A detail of the photograph by Richard Renaldi, “Tari, Shawn, and Summer, Los Angeles, CA, 2012.” from his ‘Touching Strangers’ series. Photo courtesy of the artist.
By PAM HARBAUGH
A new movement in the genre of photography has caught the zeitgeist of our cyber society — photos of real people actually stopping in their daily pursuits to pose for photographers on the spot. You see that in Brandon Stanton’s popular “Humans of New York” series, Spencer Tunick’s startling photos of masses of nude people posing in public…and, in Richard Renaldi’s celebrated series, “Touching Strangers.”
“Touching Strangers” comes to Brevard Saturday where it will be on view through May 14 at Florida Tech’s Foosaner Art Museum in Melbourne, FL. In the series, which the artist began in 2007, the photographer asked strangers to pose together in close physical proximity.
As the press release states: “He creates spontaneous and fleeting relationships between strangers for the camera, often pushing his subjects beyond their comfort levels. The resulting photographs are moving and provocative and raise profound questions about the possibilities for positive human connection in a diverse society.”
The series is a popular one. It was the subject of a “CBS Sunday Morning” story, a video of which you can view here:
………
Here are some quick facts about Mr. Renaldi:
*He works in a large format, 8 by 10 inch view camera.
*He was born in Chciago in 1968 and graduated from New York University.
*He has presented solo exhibitions both in the United States and abroad, including at Fotografins Hus, Stockholm; Robert Morat Galerie, Hamburg, Germany; and Yossi Milo Gallery, New York.
*Renaldi’s work has also appeared in group exhibitions, including Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video at the International Center of Photography in New York in 2003.
And here’s something you’ll want to attend for sure: Mr. Renaldi will give a presentation about his artwork at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 31 at the Foosaner.
Sign up for a portrait photo workshop related to the Renaldi exhibition. Photographer Jennifer Glass will teach “Capturing the Decisive Moment” running 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19 at the Renee Foosaner Education Center, which is across the street from the Foosaner Art Museum. The cost for the workshop is $40 for Foosaner Art Museum members and $50 for non-members. Registration is available online at www.foosanerartmuseum.org, under the “Classes” tab.
The Foosaner Art Museum is at 1463 Highland Ave., Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free admission to the galleries. Call 321-674-8916, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click onto the ad on the right side of this page.
