This Place is a Prison

"This Place is a Prison"
Suite100 Gallery
Showing from June 13th thru July 4th
www.suite100gallery.com

Monica HW Chow's statement on "This Place Is A Prison":

I have been a gallery curator for two years now, showing mostly in Portland and Seattle. Though I tend to gravitate towards low-brow/pop surrealism painting, I am trying something different with this next show by curating a different medium, photography.

I have always been fascinated by a photographer's ability to capture amazing images while considering so many different variables. Composition, lighting, subject, and mood are often so unpredictable not to mention having to manage all the lenses, equipment, and settings involved. It amazes me then, when someone my age can capture fragments of life in a way that really makes me want to pause and wonder at it. Anyone can pick up a camera and take a snapshot, but few can capture a moment in a way that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also invites you to listen to the story behind it.

I selected these three photographers because of their similarity, not in style, but in subject matter. All three come from urban areas (San Francisco and Seattle) and much of their work portrays the lifestyle and environment surrounding young adults living in big cities. City life is often glamorized by movies, tv shows, and "small town" folk, but the concrete jungle can be a cold place. I have chosen to focus these photographers on the sometimes-stifling aspects of city life in "This Place is a Prison."