I got a picture postcard on my desk at CYY, and was immediately intrigued: a man wearing a turban and a Swatch, smiling at the camera, while a cobra climbs his face. Is that pure CYY, or what?

CREDIT: Brendan Bullock
CREDIT: Brendan Bullock
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Flip the postcard over, and there's the announcement of a gallery exhibit by the photographer--Brendan Bullock--called Travel Journals. Bullock's first solo exhibit of pictures from Peru, India, Tanzania and Newfoundland is at PhoPa, a Portland gallery I had yet to explore; PhoPa is open for September's First Friday and definately worth the walk around the corner onto Washington from Congress. The gallery is only a few more blocks, at the corner of Washington and Fox.

Bullocks mix of black and white and color photographs show still moments in otherwise very active environments, or literally get us to pause completely to take the photograph in.

CREDIT: Brendan Bullock
CREDIT: Brendan Bullock
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And many of them connect us directly to these other countries with American influences that the casual eye may miss. Bullock's eye did not. His means of bringing out the photographs now hung at PhoPa was to go into an area with no preconceptions, and then immerse himself in the part of a country being photographed. Sometimes for a month or more. Bullock says he did this so that his actions would not be misconstrued as his taking something away, but would be seen as bringing out something perhaps not always seen by the locals. Something quite special.  He has succeeded.

See this show. Spectacular.

Brendan Bullock's Travel Journals through September 13th.

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