'Muslim Journeys' Art Exhibit Portrays Islamic Culture
An artistic exploration of the Islamic culture through the eyes of photographer Jeffris Elliott, titled "Muslim Journeys," will be on display at the Loveland Museum/Gallery, along with Middle Eastern textiles on loan from the Avenir Museum Collection of Fort Collins. The opening reception is 1-3 p.m. Saturday.
Elliott's photographs were taken from 2004 to 2009 and are from his collection called "Another Face of Islam," which garnered him international attention, primarily from Europe. The display is in conjunction with the Loveland Public Library's Muslim Journeys Bookshelf, a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities Bridging Cultures initiative.
"I did it after 9/11. I didn't like what I perceived to be a backlash towards that particular group of people and religion in America," Elliott said.
"I never had any desire to go to the Middle East, and I realized maybe it was a prejudice or a fear, I don't know," he said.
"It was a perfect opportunity to go face my ignorance and find out from an artistic point of view what the people in that place were like."
"His photographs are aesthetically beautiful, they're really quite lovely the way he uses black and white, the way he uses light, his framing of his composition. So it's also appreciated just for the value of them being aesthetically beautiful," said Maureen Corey, curator of art for the Loveland Museum/Gallery.
"It's a good topic. And actually, the artist said he was really interested in how things can be interpreted and misinterpreted and he also realizes that even with these 17 photographs, there's so much more to be said. These are not supposed to be a documentary, these are works of art he's creating and his own personal journey in the terms of understanding more," Corey said.
Both Elliott and Corey said his photographs were not intended as a documentary of the Muslim culture, but rather an artistic rendering of their everyday lives.
Source: Reporter Herald
"I did it after 9/11. I didn't like what I perceived to be a backlash towards that particular group of people and religion in America," Elliott said.
"I never had any desire to go to the Middle East, and I realized maybe it was a prejudice or a fear, I don't know," he said.
"It was a perfect opportunity to go face my ignorance and find out from an artistic point of view what the people in that place were like."
"His photographs are aesthetically beautiful, they're really quite lovely the way he uses black and white, the way he uses light, his framing of his composition. So it's also appreciated just for the value of them being aesthetically beautiful," said Maureen Corey, curator of art for the Loveland Museum/Gallery.
"It's a good topic. And actually, the artist said he was really interested in how things can be interpreted and misinterpreted and he also realizes that even with these 17 photographs, there's so much more to be said. These are not supposed to be a documentary, these are works of art he's creating and his own personal journey in the terms of understanding more," Corey said.
Both Elliott and Corey said his photographs were not intended as a documentary of the Muslim culture, but rather an artistic rendering of their everyday lives.
Source: Reporter Herald
