A Must-See: SF’s Newest Photographic Showcase “Uncanny Beauty”

Uncanny Beauty, the photographic show at the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts, lives up to it’s name. Deftly curated by Emmanuelle Namont, it displays a selection of works from The Bay Area Photographers Collective. Tiny moments captured in the way that only a skilled photographer can float in white space on the walls. Namont wanted to show both the diversity of this talented group. How this group of photographers found beauty in everyday scenes is what drew her in.

From Below by Nick Winkworth question the established idea of “beauty”.

“When encountering the work of the Bay Area Photographer’s Collective, I was struck by the diverse practices, from street to abstract, from landscape to documentary. The common thread was an exploration of what is beautiful today.” Namont said.

Between Two Worlds by Neo Serafimidis has a playful quality around the infinity of “watching”.

To look at each grouping of photographs is to peek into another world. These works sometimes exist in a state of parallel play as in the works of Chad Amory. Four images stagger together, two in abstraction and two with the color yellow to bind them. Each capture moments unto themselves but together they make a powerful visual statement.

Bird Man, Carnaval, by Anthony Delgado shows us a reveler in Oaxaca on the last day before the 40 day Lent Period.

Rose Borden and Maria Budner’s work strike the senses with rich black and white tones and surreal scenes. Ellen Konar in collaboration with Steve Goldband display black and white slices of trees in close up that speak to the effects of climate change. Mitch Nelles street scenes are intelligently paired so that it seems like the subject of one photograph appears to repeat in a faded sign of another.

Diptychs by Richard Dweck show images taken years apart in deep conversation with one another.

Every single artist in this show exist in a hight level of skill and thoughtfulness. Uncanny Beauty will run through October 21, 2023. If you are a photographer hoping to learn more The Harvey Milk Center for the Arts is a wonderful place to take classes and find community.

To learn more: https://sfrecpark.org/386/FIND-A-PROGRAM