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Suspicious Minds: |
Special message from Chief Curator Dennis Kiel I am often asked, "What makes a surrealist photo different or harder to look at Hear the Chief Curator's podcast to learn more. |
Suspicious Minds Programming
“Dreams in Motion” Suspicious Minds Film Series
Throughout history, filmmakers have put their subconscious examinations onscreen, leaving the audience to decide their meaning. “Dreams in Motion” features three films written and directed by Suspicious Minds. Click here for more information.
Curator Statement by Dennis Kiel
Surreal – literal translation “above real;” ADJ – having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic.
Surrealism was an artistic movement that began in Europe after World War I in reaction to the insanity and brutality of that conflict. Surrealists sought to make art that was shocking and unorthodox, that usurped the traditional notions of artistic representation. Although there is some debate when and if Surrealism as an organized movement officially ended, many art historians feel the death of André Breton, its original leader, effectively disbanded the movement in 1966.
Nevertheless, many artists and photographers continued to incorporate surrealist ideas on a more personal level into their work throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st. Today, there are new artists who are exploring their desires to embrace the unknown depths of the subconscious, fantastic and mysterious, in a philosophical and visual way.
The word “surrealism” can mean many different things to many people. Suspicious Minds features five artists who have taken unique directions and creative approaches to surrealist imagery today, including new work by Jerry Uelsmann (a major practitioner of surreal photog¬raphy dating back to the late 1960s). Other featured artists are Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison (environmental and political), Tom Chambers (fragility of life), Joel Whitaker (reinventing the family snapshot), and Malena Bergmann (spiritual).
