The Kathleen Ewing Gallery is the quintessential small urban art gallery. It’s hidden just off the corner of 18th and P Streets in Dupont Circle in an otherwise non-descript brownstone one could easily mistake for an expensive private residence. You ring a bell, walk to the second floor to get in, and enter a sunny, colorful room with framed photographs covering each wall. There are vases of flowers on each table, cookies to eat, and an array of unhung photos leaning against the wall. It seems a little messy at first, but the place has a comfortable, homey feel.
The exhibit currently on display in the gallery, 20/40, is designed to highlight twenty DC photographers in anticipation of FotoWeekDC, a celebration of photography that will take place November 15-22.
Each of the 20 photographers shown in the exhibit has contributed two pieces, for a total of 40 photographs on display (hence 20/40). The subject matter of the photos vary dramatically, from streetlamps in a deserted parking lot to people rowing in boats down a river in Vietnam.
I particularly enjoyed two black and white pictures from photographer Steve Szabo’s “Beach” series, depicting ordinary people enjoying a day at the beach. The two photographs create a sense of calm within the organized chaos they present, showing a crowd of beach-goers on blankets, shaded by umbrellas and surrounded beach toys.
Another interesting set of pictures by Claudia Smigrod are presented in a diptych, two pictures set next to each other and attached with a hinge. The left side depicts a silhouette of a bird cast in gray light against the branches and twigs of a leafless tree, as if shot during winter. The right side shows a wooden post covered in nails, also against a gray backdrop. These two photographs have an ominous quality to them, evoking a sense of foreboding and mystery.
Kathleen Ewing explained that the idea behind FotoWeekDC was “to get as many venues for photography in Washington” as possible, and that in her gallery, she wanted to highlight a number of Washington photographers, not just one. According to Ewing, the purpose of FotoWeekDC “was just to get some energy and enthusiasm going for photography in Washington, D.C.” The photographs in 20/40 are reason for enthusiasm in and of themselves, and one can only imagine what sort of energy other events could bring.
The Kathleen Ewing Gallery is located at 1767 P Street, NW, Second Floor, at the corner of 18th & P Streets.
20/40 will be on view through November 29, open Wednesday through Saturday, 12pm-6pm and by appointment.
Further details about FotoWeekDC can be found at fotoweekdc.org.
