The Sleepless, Small Hours
by Joe Winhusen
The photographs in this show occupy a nocturnal space somewhere between nature and dream. They constitute a sleepwalk through some of the secret, intimate moments in the nighttime hiddenness of vulnerable creatures. You will find creatures including a mouse, spider, Painted Lady Caterpillar, or Carpenter Bee. They are within scenes that include plants such as Valerian, red chard, ivy, or Osage Oranges. Illuminated by an intense chiaroscuro, the fragility and beauty of the unguarded soul come to light. These eco-scenes create a strong and dramatic mood that will truly captivate your creative mind.
Some of these images also illustrate "C.S. Rafinesque: A Field Guide" by Joe's brother Steve Winhusen which grew from a fascination with nature illustration. It presents poems around Rafinesque, an early 19th Century French polymath who invented himself in the American Wilderness as a professor of medicine and natural philosophy. An early advocate of “evolution,” Rafinesque’s work would later prove useful to Darwin in his “On the Origin of Species”. Among his many interests, systematic taxonomy was central to his achievements. Many of the poems play with the idea of nomenclature, or “naming,” as it defines real-world traits inherent to species and simultaneously delineates differences among them. They likewise question the simulacrum of order we artificially create to define our world and ourselves.
The book will be available by July.
Open April 2nd - July 29th, 2022
Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm and Saturday*, 9:00am - 1:00pm
*Closed Saturday Independence Day Weekend.