MILLENNIAL LIFE IN ANCHORAGE THE FOCUS OF UPCOMING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION

THE BEAUTY OF THE EVERYDAY AND THE INTRICACIES OF FRIENDSHIP ARE AT THE HEART OF JOVELL RENNIE: THE PLACE I CALL HOME, OPENING APRIL 22 AT THE ANCHORAGE MUSEUM

April 18, 2022

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – A new exhibition of photographs by Jovell Rennie called The Place I Call Home reflects the people, places, textures, and moods Rennie associates with his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. The images on view in this exhibition reflect on friendship as a process of creative exchange, the freedom of wild spaces, and the sense of beauty that emerges from taking a closer look at our most intimate everyday surroundings.

Born in Trinidad and raised mostly in Alaska, Rennie reveals varied facets of millennial life in Alaska’s largest urban center through his photographs: wild landscapes glimpsed through the window of a car, portraits of friends, snapshots of strip malls, parking lots and other overlooked corners of the city. The Place I Call Home is about friendship as a process of creative exchange, the freedom of wild spaces, and the sense of beauty that emerges from taking a closer look at our most intimate everyday surroundings.

Included within the exhibition is an edition of prints on t-shirts, as well as a display of disposable camera photos taken by Rennie’s friends and acquaintances. As an early adopter of Instagram, a streetwear fanatic, and a collector of analog cameras, Rennie has developed an aesthetic in formed by urban trends, the democratic appeal of social media, and the approachability of low-fi camera technologies.

“I don’t think that there’s such a thing as the ‘perfect camera’ or that you need something fancy to make compelling images,” Rennie said on his love of analog cameras and the photographic process of discovery. “But I do understand the joy of using something that feels just right in your hands. Ultimately, the best camera to take photos with is whatever you have access to. The heart of an image comes from curiosity, not the equipment that was used to make it. Curiosity of your surroundings, of your community, and of yourself.”

The Place I Call Home is a continuation of a series of programs titled Black Lives in Alaska: Journey, Justice, Joy and connects to the Rasmuson Foundation project Black in Alaska.