Winter in America – Justin Maxon & Erin Trieb:

24th Oct 2012

3 November 2012 – 6 January 2013

Opening Night Preview: Friday 2 November from 7pm

‘Save your souls, it’s winter in America’ cried Gil Scott Heron in 1974, against a backdrop of economic decline, social fragmentation, racial tension and a lingering war in Vietnam.

Fast forward to contemporary America where the economy is struggling, racism blights many communities and the war in Afghanistan adds a daily toll of misery.

This is the harsh backdrop to the work of Justin Maxon and Erin Trieb, 2010 and 2011 winners of the prestigious FotoVisura grant.

Justin Maxon’s work centres on the agonies of life in Chester, a small town of 37,000 people in Pennsylvania, where crime statistics record over 300 unsolved murders since the 1990s.

Maxon describes Chester as a place where “violence is commonplace, poverty is oppressive, and jobs are non-existent”. Maxon's images, multiple exposures in grainy monochromes, convey the complexity and inter-connected stories of this small town, unflinching in its depiction of strengh and hardship.

Erin Trieb’s work follows one soldier, 22 year old Adam Ramsey, on his journey home from Afghanistan, as he battles to recover from post-traumatic stress and depression. Trieb follows his journey from barracks to medical clinic to home in his search for humanity and a return to normality.

The opening of this exhibition is supported by Otley Brewing Company, FotoVisura and Art Council Wales.

The FotoVisura grant 2012, which supports personal non-commercial photography projects is now open for submissions. www.grant.fotovisura.com

Justin Maxon, Fotovisura Grant Winner 2010, http://www.fotovisura.com/user/JustinMaxon

Erin Trieb, Fotovisura Grant Winner 2011, http://www.fotovisura.com/user/ErinTrieb