From Feb. 27 to April 10, the Beard and Weil Galleries in Watson Fine Arts are hosting the “2015 Wheaton Biennial: Photography Beyond the Frame.” The exhibition features the innovative works of many modern American artists who transcend the limits of photography by using various media outlets. Showcasing various artworks with vibrant colors and interesting lighting effects, the galleries cover a range of subjects including portraits, places, scenery, objects and even designs.
Gary Wahl depicts winter weather from inside the comfort of his home, seen through his eyes. The cropped, circular shape images combined with the color effects echo characteristics of Chinese landscape paintings and provide a sense of peace and security.
Erin Kyle Danna’s work with El Raval, Barcelona’s Chinatown, reveals the complexities of the neighborhood. She captures the small, gritty details that make up its streets and the interesting textures of her surroundings, presenting them in their raw form in order to capture the neighborhood’s essence.
Similarly, Chad Joiner’s art reflects the culture and history of desolate locations throughout the country, expressing their palpable loneliness and isolation.
Jennifer Liston Munson combines print and oil-based images to give her photographs the qualities of a painting. She experiments with line, color and space, thus creating feelings of concreteness-abstractness, as her work crosses over from photography into something more.
Ed Grant also merges painting with photography, albeit in a completely different way. Through lighting and color, he evokes texture and depth in his artworks and gives them the effect of movement.
Laura Wulf goes beyond traditional photography by creating designs using solid colors, shapes and scratched lines against a dark background.
Through various techniques, the artists express a variety of sentiments and provide viewers with insights and deeper connections to their subjects. The multiple media that they use give their photographs a sense of abstraction, thereby leaving room for limitless interpretations of “beyond the frame.”