Andrzej Maciejewski uses photography to take an abstract look at a relatively mundane object.
OXFORD, Miss. – A group of unlikely models is the focus of “VIP Portrait Gallery,” a new exhibit running through Sept. 5 at the University of Mississippi Museum.
For this collection, Andrzej Maciejewski used black-and-white photography to take an abstract look at a relatively mundane object, the potato.
“What drew me to potatoes in particular, was their commonly unappreciated diversity created by nature, not by human artfulness,” Maciejewski said. “For my potatoes, I chose to make portraits rather than simply still lifes and I gave them names – not in order to suggest that they look like people, but simply to emphasize their individual uniqueness.”
Using a large-format camera, Maciejewski printed the portraits as if they were being viewed through a magnifying glass to capture “tiny, but meaningful details.” With a focus on shape, texture and light, he gives audiences an opportunity to interpret his subject not as mere potatoes but as VIPs, or Very Important Potatoes.
Rebecca Phillips, the museum’s communications coordinator, encourages visitors to come by and experience this free, unique exhibit.
“After experiencing ‘VIP Portrait Gallery,’ I hope that our guests learn to look more closely at ordinary objects and see the beauty and uniqueness of what is around us,” Phillips said.
The University Museum, at the corner of University Avenue and Fifth Street, is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum online or call 662-915-7073. To book a tour, contact esdean@olemiss.edu.