Past Exhibition
Robert Go
HOMEFRONT (HOGAR-FRENTE)
21.11 > 20.12.2007
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Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Master prints by Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8000 on Crane's® Museo Silver Rag™
Below is a quote from Robert that describes his forthcoming exhibition at Tasneem Gallery.
"After three years of living and working there, I said farewell to Sri Lanka in mid July 2007. The conventional perception of the country is that it is a paradise on earth. In the eyes of many (and in particular Western tourists), it is full of colour, bright, sunny and warm. It is a land of smiles, of 5-star beach resorts and idyllic mountain retreats, of long and exotic traditions.
For the most part, though, my Sri Lanka experience had been different. Two events defined my time there. First, the tsunami on December 26, 2004 killed more than 30,000 Sri Lankans and forced half a million people to flee their homes; then throughout 2006, the civil war between Sri Lanka's government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) flared up again despite a ceasefire agreement that dates back to 2002 and is, at least on paper, still in effect.
I see how Sri Lanka and its people can be pretty and nice, how life there could be pleasant, plentiful and peaceful. But I recognize the flip side of the coin, that there are stories there that are harsh, ugly and in many ways, less than ideal. In that sense, it is no different than many other places in the world.
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote that without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete as a way to explain the importance for each of us to find reasons to continue living, no matter how difficult our lives have become. If I were to entirely embrace his words, then I cannot help but think that many people in Sri Lanka indeed live very complete lives.
With this project, I am trying to encapsulate my time in Sri Lanka. I hope that the two sections, Home and Front, both tell complementary stories, and that each is dependent on the other. Home reacts to the everyday, to mundane events and moments. Front presents observations of conflict and trials, of adversity and how far we as a global community still have to go before we can satisfactorily say that we are good to one another. And if there is a message I take for myself from my Sri Lankan experience, it is one that I have seen in other places before and only became a stronger conviction at moment I boarded my last flight out of Colombo.
And it is one that is similar to Frankl's comment on how humans can overcome."
PRESS RELEASE
Opening Reception: Wednesday 21 November 2007, 8pm
Tasneem Gallery (Barcelona) is pleased to present the first in a series of major exhibitions showcasing international contemporary artists. The first exhibition Homefront, by the talented photographer and journalist Robert Go, will open with a preview event on 21 November 2007.
Homefront takes a different look at Sri Lanka, focusing on the eventful three-year period during which Robert lived and worked there. Not only does it tell the familiar stories of tourism, civil war and the after-effects of the 2004 Tsunami, the photographs in this collection also portray the lesser known stories that celebrate, and comment on, the intricate details of life in Sri Lanka. …And they do it in a way that will hopefully surprise and maybe challenge the viewer's perceptions.
Split into two sections, Home and Front, the exhibition tells complementary and interlinked stories. Home reacts to the everyday, to mundane events and moments. Front presents observations of conflict, trials, and adversity. In doing so it sometimes acts as a stark reminder of how far we, as a global community, still have to go before we can satisfactorily say that we are good to one another.
Curator and gallery owner Tasneem Salam says 'I'm delighted to be able to host this exhibition of Robert's work. I know him as a photojournalist who thinks carefully about the society in which he lives and how he uses photography in its global portrayal. In particular, I enjoy how he weaves stories using a combination of photography and words. He manages to capture the essence of his subject and shares his insights, into complex issues, without being sensationalist. To me his work is wonderfully observed and detailed.'
With this exhibition, Robert has gone beyond photojournalism into the realms of art. In its entirety the exhibition is thought-provoking and powerful, yet individually each photo is exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful.
Homefront runs from 21 November 2007 to 20 December 2007. A fully illustrated catalogue, written by Robert Go with foreword by Tasneem Salam, will accompany the exhibition.