You may find Carol Kleinman with her camera in cities like Paris, New York, or Santa Monica. She is on a treasure hunt to photograph and document the many layers of reality she finds in reflections.
With each reflection she captures a moment in time – a bit of reality that exists for a second on a reflective surface.
Kleinman’s images have a sense of other-worldliness as surfaces fracture into layers, exposing a world that escapes the glance of the casual eye. The idea is to capture this fleeting mystery of reality and document magic.
“A critical element in my work is the direct connection it has to reality,” Kleinman says. “I will spot a reflection on a window and get captivated. I am drawn into what I’m seeing. I lose all track of time as I work finding just the right light, just the right angle and just the right moment when all the reflections come together.”
Walking along the Santa Monica Pier one day, Kleinman saw a family through a shop window.
The window also reflected the pier, the bay, the mountains, and even another couple walking on the pier.
This reflection became “Family Day at Santa Monica Pier,” one of the pieces in her current “Reflecting Reality” exhibition at TAG Gallery.
To enhance the feeling of her work, Kleinman prints her images on canvas rather than paper.
The texture of canvas blurs the line between photography and painting taking the image further toward the edge of reality.
Though they look like composites, Kleinman does not add to or combine anything in her images.
She feels that if she were to manipulate reality the impact would be lost. What you see in her unique work is what she saw.
With Kleinman’s documentation of reflections of reality, you can see and experience the many layers of life as well.
Kleinman will be part of a group show, also featuring artists Gary Polonsky and Darlyn Susan Yee, which will feature an artist reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept.15 at TAG Gallery, located at Bergamot Station, Space D3, 2525 Michigan Ave., in Santa Monica.
TAG Gallery will host an artist talk the following weekend with Kleinman, Polonsky, and Yee on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m.
The exhibition opened Sept. 4 and continues through Sept. 29.
To learn more about the art of Carol Kleinman, visit her website at http://kleinmanart.com.
For more information about the exhibition, call TAG gallery at 310.829.9556 or visit their website at www.taggallery.net.
