July 2nd through August 1st, 2010

Opening Reception: Friday, July 2nd 6-9pm

Photographers selected for the 6th Annual Juried Exhibition:

Steven Beckly
Alexander Harding
Dave Jordano
Jordanna Kalman
Andrea Land
Anna Landa
Rania Matar
Meredith Miller
Karen Miranda Rivadeneira
Donna J. Wan
Charles Rozier

This year's exhibition was curated by Darren Ching, owner of Klompching Gallery
in New York City. From close to 300 entries and approximately 1,500 individual images, Mr. Ching selected these 11 photographers. In addition, Andrea Land has been selected for a solo exhibition at the Center in 2011.

Jurors' Statement:

The challenge with curating the Newspace Center of Photography's 6th Annual Juried Exhibition, was not having a preconceived concept for the show and to allow the theme itself to emerge from the strongest photographs submitted.

Despite the comprehensive range of visual strategies employed, what materialized from the 1,500+ images submitted, appeared to be a pre-occupation with the way in which surroundings define-even embody-the notion of refuge. This notion of shelter, of sanctuary, became the curatorial concept by which final selections were made. What results is an exhibition from eleven photographers that could be seen to be emblematic of contemporary photography, exploring subjects such as vulnerability, nostalgia, intimacy and privacy.

For example, in Rania Matar's candid portraits of girls, each of their uniquely occupied bedrooms become an equal focal point, of the transition from girlhood to womanhood, as the girls themselves. In Dave Jordano's homage to rural Illinois, he documents the idiosyncratic qualities of the landscape and architecture, which provides a reassuring containment of familiarity for the people who live there. With Alexander Harding's photographs of domestic interiors, illuminated by brilliant swatches of light, a surreal comfort is imposed onto an otherwise banal scene. Anna Landa's portraits are subtle meditative glimpses of people, in a state of transition, yet quietly shielded.

In keeping with this overarching concept, the 2011 solo exhibition at the Newspace Center of Photography has been awarded to Andrea Land. Her portraits of young girls bring to life more than the physical protection of their rooms, they evoke the subjects' imaginations at play in a subtle wonderland of invention.

-Darren Ching
Klompching Gallery, New York