On 'Greenwood'
My first photography exhibit opened last week and will be on display until summertime
A QUICK NOTE
After this one, the next 13 issues of Miscellanea will be dedicated to the photos of Greenwood — each one diving deeper into one photo from the show. You’ll get to know the story of its making and what it means to me, anecdotes and quirks and whatnot.
When I began assembling the body of work that became Greenwood1 – a narrative retrospective of my last 6-7 years of photographs – I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Enlisting the help of a few friends2, I began to edit the work down into 100 or so photographs, which was a gargantuan task in itself. After another round of edits, we printed about 40 of them and layed them out before us. Weeks later we landed on about 20, and then finely tuned it to 13.
How could 13 photographs be anything at all? How could just 13 images spool together the meaning of these several years of living? The truth was I knew exactly the story I was to tell, the story I had to tell. And so through the sequencing and printing and mounting and framing and much writing, I deliberated the words I’d bare to the audience at the opening reception. Artist statements are notoriously difficult, but I actually enjoy the process of refinement that they require.
All said and done, I made something I was proud of. The quality of the work was evident — even to me, my harshest critic.
You can see the work at upstairs at Coquette (message me to coordinate a viewing), at 2800 Magazine St in New Orleans. Or you can see it less completely here online, where you can also purchase a piece (signed and framed) or a poster (edition of 20, several of which have been purchased). In both cases, they were printed to the highest quality possible3. Buy local, handmade art.
Artist Statement
After a decade devoted to an evangelical lifestyle, Louisiana native M.G. Tucker became disenchanted with its dogmatic culture. ‘Greenwood’ finds Tucker lost, reaching for a new reality, and so creating his own narrative in the wake of religion.
With thirteen faceless photographs, Tucker expresses a portrait of the considerations made while building a life from scratch. Focusing on the immediate vernacular of homes, cemeteries, and the modest charms of the Gulf South, he unveils an intimacy with his own spiritual conflicts while connecting the dots of his personal ancestries.
As our attention is subverted by screen-time and its answers for everything, ‘Greenwood’ invites the viewer to rekindle wonder and find serenity in truth’s elusiveness, as Tucker found through his questions and his cameras.
Reception Photos
Greenwood is the name of the cemetery where my mom’s parents are buried and for me represents my journey to New Orleans, how its shaped me, and Louisiana as home.
Edited and printed by Joshua Huval; frames by Jacob Maricle
Photographs ensured to be color accurate and printed on Hahnemühle baryta paper; posters printed on Moab Entradad Rag Natural 300
Congrats Michael! Truly stunning work. Looking forward to the next issues.
So freaking proud of you for doing this!!!!