Alice's adventures focus of Silver Eye
PITTSBURGH — Silver Eye Center for Photography is showing exhibitions by Maggie Taylor and Abelardo Morell, each highlighting a singular reinterpretation of the 150-year-old story of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
The first exhibit, "These Strange Adventures: The Art of Maggie Taylor" is on display through Aug. 21 at the Silver Eye Center, 1015 E. Carson St. on the South Side.
Taylor first exhibited her work at Silver Eye in 1995 and now is internationally recognized as one of the most inventive artists working with digital imaging processes.
This exhibition features 40 of Taylor's photo montages created from 2003 to 2009. The centerpiece is a selection of 23 works from "Almost Alice: New Illustrations of Wonderland," a three-year project published by Modernbook Editions in 2008.
Starting with objects she finds on eBay or in flea markets such as old Victorian photographic portraits, Taylor scans and assembles a single image from dozens of layers.
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Photographs by Abelardo Morell" continues through June 25 at the 709 Penn Gallery downtown as part of the 51st annual Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Morell's 15 images rethinking the Lewis Carroll classic precede Maggie Taylor's series by a decade.
To make his images, Morell created paper cut-outs from the original Sir John Tenniel illustrations to the book and then arranged the figures into carefully constructed scenarios. These mis-scenes were then photographed from a variety of often disorienting perspectives with a large format view camera.
Admission to both is free. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Hours will be extended during the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Friday to June 13. Visit www.pgharts.org for more information.
