“Home” Presented by ArtServe | A Documentary Photography Exhibition (Part II)
Here’s Part II of a series of documentary photographs (Part I HERE) that were part of “HOME: An Artistic Celebration of Community” presented by ArtServe, a Fort Lauderdale based non-profit organization that fosters and promotes artistic growth in South Florida.
‘HOME’ explored metaphors of habitat and the related idea of belonging, the multi-disciplinary exhibition included the unveiling of ArtServe’s 30th Anniversary artistic season, a gallery display by local visual artists and a performance art piece featuring former Miami City Ballet dancer and stroke survivor Isanusi Garcia Rodriguez and his mother, Perla Rodriguez, a renowned former ballet dancer from Cuba.
Isanusi was hit by a brain aneurysm in 2012 that nearly killed him. The stroke left him speechless and paralyzed on his right side, with little ability to walk or talk, much less dance. His discipline from a lifetime of dance training helped him persist with tedious physical and speech therapy despite frequent frustration and physical pain. Isanusi was forced to reinvent himself, subsequently discovering a new joy and purpose in life through a celebration of his Cuban heritage and transcendence of his physical limitations.
The exhibit kicked off August 22nd of 2019 and was on display through September 27 in the ArtServe Gallery. My contribution consisted of a series of photographs documenting the rehearsal sessions with (mainly) Isanusi, his mother Perla, and spoken word artist Frankie Red. ArtServe’s Dario J. Moore, a Broward-based director and choreographer, was tasked with bringing the concept of ‘home’ to life.
Over the course of several weeks, I attended the rehearsal sessions at ArtServe with my full-frame Pentax K-1 and a few good lenses, trying to keep out of the way and focus on the dynamics of the sessions – especially the interactions between these fiercely passionate creative artists. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a photographer.
Not sure why I’ve waited this long to post the photographs considering how proud I am of them. Here are images from the second rehearsal. As with any scenario where you get passionate creative people together, at times things would get contentious but ultimately professionalism prevailed. The dynamic between the Isanusi, his mother and choreographer Dario Moore was really a joy to watch. Enjoy the photographs…
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After another heated rehearsal, there was still much work to be done. For the next session. we’d be joined by spoken word artist Frankie Red but Isanusi would suffer a physical setback…
Photographs taken with the full-frame Pentax K-1 using the Pentax-D FA 24-70mm f/2.8, PENTAX-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited, and PENTAX-FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited lenses. No flash was used.
