Jennifer Schlesinger recently opened one of Santa Fe’s newest galleries, Obscura Gallery. Obscura specializes in photography, with an emphasis on contemporary artists alongside an inventory of 19th to 20th century works. Obscura Gallery is located just a hop and a skip from downtown or the Railyard District, and shares a building with her partner’s gallery, Brant Mackley Gallery. Obscura’s next exhibition Kurt Markus: Monument Valley 2002-2017 opens on Friday, September 7, 5-7 pm, and will be on view through October 13.
tasting notes with:
Jennifer Schlesinger.
occupation:
Gallerist and fine-art photographer.
venue:
Paloma, Santa Fe.
drinking:
La Mariposa (agave de cortés mezcal, aperol, elderflower, lime cava float).
recommended food pairing:
Chips and guacamole.
art/music/film/book/event pairing recommendation:
Hanging out with a magazine editor chatting about art.
current mood:
Mom-mode.
what was your first job?
At a dry cleaner when I was 16.
what did it teach you?
How to manage other people’s money.
what was the first thing you photographed?
A classic tombstone in a cemetery in Atlanta, and on this first roll of film I captured what appeared to be a spirit in the cemetery.
what is the most recent thing you photographed?
My daughter.
teach us how to take a photograph in three steps:
1. Have a camera.
2. Have light shining on your subject in a significant way.
3. Click.
one thing opening your own gallery has taught you:
You can’t please everybody.
why “Obscura”?
The gallery is named after the camera obscura which was the first basic concept of a camera used to capture a live image in a dark box.
a good quality of a photograph:
Light.
a photography trend that should die:
Super-large, vacant images.
what comes next?
The next exhibition and opening is on September 7, a solo show of work by Santa Fean Kurt Markus, titled Monument Valley 2002-2017. A big show like this almost becomes less about Monument Valley and more about the photographer spending fifteen years learning to see one place in a unique way.
