This month, Wilkes’ Sordoni Art Gallery will open two new shows including a show with a deeply personal subject matter. Why Am I Sad? by Dana Stirling runs from March 24 through May 17. This photography exhibition explores the themes of depression and the immigrant experience. On Thursday, March 26, at 5 p.m., Stirling will host an Art in Context Lecture at the gallery. A reception with an open bar will follow. This event is open to both students and the public.
Dana Stirling is an Israeli-American photographer. Her work has appeared in numerous galleries in the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel. In addition, The Guardian, Buzzfeed News, and many other publications have featured her work. Dana Stirling and Yoav Friedlander co-founded Float Photo Magazine in 2014 and Stirling serves as its editor-in-chief. Friedlander also co-founded the Rust Belt Biennial- a photography show that features artists from the United States’ Rust Belt. (The deindustrialized Rust Belt region includes Pennsylvania and much of the Midwest). Wilkes’ Sordoni Gallery hosted the first Rust Belt Biennial exhibition back in 2019.
On her website, Stirling reveals the inspiration behind Why Am I Sad?: “Growing up back in a small town in Israel, I spent most of my time inside my room. I felt alone both outside those walls and inside of them.” Stirling explains that she had a difficult childhood and that her mother was clinically depressed. Alone in her room, still life photography became an important outlet for self-expression. The artist observes, “Photography allowed me to take my inner dialogue and bring it out by using still life as my personal coded language.”
Stirling struggles with depression herself. Why Am I Sad? examines her complex relationship with mental health. Images include abandoned toys, wilting flowers and rural landscapes. Several photos ironically contain yellow ‘smiley faces.’ Many viewers may relate to the loneliness and melancholy expressed in these pieces. Others may simply appreciate their quiet beauty and simplicity.
The other new exhibit will be taking place along the same time as Why Am I Sad? From March 24- May 17. This show is called Formal/Informal: Innovations in Portraiture which examines the evolution of portraits in terms of cultural and artistic context. The exhibit is curated by the Syracuse University Art Museum.
These portraits, going back into the 19th century, contrasts traditional modeled portraits with the formal and informal views of the modeled subject. The result of this collection is meant to embrace the variety of emotions humans can feel from being captured on a portrait which tells the story of society and the human condition as a whole.