By Paul Blazevich
The Daily Cardinal
I walked into a world of black and white upon entering “From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America.” The monochrome photographs that graced the first few walls of the gallery in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, or MMoCA, were taken in the mid-1990s—the beginning of this exhibit spanning fifteen years. I then traveled chronologically through time, and artistic style, as Soth showed me his version of Middle America: an America that is not usually seen; an America with which I am not familiar.
Soth is a prominent American photographer, born and raised in Minnesota. Throughout his career, most of Soth’s subjects have been the homegrown, modest inhabitants of the Midwest, photographed by Soth soon after meeting spontaneously in public.
This results in a compelling dynamic between photographer and subject, producing images that would otherwise be impossible to create. Whether it is the defensive nature of “Mother and Daughter, Davenport, Iowa,” the sheer apathy of “Charles, Vasa, Minnesota” or the expansive beauty of “Falls #26,” Soth shows his uncanny ability to capture his subjects in their vast array of natural emotive landscapes.
In “From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America,” the photographer has compiled seven separate projects completed from 1995 to 2010, beginning with Soth’s early black and white photographs, moving through his famed “Sleeping by the Mississippi” and “Niagara” series, his “Lothlorien” contribution to the MMoCA-commissioned “Between the Lakes” photography series from 2006, two smaller series highlighting old Texas theaters and gothic women living in Louisiana and finally his “Broken Manual” series.
“Sleeping by the Mississippi” has been the most publicized portion of this exhibition. Featuring the heavily printed “Charles, Vasa, Minnesota” and my personal favorite from the body of work, “Peter’s Houseboat, Winona, Minnesota,” this series chronicles Soth’s lens-led journey down the Mississippi riverbed.
Soth is not driven south by a want to show his audience how different his subjects are, he is merely attempting to spotlight part of the United States that many do not often get to observe. The subjects are not treated like animals in a zoo, rather we are graciously invited into their world and allowed to spend a few moments experiencing their lifestyle. For a young adult having grown up in an urban landscape, this insight is eye-opening and enlightening.
A locally intriguing section of the exhibition is Soth’s “Lothlorien Series.” In 2006, the MMoCA commissioned artists to contribute to the “Between the Lakes: Artists Respond to Madison” series, in which each artist chose a particular area or organization in Madison to highlight. Soth, having a fascination with the liberal culture of Madison, chose to photograph the progressively thinking and acting Lothlorien cooperative, which was, until a massive fire in 2013, located on Lake Mendota.
Soth’s photographs capture the unique style of many inhabitants of the Lothlorien co-op, expressing the alternative nature in which these Madisonians live and operate. While also capturing the picturesque pier jutting out into Lake Mendota behind the co-op, this series epitomizes what makes Madison so provocative: our one-of-a-kind natural landscape and heated political atmosphere.
The most captivating series featured in “From Here to There” was the final one, “Broken Manual.” Focusing on those who have been ostracized from modern American society, “Broken Manual” unveils the lifestyle of self-proclaimed monks, hermits and others living off the grid. From living spaces built into the side of mountains to old cargo bins being used as shelter in the middle of vast, Western American forests, Soth’s subjects deconstruct our preconceptions of a normal American life.
Approaching this exhibition with a sociological perspective, you can see that Soth’s subjects are shown not simply as lower-class citizens. They are shown naturally, in a content mood and in an environment in which they are comfortable. Those who spend only seconds viewing each photograph will see an exhibition-wide portrait of lower class America; a forgotten America, full of cast-outs and unconventional lifestyles. Those who cognitively dismantle each piece will be viewing the deeper meaning of the exhibition: people who are, in themselves, pieces of art. This is an America that deserves to be shown in an art museum. An unfamiliar America. Alec Soth’s America.
“From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America” will be on view in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in the second floor gallery from Sept. 14, 2014 through Jan. 4, 2015.
