Long Afternoon shows quiet drama

Long Afternoon is a show of Celeste Nelms’ moody photographic portraits and Carolyn Swiszcz’s strangely chic paintings.

This show brings together two artists whose work deals with loss and place. Nelms interacts with objects from second-hand stores. Nelms is always in the photo and communicates with the objects in completely unexpected ways.

Carolyn Swiszcz’s paintings are all of New Bedford ,Massachusetts, the small town she grew up in. Swiszcz has ingeniously displayed the paintings of buildings and cars in a panoramic map similar to their positioning in town.

There is a similar feel of sadness and abandonment in both Nelms’ photos and Swiszcz’s paintings. The quiet drama of these two artists is complemented by their subtle, underlying wit.

Swiszcz’s slightly naive realism is breathtaking. The portraits of this small town, once one of the richest cities in America, now in decay, are eerily familiar. The paintings are arranged like a map of the city and placed on pastel green and yellow square patches of color. Swiszcz’s work is not traditionally painted, or traditionally hung.

Swiszcz’s paintings are all on paper or board. The work is placed high up, sitting on the floor, or butting up against each other. The completed ensemble is a type of mural that practically jumps out at you. Swiszcz’s paintings are mostly of buildings from what could be any economically depressed town in the country. Portraits of “The Surrey Shoppe,” a pizzeria, a printing shop, etc. are all painted with a cool detachment. Swiszcz is merely stating facts, recording the landscape. Swiszcz’s palette is comprised of muted colors mostly with a few garish bright ones, all reminiscent of the ’60s and ’70s.

There is a peaceful, loving, yet desolate, feeling to Swiszcz’s paintings.
Celeste Nelms’ work begins with her finding an object that has been discarded. She goes hunting in places like garage sales or the Goodwill. Nelms then stages unusual ways to interact with the object. When the stage is set she photographs herself in the setting. In “Leaf Blower,” we see a broken rocking horse, lying in front of a doghouse, with Celeste squatting peculiarly far off in the distance. The title tells us that she is blowing leaves. Nelms’ work is mysterious, the allure is that maybe you will understand the whole story if you pay attention. Her photos encourage you to use imagination. The story may be in what is not said.

The photo of Nelms at the end of the dock waving has a beautiful longing feel to it. The funny twist to this is that there are three seashells in the foreground with price tags of $1.00 and 50 cents on them.

Another lovely photograph, suggestive of early Flemish paintings shows Nelms leaning against an apple tree, filling a wig with apples. She holds the wig/bowl lovingly and casts her gaze downward as if in deep thought. About what we can only imagine. The toned gelatin silver print of the photo adds to the elegant melancholy of her pose. This contrasted with the bizarre adaptation of the wig/bowl is wonderful.

Long Afternoon is the current show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program. Call 612-870-3131 for details.