MENDOCINO CO., 3/5/25 – Mendocino Coast-based artist Geraldine LiaBraaten wants to remind us that what we see is not always what we get, at least when it comes to the photographic mind games she hopes to play with art enthusiasts at her new exhibit “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
The show, which opens Saturday in Elk, features a self-curated collection of LiaBraaten’s semi-abstract photographs. Up-close and personal is her modus operandi in many of the photos, whether it’s her camera lens looking down, up, or straight ahead at everyday sights ranging from street graffiti and sidewalks to costume jewelry and yard art.
“I abstract a piece of reality to reach the final image,” said LiaBraaten on her process. “Some of the shots are more straightforward than others, and some are downright weird until you discover the referent.”
It’s the “Aha!” moment that LiaBraaten wants viewers to have with her works — and that they will take that experience out of the gallery and into everyday life.
And it’s that celebration of the weird in the mundane that makes this show worth the trek to Elk to the Artists’ Collective.
“Pictures at an Exhibition” featuring the works of Geraldine LiaBraaten opens March 8 and runs through March 29 at the Artists’ Collective, 6031 S. Highway 1, Elk, (707) 877-1128, artists-collective.net.