The Independent Voice of the Visual Arts
NOVEMBER 1976
REVIEWS BY GRETCHEN GARNER

SELF PORTRAITS BY Mary Baber, Patty Carroll, Carole Hormel, Lialia Kuchma, Esther Parada, Carol Turchan, and Jane Wenger. (Artemisia Photo Gallery, 9 W. Hubbard, 751-2016, Closed Oct. 12th)

The newest wrinkle in co-ops is Artemisia’s photo co-op within the larger co-op. Two Artemisians, Carole Hormel and Carol Turchan, conceived the idea, and it has been realized in a smallish room within the handsome new location at 9 W. Hubbard. There are seven members in this show, but from what I gather the group may get bigger.

Choosing self-portraits as their opening statements, each woman offers a distinctly different point of view. Hormel shows toned prints of herself (NAE April ’76) and Turchan some prints from the series shown in the Personal Statements: 9 Illinois Women show (NAE Nov. ’75).

The remainder range from the too familiar genre of Patty Carroll’s shadow portraits to Esther Parada’s delicate apotheosis of her child (and indirectly of herself as mother). In between are Mary Baber’s conservative but well-done studio shots of the memorabilia of her childhood and Lialia Kuchma’s lovely and subtle sequence in which she reveals herself through her “space.” Finally, Jane Wenger shows some monumentally conceived low-angle nude self-portraits.

The gallery (quoting director Elaine King) hopes to make itself “a center for the interchange of ideas and to provide a forum for talks by contemporary photographic artists, critics, historians (sic), and collectors.” Sounds good, and I look forward to their future offerings.
G.G.

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