Silvereye Center for Photography Located in Pittsburgh, PA Gallery Review:

Matthew Conboy Objects in mirror are closer than they appear (Photos 4 - 9)

Skating; wild and free: This was hands down my favorite part of the gallery, Matthew's work resinated with me in such an intense and powerful way. Coming from a heavy skating background the way these photos were taken brought a sense of both familiarity and home into me. They all had been taken at the infamous, or famous to some, Skatopia. Skatopia is located in rural southeast Ohio, and because of massive publicity has become one of the most famous skateparks around. The place is known for it's massive parties that are just as wild as they are violent just as much as it's know for it's skating. They open their door to everyone who's down and can keep up with the wildness, and of course help out as well.

However, looking past all of what Skatopia is can be extremely difficult, with so much going on it seems nearly impossible to give anything a sense of peace. That's just what Conboy did though. Taking photos of the residents and visitors, as well as capturing the massive fires, he created a different feeling of this place. He didn't focus on the violence or anarchy that is a constant in skatetopia, but he focused on the connections everyone has with one another there, as well as the connections they have with their boards.

I feel that the universal message in these photos is that everyone is connected somehow, and we all what the same things; to be free, wild, and happy. I feel that Conboy captured everything and more in these photos. They make me proud to be in that skate and music scene.

Christopher Meerdo Kirjufell, Iceland / Svartsengi, Iceland (Photos 1 - 3)

Aliens, Aliens, Aliens: The images were created using reflective fabric to representing something suspicious and almost otherworldly. They were taken Iceland from 2013 to 2014. The historical context of this work is that the two photos represent one another and are somewhat linked together by the piece of fabric that is being imaged as a tunnel or escape to the next. Christopher's work is extremely eerie to me because of what it's representing; aliens, or extraterrestrial life. The concept of other life is so vast and extensive that it draws even the most skeptical people in, making everyone think. Just as the light in these photos are emphasized from the sun beaming down onto the fabric causing a shine which mimics the same sort of concept as the theory of extraterrestrial life.