'Faces of Love' is a joint exhibition that combines black-and-white photographs from two books in progress, one by American photographer, Shana Dressler and the other by Italian photographer, Helen Giovanello. It consists of two emotionally charged photographic journeys of universal themes illustrated through 46 images in both square and rectangular format (20'x 24' and 20'x 20').
New York University - Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò to host 'Faces of Love'
by Shana Dressler and Helen Giovanello, January 22 to February 13, 2004
"Faces of Love", a photographic exhibition by Shana Dressler and Helen
Giovanello will be on display at New York University's Casa Italiana
Zerilli-Marimò, 24 West 12th Street, from January 22 to February 13,
2004. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
'Faces of Love' is a joint exhibition that combines black-and-white
photographs from two books in progress, one by American photographer, Shana
Dressler and the other by Italian photographer, Helen Giovanello. It
consists of two emotionally charged photographic journeys of universal
themes illustrated through 46 images in both square and rectangular format
(20'x 24' and 20'x 20').
If Only It Were Love, by Shana Dressler, was born out of her need to
process the complex feelings that resulted from an unrequited love affair
with an Italian underwater photographer during the early1990s. In 1999, she
returned to Rome to create images of her story as she wished it had
unfolded. Her wistful depictions of couple-hood dissolve into visions of
solitary self-sufficiency. Together, the two projects create a poignant and
delicate counterpoint of fantasy and reality; love and not-quite-love;
losing and finding; death and rebirth. Ms. Giovanello's book, I Love You,
narrates the relationship between Helen and her African-American fiancée,
Rama, who died of cancer in 2001. Her work is stark and frank in its
portrayal of love amidst the daily march of loss.
Shana Dressler's career as a photographer has spanned a wide range of forms
from stills to video to multimedia. From 1998 to 2000 she worked on a
project entitled, 'The Spirit That Runs Through the Holy Tabernacle Church'
about spiritual experience in a Pentecostal church in Harlem. In 2000, she
directed and co-produced 'Can't Wait ‘Til Sunday,' a ten minute documentary
which profiled of the church's pastor, Carl Graham. It was filmed on the
last night of Pastor Graham's 30-year career as a mechanic for the United
States Postal Service. Shana's other photographic projects include
photographing Orisha dancers in Havana, Cuba and Bahia, Brazil; the Ganesh
Festival in Bombay, India; and the annual tribal costume competition in
Papua New Guinea.
Helen Giovanello, an Italian photographer based in New York, has
distinguished herself with her strong bodies of work as a photojournalist
and documentary photographer. She has exhibited work from several projects
including: 'Kurdish Refugees', 'Chris and Wayne' which told the story of a
homeless couple and was selected for the Biennial of Photography in Turin
in 1999; and 'Boxers in Ghana' a body of work produced while documenting
the life in Ussher Town, Ghana. Helen works regularly as a photographer and
journalist for the Italian magazines Anna, Donna Moderna, Max, Donna di
Repubblica, Elle, L'Espresso and other European publications. She has also
collaborated with humanitarian organizations such as Doctors of the World.
Gallery hours are
Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. For further information the public may
call 212-998-8739 or visit
http://www.faces-of-love.com.
An opening reception for the exhibition will take
place on Thursday, January 22, from 6:30-8:30 pm. The exhibit and presented
in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institue of New York and, Denis
Curti, and is sponsored by Alitalia, and Nielsen & Bainbridge.
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo'
New York University
24 West 12th Street
New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212) 998-3862
Fax: (212) 995-4012