BROOKLINE, MA — This winter, the Brookline Arts Center opens its doors to the father and son photographers B.D. and Ben Colen. Their exhibition, Alone Together: Beneath the Streets of Boston, will be featured from January 21st to February 29th in the Brookline Arts Center gallery.
B.D.'s photos of human drama in the subway system come out of his daily commute from Brookline to Cambridge, and the people and stories he witnesses in the subways. His son, Ben Colen, approaches the subway system differently: Ben's oversized prints were made in the dark and empty spaces of the subway tunnels after hours.
"What struck me as a I observed my fellow T riders, and what inspired me to undertake this project," says B.D, "was the sense that so many of us are completely isolated and self-absorbed, even as we make up a crowd. Individuals reading, or listening to music; couples joined in whispered conversations; we are all alone, together."
Alone Together: Beneath the Streets of Boston will be the first joint exhibition that B.D. and Ben have done together. B.D. fell into the field of journalism in 1963 while covering the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom for a small paper in Connecticut. Originally aspiring to be a photographer, he ended up becoming a reporter, editor, and columnist for 23 years; first for The Washington Post, and then for Newsday, where he earned a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. B.D's passion for photography was rekindled in 1993 while covering the famine in Somalia for Newsday. Soon after, he developed A Day In Our Life, a practice focused on providing individuals, families, and corporate and editorial clients with commissioned documentary photography.
Following in his father's footsteps, Ben Colen has become a photographer. Ben received his B.F.A. from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University, where he found photographic inspiration through one of the acknowledged masters of 20th century photography, Bill Brandt. Recently married, Ben is now a senior photographer for Skateboarder Magazine and is well enough known to have a sneaker named after him.
Alone Together: Beneath the Streets of Boston, is on view at the Brookline Arts Center, 86 Monmouth St. in Brookline, from January 21st to February 29th. An artists' reception will be held Friday, Feb. 8, 6 – 8 p.m. and is free to the public. For more information, call 617-566-5715 or visit www.brooklineartscenter.com.
About the BAC :
The Brookline Arts Center is a non-degree school for the visual arts committed to stimulating individual creative expression and appreciation of the visual arts by providing high quality, affordable programming. The Center is a supportive environment where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can study, create, and present art. Through educational programs, community outreach and exhibitions, the Center brings people together and enhances community life. The non-profit Brookline Arts Center was founded in 1964 in the basement of a Brookline home. In 1968, the Center moved to its present home at 86 Monmouth Street, a former firehouse, which is convenient to public transportation. The Center is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. For more information, call 617-566-5715 or visit www.brooklineartscenter.com
Contact :
Susan Navarre, Executive Director Tel : 617-566-5715 Fax : 617-738-8760 E-mail :
