If you haven't stopped by the Westport Art Center (WAC) in a while, this is a good week to go. Their current exhibit, 'On Duty,' ends Saturday, Jan. 15. The exhibition features the work of three prominent mid-20th Century photographers—Swiss policement Arnold Odermatt, Mexican photojournalist Enrique Metinides, and New York press photographer Arthur 'Weegee' Fellig.
Each photographer became known for documenting the aftermath of violence and mayhem, and each image, as filtered through the photographer's lens, captures a moment of tragedy that's transformed, paradoxically, into a object of beauty. The stark lines and contrasts can make the viewer forget the content in a way that invites moral, philosophical, and aesthetic questions about the relationship of suffering and art when the suffering does not belong to the artist but becomes his or her's subject.
It's a thought-provoking exhibit, enhanced by the barren landscape just outside the gallery's large picture window overlooking the Saugatuck River.
The screening will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.
For more information, contact WAC at 203-222-7070 or www.westportartscenter.org. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. WAC is located at 51 Riverside Ave.