New Light Work exhibition takes inside look at members-only clubs worldwide

New Light Work exhibition takes inside look at members-only clubs worldwideJuly 20, 2006Jessica Heckmanjhheckma@syr.edu

The Light Work gallery, located at 316 Waverly Ave., will feature the work of German photographer Beatrix Reinhardt in its upcoming exhibition “Members Only” beginning Aug. 15. The exhibition runs through Oct. 19. A reception will be held Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.

The images in the exhibition take an inside look at members-only clubs worldwide, which Reinhardt views as special entities that provide a community for their members while excluding everyone else. Her images capture the marks left behind by members of the club. They are devoid of people but speak volumes about club members.

Reinhardt spends most of her time making phone calls and knocking on doors to gain permission to enter clubs. Since starting the series in 2003, she has traveled to places as far away as Australia, Great Britain and China to capture these images. She is currently photographing in Queens, N.Y., where membership clubs are plentiful and rich in visuals. Some of these exclusive clubs can require years on a waiting list, and many have membership dues ranging from minimal to tens of thousands of dollars per year.

Reinhardt grew up in Jena, Germany, and has lived in the United States on and off for more than 10 years. She completed a residency at Light Work in January 2006 and has also participated in residencies in Australia, India and China. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, most recently at the Minnesota Center of Photography in Minneapolis, the Silver Eye Center of Photography in Pittsburgh, and Sam Romo in Atlanta. She will also have an exhibition this year in Finland.

Also on view at Light Work is the exhibition “Offshoots: Post-Standard Staff Photographers,” featuring the work of 23 newspaper photographers from The (Syracuse) Post-Standard. Gallery hours for the exhibitions are Sunday?Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., or by appointment. To set up an appointment, call (315) 443-1300.

Light Work is a nonprofit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. The exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jessica Heckman, promotions coordinator, at 443-1300 or jhheckma@syr.edu.