Back and Forth Forever: Photographs by Paige Mazurek
Current Space Gallery, Baltimore, MD, August 2013

From exhibition catalog:

Sometime around 2002, I stumbled upon Once, a story and photography book by filmmaker Wim Wenders. In it, Wenders pairs simple yet eloquent stories with photographs he has taken during his travels throughout the world. It starts out with a prose about the act of photographing:

Taking pictures is an act in two directions:
forwards
and backwards.
Yes, taking pictures also “backfires.”
This isn’t even too lame a comparison.
Just as the hunter lifts his rifle,
aims at the deer in front of him,
pulls the trigger,
and, when the bullet departs from the muzzle,
is thrown backwards by the recoil,
the photographer, likewise, is thrown backwards,
onto himself,
when releasing the shutter.


As I look through Paige’s new work, I can’t help but think about Wenders’ words. The images in this show are simple, straightforward photographs of the natural world. However, this is not to say that they were simply made, there is thoughtfulness and meaning in each moment captured. Paige’s sense of wonder and excitement for the act of photographing is clearly evident. Hunting, gathering, and sharing - it’s a primal and humanistic way of thinking about photography.

With Paige’s photographs, I am not asking questions or looking for answers. I am not sure I could find either. What I am is slowed down and brought into a familiar world: the smell of water, the warmth of the sun on bare skin, the winding of a road, the slanting of the evening summer light. I am lost, but in a familiar enough place as to not be worried. She is bringing us into a space and time, to be present with her and to share a moment that will never be the same again.

Wenders goes on to conclude:

Every photograph is a memento mori.
Every photograph talks about life and death.
Every “picture captured” has an aura of sacredness


Falling over yourself and getting in your own way - getting distracted, or derailed - it all leads to discovery. In many ways, the images presented in this show and catalog are derived from an insatiable hunger for life and the joy of discovery.

Trevor Powers
Brighton, Mass., July 2013