"Retrogression" at Zahra Studio Gallery

The Gallery at Zahra's Studio at 496 Main St. is coming out of hiatus. If I'm not mistaken, the last exhibit at the gallery was this graffitti show in August 2006, which was excellent. Keith Zahra has announced that the gallery is back, with a new gallery curator, Vanessa Tellez.

The exhibit "Retrogression" features the photographs of Andrew Sorkin and Tony Alves. The exhibit opened on Oct 6 and will run through Oct 30. There will be an opening party from 6-10pm on Saturday, Oct 13.

Here's a statement from the photographers.

Abandoned... Decaying... Forgotten...

All around us are the remains of buildings and structure where generations of
people lived, worked, played and were cared for. What were
once important parts of our society have been left unattended and
crumbling. Everyday more of these sites are destroyed by fires and strip
malls, by condos and golf courses.
retrogression photography was started to document this part of our history before they are reclaimed by man or by nature. What began as a trip to shoot an abandoned steel mill before it is torn down to make room for a casino has become the main focus of our photographic activities. Many times these locations are remote
and difficult to find and just as often they are right in front of us, places we all pass everyday but seldom see. Our focus is on trying to convey the dark and derelict nature of the subjects we photograph. There are a lot more to many of these places than the visual elements. Smells and sounds are amplified by the stillness of areas
that were once the center great activity. Although many of these places are bright and colorful the mood there is not. Through the use of muted colors and black and white photography the somber reality of what these discarded relics have now become is translated to the observer.
Photographers Tony Alves and Andrew Sorkin are both long time residents of
Dutchess County, NY. We are both musicians, currently working together on
several projects. Tony has also worked as a tattoo artist. Andrew is a website designer and graphic artist. We own and maintain photographic websites http://photo.gazzmik.com/ , http://aveteva.com/ and http://retrogression.us/.

I was doing a job recently outside of Dover Plains. Everyday, I passed by this giant ruin at the junction of rt 44 and 343, not knowing what it was. I still don't know what it is, but there is an image of this joint on the retrogression website. It's the black and white image, third thumbnail down on the left. It must be an old asylum or resort. I'll be sure to find out now.

I'm pleased to see the gallery back on task and showing the type of stuff you won't, and probably shouldn't see anywhere else.