A look back at my first photography show
I only caught glimpses of the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony this past Sunday, August 8, 2021. Yet, the date and the event itself brought back memories.
The opening of my first solo photography show happened on August 8, 2008, at 32 Jones Gallery, Hudson Pride Connection Center, a.k.a. Pride Connections. (I’d had work in other local group shows until then, but this was my first solo show, on 08-08-08.) It turns out that eight is considered to be a lucky number in certain cultures, yet I’m not sure that that particular detail had anything to do with the scheduling of my photography show or its opening night, which coincided with a live broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
That said, I remember my photography show’s opening night as an exciting event, as a wonderful gathering of friends and people I didn’t know from Jersey and New York.
I called the show BACKBONE, as in the backbone of a community, of the LGBTQ+ community in this case. It included studio portraits, as well as images captured at the NYC Pride 2008, before and during a downpour that drenched my gear so much so that, once at home, I had to take it apart, wipe it dry, and then let it dry, and pray and hope that it was still in working condition. Two days later I put it back together and discovered, to my relief, that I could still use it. Nothing had happened to it!
Ah, the memories….
Hope this finds you well and, as always, thank you for stopping by!
For prints of Backbone in B&W check out my Fine Art America storefront.
For copies of my Backbone photography book, which includes images from the show, check out my Blurb storefront.
Alina Oswald 