Snapshots of India on display
By Casey Gillis on Oct. 24, 2007
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Jerry Carney has a unique connection with the subjects in his photography.
“I think it’s very much there in the faces of the people (he photographs),” said Kathy Cudlin, Central Virginia Community College’s (CVCC) curator. “He wouldn’t be able (to capture scenes) as sensitive and as beautiful as he does if he didn’t have a respect and admiration — a connection — with them.”
Forty of Carney’s photographs will be on display through Oct. 30 in CVCC’s Merritt Hall Gallery, and an opening reception is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.
Carney has been a professor of South Asian Religions at Hampden-Sydney College since 1982, and his focus has been on Hindu devotional traditions in the city of Vrindaban, a pilgrimage center located about 100 miles south of New Delhi.
During his frequent trips to Vrindaban, Carney has documented the religious life of the people there.
“There is a fundamental difference between being a tourist and a pilgrim, and these images reflect my shared journey with people I have come to know and love,” Carney said in a recent press release. “In India, I try to keep my eyes open. There’s so much more to see, so many layers of life.”
His photographs include images of people in formal temple settings, as well as less structured sites along the river Yamuna, one of India’s great rivers. He also photographed daily practices at Keshi Ghat, the most popular bathing sight in Vrindaban.
“He cares very much about the art of photography as well,” Cudlin said. “It’s more than just documentary photography. Jerry’s a fine artist. It’s the very best of what photography can be.”
CVCC rotates out new exhibits every month. The next one is a two-man show scheduled to run throughout November and December, with an opening reception the second Friday in November. It features the paintings of John Black and Roger Elliott, retired members of CVCC’s art faculty.
IF YOU’RE GOING:
WHAT: ‘Seeing India: Landscapes of the Sacred and the Heart’ opening reception
WHEN: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday (exhibit stays up until Oct. 30)
WHERE: Central Virginia Community College’s Merritt Hall Gallery
INFO: (434) 832-7609
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