of the relationship between the photographer and his or her camera," Reeves said. "It's a record of the many ways in which 'touch' functions as a tool with which photography can be viewed subjectively."
"Touch and Be Touched by
Photography"
UNM Art Museum
Runs through Dec. 21
Tuesday-Friday
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesday
5-8 p.m.
Sunday
1-4 p.m.
