‘Witness:’ images exhibition marks 5 years since onset of the pandemic

RIVER FALLS – The University of Wisconsin–River Falls is presenting “Witness,” a images exhibition reflecting on the previous 5 years because the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, by means of Oct. 3 in Gallery 101 in Kleinpell Fine Arts, 420 E. Cascade Ave. Regular gallery hours are Monday by means of Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. A public reception can be held Friday, Sept. 19, from 4-6 p.m.

“Witness” is co-curated by school members Brett Kallusky and Souzeina Mushtaq. The exhibition brings collectively members of FotoMatter, a Minnesota-based collective of artists working with images, set up, e book arts and time-based media, to replicate on the defining moments because the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition invitations audiences to think about images as each a method of reminiscence and testimony, recording the isolation of lockdowns, the resilience of communities and the worldwide requires racial justice.

“This show is about holding space for images that remind us of what we have lived through and what we continue to carry,” Kallusky stated. “Photographs don’t just document events, they ask us to stay present with them.”

Inspired by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s ” Memory for Forgetfulness,” the exhibition explores what it means to protect reality and human expertise in occasions of upheaval. Through photographs that talk to loss, endurance and renewal, “Witness” creates a shared house to watch, bear in mind and carry these tales ahead. Themes explored embody life in the course of the pandemic, acts of care and group, actions for justice and fairness, seen disparities in well being and alternative and moments of hope, therapeutic and transformation.

“Artists and storytellers help us see what might otherwise fade,” Mushtaq stated. “‘Witness’ is about refusing to let these years slip quietly into the past. It is about remembering together.”

This marks the second collaboration between Kallusky and Mushtaq, who labored collectively on an exhibition titled “On the River” in fall 2024. The exhibition is free and open to the general public.

For extra data, please contact Brett Kallusky at brett.kallusky@uwrf.edu.

Submitted by UW-River Falls