EXHIBITS

Frank C. Grace finds beauty in an unsolved mystery; searching in the weird and creepy, in the local legends, and in historic locations that tell their own distinct story. ‘Finding Beauty in the Dissonance’ offers to reveal the hidden spectacle where others might not expect to find it — in utterly dilapidated buildings and all things left behind. No matter what Grace photographs, he aims for the final image to tell a story. To attempt to take one look deeper at a scene and wonder: What happened here? Why was it all just left behind? Who used to live here?

“All these abandoned places have an impact on me when I am there with my camera. I take a look around and soak it all in. These places have a story to tell so I intently listen with all my senses. The light, atmosphere, smell, colors and sounds, etc. I use a variety of different digital editing to convey what I felt while at these places. My aim is to uncover details and clues that are revealed in each scene so that the viewer gets transported.”

‘Finding Beauty in the Dissonance’ pieces range from places where the story may be obvious, such as Chernobyl, to the not so obvious abandoned hotels, churches, and reportedly historically haunted spots. It aims to savor the beauty in the dissonance through Grace’s lens — a unique perspective put forward of the places humans left behind. Juxtaposing decay and growth, in which nature’s reclamations are left visible between cracked concrete and broken walls, with wide angles and tessellations of the seemingly mundane.

Mark Porter was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, but is based in Brooklyn, where he has established a studio that merges sculpture, installation, and innovative construction techniques across mediums. Trained in classical sculpture, Mark worked as Boaz Vaadia’s assistant, finding a great affinity in the artist’s use of space and the natural environment in his sculptures.

While Mark does not deliberately court controversy, his combination of the beautiful and the disturbing rendered with a precise technique and modern mindset can lead the casual observer to mistake him for a provocateur. The greater narrative in this work, however, relates to an understanding of the truth that is revealed in the interaction between materials, form, and gesture. In this revelation, strength may be cast in disposable plastics while fragile subtle elements are embodied in steel.