Just as Diagon Alley blends into its surroundings, so does the Howard Yezerski Gallery on Newbury Street. Situated between Akris and Juicy Couture, this two-room gallery introduces a world radically and magically different from the commercial and material world of Newbury. The stunning photographs of teenagers in classrooms and on the streets of Harlem reflect the humanism absent from the mega-shopping district surrounding the gallery.
"Dawoud Bey: Pictures 1975-2005" is a panoramic view of Bey's career as a photographer specializing in portraiture. A graduate of Yale University School of Art, Bey has been active in the art scene since the late 1970s. He is a prolific artist who has had exhibits in the Chicago Institute of Art and Addison Gallery of American Art among many other galleries.
From the beginning of his career, Bey has been snapping portraits of everyday people. The subjects always make eye contact with the camera lens, connecting directly and almost eerily with the viewer. "Eyes are the window to the soul" is a cliché phrase, yet it rings true for each picture in the show.
The lens is sharply focused on the subject and the background violently blurred. Sitting in the gallery, the viewer can physically feel the eyes of the portraits boring out of the photographs. His style is reminiscent of Richard Avedon, who took photos when his subjects were relaxed, vulnerable and not posed.
One of Bey's most recent series is "Class Pictures" (2003), composed of photographs taken in a school of teenage students. The gallery has chosen six of the 30-by-40-inch color prints to display. Each picture is accompanied by a short reflection by the subject about his or her life. The wall texts on which teenagers pour out their souls allows the subjects a voice in a world where adolescents are rarely heard. The color prints are filled with expressions of pain, vulnerability and insecurity.
The most striking photograph is "Sarah." She sits up straight and poised, but her eyes betray her true feelings. Despite her rigid body language, Sarah's eyes speak of fear while striving to be calm and mature at the same time. The viewer is moved by her quiet fierceness and silently cheers her on.
The wall text continues the dialogue between Sarah and the viewer. It speaks of her fears about college applications and revealing her Iranian heritage. As the viewer, you are reminded about your own college application process, or your own identity misgivings, and you understand Sarah's emotions.
On one wall are two photographs from Bey's 2003 "Watsonville Series," titled "Sandra" and "Rafael and Juliana." Side by side, the photographs provide a sharp and poignant contrast to each other.
"Sandra," on the left, depicts a girl of Asian descent in her early 20s standing outside on a cloudy day. Her physical beauty - with pin-straight hair, high cheek bones, full red lips and dark wide eyes - is arresting. However, she has wrapped her body in a plaid fleece with her hands clutching it around her, as if she were freezing. Sandra seems to be impenetrable, challenging anyone who looks at her. Behind her defiant fa?§ade, the viewer can detect a sense of fear.
To the right of "Sandra" hangs "Rafael and Juliana," a young Latino couple. Unlike Sandra, Juliana is not physically beautiful. In fact, she is overly made-up with almost non-existent eyebrows, black liquid eyeliner paired with white eye shadow, lip liner and overly dyed roots growing out. Sandra is fierce yet fearful; Juliana is satisfied and stands smugly. Rafael protectively has his arms around her and they both seem to say, "We rely on each other. We are not alone." Their sense of security in each other is comforting.
Selections from Bey's "Street Portraits Series" also decorate the walls with their jaunty vivaciousness of a young couple in love, a little boy eating a Popsicle and another young boy posing near a wall. Consistent with his style, Bey makes sure that each subject connects with the viewer through the eyes.
In the superficial shopping world, Bey's exhibit provides a welcomed breather. It is the perfect respite, allowing you to connect with other people as well as appealing to your own vulnerability about anything from relationships to college applications.
