Undercurrents: A Photobook Exhibition
Transformer Station
Cleveland, Ohio
October 25, 2019 – January 26, 2020
What lies beneath the surface— beneath the obvious and known? What truths are revealed upon closer inspection? Our world consists of endless undercurrents, hidden from view. This exhibition explores the invisible and often chaotic forces that shape the world around us and influence how we interpret and experience contemporary life. Featuring over 70 photobooks from around the globe, this exhibition cycles through psychological themes of intimacy, strangely familiar yet otherworldly landscapes, and puzzling urban atmospheres that oscillate between a sense of perplexing disorientation to moments of transcendence, immersed in mystery and awe.
The books chosen offer the reader a unique opportunity to reflect on our contemporary experience and resonate with the current cacophonous moment of conflicting ideas of truth, perpetual gas lighting, cultural anxiety, and climate change denial. Each is an invitation to question our engagement with fresh eyes— a friendly reminder that what you see is not always what you get.
Excerpts from Undercurrents: An Interactive Discussion was held on Saturday, January 11, 2020 where exhibition organizers Melissa Catanese and Ed Panar presented a selection of books that exemplify key themes in the exhibition followed by a Q&A with Catanese, Panar, and co-organizer Caitie Moore.
Installation photography by Jacob Koestler
