August 26, 2008

• Lecture at 4 p.m., reception follows

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Photographer Angela West, the inaugural John Morton Visiting Artist in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Art and Art History, will give an informal lecture at the UAB Visual Arts Gallery at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, and present an exhibition of her works. An opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. follows the lecture, at the gallery, 900 13th St. S. Admission is free. Call 205-934-0815 for more information.

West, who is based in Atlanta, creates works that explore the personal, social and cultural histories of Dahlonega, Ga., specifically, and the complex roles of women. For her exhibition at the Visual Arts Gallery at UAB, West will present works from three distinct series. The first, "Sweet Sixteen," examines the notions of femininity and maturity. West invited 16-year-old girls to pose for portraits in her studio, with the only instruction being that they come dressed as they might to attend a formal event.

Other series include "Corsages," works created from actual corsages saved from every formal high school event she attended. They once languished in a box marked "stupid corsages," but provided unique inspirations as she made beautiful, ambiguous imagery from the decayed remains of her once beautiful floral bouquets.

Her "Little Deaths" series explores the ongoing processes of decay that are evident in and around her Dahlonega home. Seemingly imbued with the spirits of Georgia-born authors Flannery O'Connor and Carson McCullers, her works show empty spaces with uncertain histories. Works such as "Untitled Landscape" and "Basement Window" leave everything to the viewers' imaginations.