Dog Days Bogotá by Alec SothSeptember 9 - November 28, 2009
Stephen D. Paine GalleryMassachusetts College of Art + Design
Boston, MA
Reception: Thursday, October 1, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Artist Lecture: Monday, October 26, 6:00 PM
In 2002
Alec Soth traveled with his wife to Bogotá, Colombia to adopt a baby girl, Carmen. Carmen's birthmother gave her a scrapbook book with this note; "When I think about you I hope that your life is full of beautiful things." Taking this message to heart Soth set out to capture the city during the two months it took the courts to process the paperwork. As in his other series,
Sleeping By the Mississippi and
NIAGARA, beauty makes itself apparent through ramshackle architecture, the companionship of animals, and the complexities of human relationships. Because of the very personal nature of this journey,
Dog Days Bogotá is both poetic and haunting, he says, "I wanted to share my honest impressions, including my fears." Soth has exhibitions on view this fall at the
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, the
Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown, and in 2010 at the
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. This exhibition was organized by
Magnum Photos. (excerpt MassArt press release)