Southern Charms
J Henry Fair
Lily Downing Downing Yudain LLC 353 Old Long Ridge Road Stamford, CT 06903 w- 203路355路2718 c- 917 544 6417 info@art357.com
Southern Charms
Simultaneously a region, a state of mind, and a heritage, one would be remiss not to repeat the oft said truisms that the south is a beautiful place, replete with deep secrets and sinister history. One either emerges with a burden or defiant denial, and either gives a unique view of the world. These pictures represent an ongoing portrait of home that has been accumulating for years, since long before it was acknowledged as such. Anyone’s relationship with the idea of “home” is difficult, with conflicts of loyalty, uncertainty about the veracity of the “truths” that formed the foundation of one’s development, and the normal baggage from childhood that we each spend a lifetime trying to discard. Being from the south only multiplies these. Any portrait is as much a picture of the portraitist as the subject, even more so in this case. Beauty shots of antebellum mansions with Spanish Moss hanging from the oaks are far less interesting than a picture of indignant black laborers glaring at the young white photographer. One can’t see something in which one is enveloped. As such, the issue of racism and its corrosive effect on consciousness can only be realized when one has left the milieu in which it pervades. It is easy to let the headlines and foibles dominate one’s vision of a place, but the south is a unique and magical “place” that eludes definition just as it comes in to focus.
Crosses and Flags on Old Porch 21 March, 2007 Plaquemine, Louisiana
Left: Stuffed Animal Heads in Small Country Store 3 January, 2014 Sumatra, Florida Right: Father and Brother 5 January, 1985 Rose Hill Plantation, South Carolina
Left: Mother with picture of Martin Luther King Charleston, South Carolina Right: Grandmother Bluff Plantation, South Carolina Overleaf: Bench on Dock in Old Rice Field 8 December, 2002 Rose Hill Plantation, South Carolina
Left: Barber Shop with Picture of Martin Luther King 7 June, 2004 Charleston, South Carolina Right: Lee’s Barber Shop with Picture of Martin Luther King 19 October, 2005 Charleston, South Carolina
Men on Church Porch 15 June, 1984 John’s Island, South Carolina
Strippers with Man on Bourbon Street 17 October, 2012 New Orleans, Louisiana
White Man Poses with Young Black Man 1 April, 1997 New Orleans, Louisiana
Sheet Metal Building Facade 4 January, 2014 Apalachicola, Florida
Two Women in Roadside Diner 11 April, 1994 Rougemont, North Carolina
Right: Car and Shack 10 April, 1991 Ronda, North Carolina Overleaf: Auto Mechanic in Garage 15 March, 1986 Florence, South Carolina Man and Tugboat Propeller 23 March, 1992 Mobile, Alabama
Man On Sofa 18 April, 1997 Stewartstown, Pennsylvania Overleaf: Girls Preparing For Parade 18 April, 1997 New Orleans, Louisiana Girls On Parade Float 18 April, 1997 New Orleans, Louisiana
Woman In Doorway on Bourbon Street 17 October, 2012 New Orleans, Louisiana Overleaf: Waitress 15 March, 1988 Florence, South Carolina People Eating In Fish River Cafe 11 January, 2014 Fish River Cafe, Fairhope, Alabama
Church With Painted Windows 21 March, 2007 Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Night Club And Cadillac 30 March, 1992 Pensacola, Florida
Abandoned Furniture Factory 24 February, 2013 Lexington, North Carolina
Man On Pay Telephone Charleston, South Carolina
Melted Clock In Burned-out Abandoned House 4 January, 2014 Apalachicola, Florida
“Prepare To Meet God” Sign By Side Of Road 24 February, 2013 Wadesboro, North Carolina
Men At Tire Repair Shop 28 May, 2007 New Orleans, Louisiana
Punching Bag And Shack 15 January, 2014 Robertsdale, Alabama
Ice Factory 27 December, 2013 North Charleston, South Carolina
Decrepit Gas Pump 18 April, 1997 Hollywood, South Carolina
Yellow Car and Red House 28 December, 1992 Charleston, South Carolina Overleaf: Carousel Horse In Front Of House 10 April, 1991 Durham, North Carolina
New York Berlin all images Š J Henry Fair contact: +1 212.674.6599 info@jhenryfair.com www.jhenryfair.com
Back Cover: White Horses and house ruins 21 March, 2007 Donaldsonville, Louisiana