Equus, Protea © Ann Tomczak 
Solitaire ©Ann Tomczak
Sanctuary is defined as a consecrated place, a place of refuge
and protection. Artist-photographer Anna Tomczak considers her
studio her sanctuary and an influence on her large body of work.
Sanctuary: Anna Tomczak Photography, a traveling exhibition
organized by the Museum of Florida Art and Polaroid with support
from the Land Fund, is featured in the Main Gallery at the Griffin
Museum September 11 through November 2.
The exhibit presents artistic impressions of iconic treasures
Tomczak has collected over the years. The large-format photographs
are Polaroid image transfers created with Polaroid's rare 20-x-24
cameras located in New York, San Francisco, Prague, and on occasion,
Tomczak's own studio.
"My collection of old manuscripts and other unique treasurers
are discovered by searching antique markets," Tomczak says. "Each
object holds a different meaning, symbolic reference, or spiritual
influence for both me as the artist and for the viewer who interprets
my art."
And, she says, "The Polaroid large-format 20-x-24 transfer process
lends a tactile quality to the photo imagery and creates a one-of-a-kind
work on paper. Through the transfer process, dyes from the negative
are infused into Arches or Fabriano papers."
Barbara Hitchcock, Polaroid's director of cultural affairs and
curator of the Polaroid Collections, curated the Sanctuary exhibition
and edited its accompanying book.
"Anna Tomczak's photographs are beautiful, yet they are
heavily layered with ideas, histories, remembrances, and emotion,"
says Hitchcock. "She delves into hidden places in her psyche
to resurrect and interpret what is captured there, using it to
reenergize souvenirs of past lives."
"Tomczak's photographs are kin to a kind of still life painting
that became popular in the 17th century in Northern Europe called
vanitas," says Paula Tognarelli, executive director of the Griffin
Museum of Photography. "In vanitas style, each photograph is
filled with symbolic objects like fallen flower petals, bubbles,
or musical instruments. Each scene is a celebration of life's
beauty tempered with a reminder of its fleeting nature. One could
get lost in Tomczak's photographs. Reading each photograph is
a long cool drink for the imagination."
Tomczak, of Lake Helen, Florida, studied theater arts and film
at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MFA in fine art
photography from the University of Florida. She fosters artistic
development by teaching workshops in Florida, and at universities,
museums, and studios in the United States, Italy, and Spain.
Her fine art images are included in the Polaroid Collections.
Her images have also enhanced eight book covers and been showcased
in many publications and exhibits. Her work can be seen at www.annatomczak.com.
An opening reception for Sanctuary, with the artist,
is September 11, 7-8:30 p.m. It is open to all. Please RSVP by
September 4.
A two-day bookmaking workshop with Tomczak is September 12,
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and September 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fee is
$50 for Griffin Museum members, $90 for nonmembers, with a $10
material fee for all. Space is limited. Please RSVP by September
4.
A collaborative dialogue with artist Anna Tomczak, curator Barbara
Hitchcock, and the audience is September 14, 7 p.m. Admission
is free for members and fulltime students with a valid ID; $7
for nonmembers. Please RSVP by September 4. |
