A small sample of John Hames' China portraits are in display at
Warren's Coffee Depot through August.
(excerpt posted with permission of EastBayri.com)
By Abigail Crocker
The hype
surrounding this year’s Olympic games in Beijing has made its way to
Warren. John Hames, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, is
showing a small sample of work in a downtown coffeehouse titled
“Portraits of China.” The 17 photographs representing his time in
Beijing will be displayed through the end of August.
Waiting on
the Coffee Depot’s gallery list for more than a year, exhibit space
became available to Hames right at the perfect time, right before the
Olympic Games opened. He scheduled the opening of his art exhibit for
the night before the international games begun.
“I put my name on the list. It so happens they have this year's Olympics in China,” said Mr. Hames.
During
the opening on Thursday night, a slideshow of China pictures, set to
popular Chinese music, were also shown at the coffee shop.
The
photos range from black and white portraits of bearded country men, to
young families, to color spreads featuring urban fashion models. One
features a small Chinese boy dressed as an angel. Another is a close-up
of a monk’s face with eyes closed, almost wrinkleless.
Mr. Hames
said humanity and exotic culture fascinate him as an artist. He used
the backdrop of China’s landscape and urban sprawl to accentuate his
portrait pieces artistically.
“I’m interested in people, not just
how they look and live. It’s also important for me as a photographer to
make a picture visually interesting. It acts as the door for a moment
and for the viewer to have their own experience perhaps,” he said.
Road to China
The
road to China was a serendipitous one. Mr. Hames was in Nairobi, Kenya
researching black rhinoceroses when he got the message that beckoned
him to teach and travel in China.
“I got an e-mail from a man from Beijing I knew from school asking me to come to teach,” he said. “I said I’ll be there.”
He
arranged for a Chinese visa right away, booked his flight and traveled
twice to China, mostly in the Beijing area. While in China, he was
commissioned by the Changing and Hebei government to take pictures of
their provinces for two weeks. He also taught at the Beijing Institute
of Clothing and Technology, one of the premier fashion schools of the
east, for six months. While working for the school, he was able to take
photographs at his leisure, using the city as his backdrop and the
people as his main focal point.
“Going out and seeing Beijing was no different than other cities. The city was inspirational,” he said.
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Mr. Hames said traveling to Beijing was complex and exciting because of all the commotion and constant building.
“If
I could use one word to describe China it would be ‘unfinished.’
There’s construction and things happening everywhere you go,” he said.
Unable
to speak the language, Mr. Hames relied on his students and guides to
speak a little bit of English in order to work and teach. While there,
he gained a new perspective of Chinese-American relations.
A small sample of John Hames' China portraits are in display at
Warren's Coffee Depot through August.
Christine Hochkeppel
A small sample of John Hames' China portraits are in display at
Warren's Coffee Depot through August.
photo by Christine Hochkeppel
photo: Christine Hochkeppel
By Abigail Crocker
The hype
surrounding this year’s Olympic games in Beijing has made its way to
Warren. John Hames, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, is
showing a small sample of work in a downtown coffeehouse titled
“Portraits of China.” The 17 photographs representing his time in
Beijing will be displayed through the end of August.
Waiting on
the Coffee Depot’s gallery list for more than a year, exhibit space
became available to Hames right at the perfect time, right before the
Olympic Games opened. He scheduled the opening of his art exhibit for
the night before the international games begun.
“I put my name on the list. It so happens they have this year's Olympics in China,” said Mr. Hames.
During
the opening on Thursday night, a slideshow of China pictures, set to
popular Chinese music, were also shown at the coffee shop.
The
photos range from black and white portraits of bearded country men, to
young families, to color spreads featuring urban fashion models. One
features a small Chinese boy dressed as an angel. Another is a close-up
of a monk’s face with eyes closed, almost wrinkleless.
Mr. Hames
said humanity and exotic culture fascinate him as an artist. He used
the backdrop of China’s land- scape and urban sprawl to accentuate his
portrait pieces artistically.
“I’m interested in people, not just
how they look and live. It’s also important for me as a photographer to
make a picture visually interesting. It acts as the door for a moment
and for the viewer to have their own experience perhaps,” he said.
For full article about RISD professor John Hames, his "Portraits of China" exhibit at The Coffee Depot and his invitation to Beijing while in Kenya - see "Photographer captures life in China" online at EastBayRI.com
His photographs will be up through August 31, 2008.
***Try to remember to bring a nonperishable food donation to benefit Bristol Good Neighbors, our local food pantry, in support of 'Singing Out for Food' for the Artist Hunger Network. Check out www.singingoutforfood.org ****
You're invited to tell your friends and bring them to the Acoustic Open Mic at The Coffee Depot, 501 Main Street, Warren, RI. Most Fridays (except 3 day holiday weekends) Open Mic starts about 7:00 pm and follows the featured artist's 8:00-8:40 pm performance until 9:50pm.
The Friday featured artists for August 22, 2008 through September 19, 2008 are:
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