The Alliance of Queens Artists will feature a solo photography exhibit this month of Queens-based Austria native Greta M. Jaklitsch, an avid, self-taught photographer and world traveler.,
“I cannot remember when I didn’t take a camera wherever I went,” Jaklitsch said. “A nice hobby became my passion, and resulted in a well-documented life. Yet, I’ve found that some of my best pictures are taken within a mile of where I live — you just have to keep your eyes open.”
In “Juxtaposition,” Jaklitsch’s photographic presentation of opposites, the serene, ethereal beauty of freshly fallen snow inspired “The Effects of Snow” half of the series. The works gracefully capture snow’s pristine and short-lived presence on natural and man-made objects. Jaklitsch’s photos portray not only the majestic physical appearance of snow, but also convey the magical feeling of wonder and anticipation that the arrival of snow evokes. Photos were shot in locations such as Kissena Park and while walking along local streets in Flushing and Newport, N.J.
Images from the other half of the exhibit, “The Effects of the Sun,” were created while visiting and hiking through the Grand Canyon and the deserts of Arizona, observing the exact opposite occurrence of searing hot rays of sunlight affecting the natural environment. Shot during September 2001, the trip was interrupted by the terror attacks of Sept. 11. While more than 700 pictures were taken, they were really not looked at until the idea for this exhibit crystallized.
The artist’s photographs do not just focus on nature’s grandeur but also on whimsy, and these two dynamic views present an aesthetically pleasing juxtaposition of the contradictions in nature.
A public reception for “Juxtaposition” will be held Jan. 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will be catered by A. Strait of TriBeCa. The exhibit will run Jan. 24 through Jan. 31.
Jaklitsch is concurrently exhibiting at the Queens Courier’s Mittman Gallery, the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center (as part of the Queens Council on the Arts Member Exhibition), and also at the National Art League in Douglaston.
AQA Gallery presents this mid-winter show curated by Bob Menzel, and invites the public to visit the “Juxtaposition” photography event at their gallery space at 99-10 Metropolitan Ave., Forest Hills. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information about AQA Gallery go to www.arts4u.org.
