Lonely Among Us

Natalie Brescia, Scott Offen, and Yulia Spiridonova: Lonely Among Us
 
May 18 - June 15, 2024
 
Opening Reception May 23rd, 6pm to 9pm
 
Benrubi Gallery is delighted to announce "Lonely Among Us," a group exhibition showcasing the works of emerging artists Natalie Brescia, Scott Offen, and Yulia Spiridonova.
 
“Lonely Among Us'' explores the multifaceted experience of photographic subjectivity, unveiling how Brescia, Offen, and Spiridonova interpret and convey diverse narratives through their work. Each artist explores a variety of possibilities for visual storytelling, inhabiting the intersection between documentary and fiction. Brescia’s work is in dialogue with the traditional photographic visual language of the American West and seeks to find new ways in which to see and interpret the landscape. Working collaboratively with his wife, Offen immerses viewers in a fictional world situated against the backdrop of rural New England. His over seven year project explores topics of mysticism, character creation, and the relationship between an environment and its inhabitants. Spiridonova's photographs portray the Russian community in Boston depicting themes of displacement, assimilation, effects of war, and fear of political retaliation. The exhibition will present the thesis work of all three photographers who completed the Master of Fine Arts program in Photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design this Spring.
Brescia (b. 1994) is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of photography, handmade books, and installation. Born and raised on the Central Coast of California, Brescia’s artistic research is based on the mythos of the western landscape, exploring the concept of land as a container for personal and collective history, gesture, vulnerability, and associated memory. Brescia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Offen (b. 1960) is an American East Coast photographer whose work has been exhibited across the United States and prominently featured online. Scott holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He was selected as a finalist for the Critical Mass top 200 Photolucida award in 2021 and has been chosen as a participant in the Chico Hot Springs Portfolio Review in 2020 and 2021.
Spiridonova (b. 1986) is a contemporary artist working primarily with photography, collage, and installation. Born in Moscow, Russia, in 1986, she currently resides and works in Boston, Massachusetts. Her art has been exhibited in Russia, the United States, and various countries across Europe. Yulia holds an undergraduate degree from Moscow State University (2008) and a post-baccalaureate certificate from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2014) and a Master of Fine Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2024).
For press and other inquiries, please email: info@benrubigallery.com
 
ARTIST STATEMENTS
 
Scott Offen
 
Hidden Grace is a semi-fictional portrait of an elusive older woman who inhabits an unfamiliar
world. She exists in fragments, shadows, and patterns. The mysterious wilderness, of which she
is a part, is as inscrutable as she. Neither are fully accessible to the viewer. She has ventured
from the ordinary world to live in ways unavailable here. We cannot follow her idiosyncratic
path. We can only admire her courage. This collaborative body of work was created over seven years, during an ongoing forty-three-year relationship. While performative, these images reflect the wildernesses, quests we have traveled together, and the eccentricities between narrative, location and our personal relationship.
 
 
Yulia Spiridonova
 
Unseen Presence: Homeland Hues chronicles the upheaval caused by the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. This conflict has prompted many dissidents to flee the country in order to evade persecution. Amidst this turmoil, I seek solace in rebuilding my community through photographing members of the Russian diaspora in Boston, capturing their experiences and struggles in neutral settings. The narrative depicts the challenges faced by Russian expatriates, including visa issues, financial instability, and the constant fear of conscription or imprisonment. Drawing parallels to historical instances of repression, I highlight the enduring struggle of Russian immigrants to conceal their identity and navigate life in exile. The work serves as a visual exploration of the Russian community’s presence and resilience amidst adversity.
 
 
Natalie  Brescia
 
Overlook explores the concept of land as a container for personal and collective history, gesture, vulnerability, and associated memory. Photography and lens-based media have been instrumental in shaping the idealized and romanticized perception of the American West. These images imposed a rational order on nature, propagating a belief that if a photograph could capture the vastness of the American landscape, so could humans. I employ the photographic medium to emulate historical practices and disrupt the conventional relationship between the body and the land, questioning the very act of photographing the landscape.
 
This disruption of the body’s relationship to the landscape begins in the act of creating an exposure. While these photographs may appear as if they were created through collage or digital manipulation, they were made with multiple exposures in-camera. Equipped with a waist-level viewfinder, the medium format film camera used for this project choreographs the way in which I create an exposure, by bending over backward. This movement signifies a subversion of historical photographic norms, highlights my vulnerability within the space, and acknowledges the vulnerability of the environment.