"What's Left Behind" exhibition

Local Eyes, a group of five Cincinnati photographers (Helen Adams, Jymi Bolden, Melvin Grier, Samantha Grier and Amanda Cawdrey) who have curated exhibits of local photography for FotoFocus since 2012, curates a juried group exhibition of images by 41 local artists that explores the theme of “What’s Left Behind” – how what we consume, what we collect, and what we discard affects the environment we live in and our lives in the greater context. What record are we leaving behind for future generations?

Exhibiting artists: Sharee Allen, Tad Barney, Will Batstone, Brendan Burkett, Michael Prisco Caporale, Bruce Crippen, John Engelman, Sharon Evans, Scott Filipiak, Diane Germaine, Linda Gillings, Lloyd A. Greene, David Hartz, James Hernandez, Ron Hoffman, Will Jones, Jodi Kessler, Kent Krugh, Danielle Martini, Guennadi Maslov, Michelle Miller, ChengLun Na, Kelsey Nolin, Eliza Ollinger, Kate Palyshniuk, Steve Plattner, Joel Quimby, Gabi Roach, Gregory Rust, Alane Schloemer Shoemaker, Robin Short, Brad Smith, David Smith, Matt Steffen, Jerry Stratton, David Thomson, Pat Timm, Roderick Vesper, Tony Walsh, Cliff Warnken, Bryn Weller, N. Willman

When you walk into a person’s home, you get a sense of who they are from their belongings. This can also be the case by seeing what we discard. Archaeologists uncover the nature of ancient societies by studying things left behind. What record are we leaving behind today? Trash speaks to a disposable and materialistic society. The popularity of organizing and “tidying” has exploded. We are being encouraged to keep only what “sparks joy.” What we discard exposes our attitudes towards consumption, class, mobility, sustainability, and the environment. The things we regard as trash were at one point something we valued and used, a relationship that is fleeting. Are we becoming a disposable society? Are other areas of our life affected? Are humans themselves disposable?

Scientists sanctioned by the United Nations have gone on record saying humans are fueling a greenhouse effect. Our consumer habits are driving climate change. The production and use of household goods and services contribute greatly to global greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the average product results in carbon emissions of 6.3 times its own weight. It is estimated that one-third of all the food produced in the world goes to waste. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. If food goes to the landfill, it produces methane- a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. Trash travels through the world’s rivers and oceans where it is often eaten by birds and fish, concentrating toxic chemicals in their tissues, and filling their stomachs, causing them to starve.

Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote “Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.”

Image credit: Brad Smith, Junk Collector Louisville Kentucky, Widelux panorama camera – tri x film – black and white fiber print, 1998, 7.5 x 18 inches

Support for this 2022 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition was provided by FotoFocus.