Yolanda del Amo: Archipelago

Yolanda del Amo–Archipelago
Exhibition Dates: November 1–December 22, 2010
Gallery Reception: November 4, 5:00–7:00pm

Powerful forces deep below the surface of the earth form archipelagos, which are chains or clusters of individual islands. In her series Archipelago, artist Yolanda del Amo depicts the powerful forces between people—their conflicting needs for intimacy and connection, independence and individuality. In Archipelago, these competing needs seem to have reached a peaceful if temporary stasis. These beautiful images show people who, although in the presence of another, appear surrounded on all sides not by water but by silence.

Del Amo leaves the relationships of her subjects to each other deliberately vague, which makes her images all the more universal and compelling. Each photograph represents a fragile time in any relationship when two people—whether they are mother and son, husband and wife, or simply friends—momentarily live alone, together.

Archipelago will be accompanied by a 48-page exhibition catalogue, Contact Sheet 159, featuring thirty-eight color reproductions of del Amo’s work. Contact Sheet 159 will be published in November 2010. del Amo’s image Edith, Juan will be featured in Light Work’s 2010 Fine Print Program, also available in November 2010.

Del Amo was born in Madrid. She received a BS and MS in mathematics from the Universität zu Köln in Cologne, Germany, and an MFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in numerous venues, including the National Portrait Gallery both in London and in Washington, DC; the Instituto Cervantes, New York City; Hudson Franklin Gallery, New York City, Barbara Walters Gallery at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York; the Centro de Cultura Contemporánea in Barcelona, Spain; and the Palais de Glace in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Del Amo was a resident fellow at the Spanish Academy in Rome in 2010, and previous residences include Light Work; the Terra Foundation for American Art in Giverny, France; and the Lower Manhattan Culture Council in New York City. She is currently an assistant professor of photography at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Also on view at this time is the Light Work Grants in Photography exhibition, featuring photographs by 2010 grant recipients Yasser Aggour, Ron Jude, and Lida Suchy. Gallery hours for these exhibitions are Sunday to Friday, 10am–6pm, and by appointment. To schedule an appointment, please call 315-443-1300. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Paid parking is available in the Marion Parking Lot and Booth Garage.

Light Work invites groups and individuals to schedule tours and gallery talks of the exhibition and facility. Light Work is a non-profit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. Light Work is a member of CMAC, the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers at Syracuse University.

For more information, please contact Jessica Heckman at Light Work, 315-443-1300 or jhheckma@syr.edu.