The Last Goodbye, by Susan Burnstine
Found at the Catherine Couturier Gallery exhibit, this print entices the viewer’s attention with its whirlpool of layered mystery.
The print itself is indeed part of the impact and the digital recreation unfortunately does not do it justice.
It was our favorite print of the thousands presented at the AIPAD show.
As noted by Jonathan Curiel:
The undeniable beauty of Burnstine’s black-and-white photos, and their connection to dreams brought on by family tragedy, give them an intensity that is both intellectual and visceral. The acclaimed Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado can have the same effect on people, though his work captures outward scenes while Burnstine’s also conjures an internal world.
"I need the pictures to emulate what I’m seeing in my subconscious," she tells me. "I have a dream or a nightmare; I journal them; then I go out and photograph them. Some of are actual elements [from the dreams]. Some of them are symbols. Some of them are metaphors."
For more on Susan’s work: SF Weekly Arts