Prior to the opening of the Residual Reality exhibition, I was a little apprehensive about going into detail about how I felt about it. Given the name “Residual Reality,” I didn’t know how well I would be able to comprehend the meanings and purposes of the photographs, much less form a positive opinion of them, as it generally takes me a little longer to interpret art. However, I was proven wrong. As I stepped into the gallery, I was immediately brought into a different perspective. I started to understand some of the meanings, and appreciate the work the artists had to go through in order to create such ornate and creative pieces.

Patrick Nagatani’s tape-ist works immediately took my attention. My initial thought was that he just took a previous photograph and then covered it with tape, a sort of minimalist approach. However, as I looked closer, it revealed the intricacies and each little bit of work that Mr. Nagatani had to endure in order to create such a piece. I was blown away. I actually had a chance to speak to Mr. Nagatani for a short time at the exhibit opening and if I hadn’t been introduced, I may have taken him for a regular guy enjoying the exhibit. Speaking with him, he was so modest and humble, it was astounding. I thought this was particularly interesting. A second part of the exhibit that I particularly enjoyed was Ken Josephson’s work with postcards. I think it was such a unique, interesting, and appealing form of art. It was great how he took bits of what everyone sees in postcards, and places them in his own photos.

Overall, I felt like the Residual Reality gallery sort of opened my eyes in terms of interpreting photography. Because of what I learned about the artists and their respective works, I feel like I was better off making my own interpretations after gaining a little bit of knowledge about it beforehand. Great exhibition!