Announcement
Boston, MA —
Emerson College’s platform for presenting contemporary visual art, Emerson Contemporary, presents “In Between Palms,” an exhibition featuring photographs by Baolong Song, 宋抱龙 – showcased on the windows of the Media Art Gallery at 25 Avery Street, Boston. “In Between Palms” runs through July 26, 2020 and is available to view to the general public externally between 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. each night.
A series of one hundred portraits, In Between Palms captures the genuine moments in which one hundred individuals were asked to rest their heads on and between their palms and reacted to the emotional and physical sensations that surfaced during the capturing process. The series started with in-studio photography, then changed its focus to the street as the pandemic caused public art spaces to adjust and Emerson’s gallery closed.
Each portrait indicates a similar gesture, yet the diverse range of expressions sheds light on the individuality under the broad concept of "Human," as well as providing a lens to examine the powerful and beautiful vulnerability of each individual. The series presents a collage of humanity’s width and depth in its diverse individuality and the universal essence of what it means to be a human.
The seemingly and theoretically opposing concepts of separation and unity disclose the harmonious paradox that hints at the fact that despite differences in color, gender, race, age, perspectives, and other, we are all interconnected and share this universal entity called “Human Life” through each extraordinary existence.
Images from the exhibition are available and a video preview can be viewed via Vimeo.
Artist Statement: "One who sees with his or her heart, sees with intentions to create."
Humanity is an ever-evolving existence that continues to widen and deepen its definition through the span of time and most importantly, through the span of perspectives in noticing and acknowledging its already-existing depth and width, that in which reveals its profound diversity in, out and around each individual, unbounded by time.
The series contemplates the ever-pondering mystery of human existence through the examination and revelation of the unique individuality in “others.” The portraits shed light on the paradoxical ideas of “existential separation” and “unity” among humanity as well as their harmonious universal interconnectivity through the act of self-reflection.
About Baolong Song, 宋抱龙
Baolongsong.com
Born in Kunming, China, Bao is a photographer and film director who currently resides in Boston. He specializes in portrait photography as well as digital/film shooting, editing and directing.
About the College
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first opening last fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit Emerson.edu.