Exhibition

Henry Wessel's title, "Odd Photos," is a literal description of work in this exhibit. Some shots are anomalies in terms of fitting into series or sequences; others have edgy content that force viewers to pause for thought. The full frontal shot of a home with lush shade tree upon closer examination shows half the tree's foliage is it's own shadow. In another photo, a cup hazardously placed on a table edge suggests incredibly lucky balance by the placer or an impending mishap. What's wrong with this picture is an underlying question in much of this work, though the answers may remain just out of reach. Wessel's enigmatic photos capture moments that are decidedly left of center - ones in which the details - for a split second - compose a whole that is greater than its parts.

Mr. Wessel was born in Teaneck, NJ; graduated from Pennsylvania State University and The Visual Studies Workshop at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been a professor at the San Francisco Art Institute for thirty years. He is the recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts and two Guggenheim fellowships. His work is included in many museum collections.