Rowan's downtown gallery hosts student photography

Continuing the season at Rowan University’s new High Street Gallery in downtown Glassboro will be Affinity for the Obsolete, a photography exhibit by Lucas Leyden. The exhibit is on display January 29 to February 8, with an opening reception at the gallery on Thursday, January 29 from 7 – 9 pm.

Leyden, a BFA student at Rowan, approaches the Polaroid as an artistic medium with an aesthetic quality.  His show consists of individual Polaroid pictures as well as two installation pieces using various types of film, including 600, SX-70, peel-apart color and black & white and Spectra. Rather than turning towards the precision and dependability of digital photography, Leyden finds “an honest quality” in Polaroid film.

“These low-fi, unaltered, often unpredictable images recall the product of human recollection as a record of what we see and experience,” the artist notes.

Leyden's work documents objects and moments left behind, and reflects an association with his chosen equipment. The artist also includes an installation involving the remains of what is needed to create his work. The packaging and cartridges that once held the film are arranged and presented in a way that addresses their typical fate. A second installation simply and gracefully shows the future of Polaroid.

Sponsored by the Department of Art at Rowan, the gallery is located at 11 East High Street in Glassboro, NJ. A full series of exhibitions showcasing the work of university students and faculty rotate in the space throughout the winter and spring. Regular gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday, 12 – 4:30 pm or by appointment. For information, call 856-256-4020.