Resurrections Katrina / Latin Collector Gallery, NY
Dwayne Rodgers
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In late August, Hurricane Katrina devastated America’s Gulf Coast. Horrific images of Americans in the most dire of circumstances were broadcast into our living rooms and across the world. Bodies bloated and floating. Children lost. A man with one leg stranded on a rooftop. The government, impotent and paralyzed. Those images as with all images of disaster and violence, leave a scar in the heart and mind of the viewer. They are poison.
On the morning of September 8th I called my dealer, Generoso Villareal Garza, and asked if he help me could secure a gallery space to stage an auction of photography to benefit Katrina relief. One hour later, I received a call that without hesitation Frederico Seve at the Latin Collector Gallery had agreed to turn over his gallery and his staff for the auction.
That evening I decided that I did not want a random collection of images as with most auctions. I set out to organize an exhibit, which would culminate in an auction. At first I thought to do an exhibit that featured only images of children. That was too easy. I wanted something more conceptual. I asked myself what was need now. After much thought I came up with the idea to curate an exhibit based on the idea of resurrection.
The next morning I wrote a letter to photographers that I know and asked them to create or search their archives for an image that reflected the concept of resurrection. I asked them to interpret the notion freely and imaginatively. The response was immediate and overwhelming. The photographers were happy to contribute their photographs for a good cause. They were also excited about the prospect of searching their archives to reinterpret their work and to show work that had not been shown. The base of photographers that I know personally passed the word along and in the end "Resurrections" included works by 69 photographers.
I asked the venerable Gordon Parks to contribute a piece to the show, and his interpretation of the theme was his iconic 1970 photograph of Muhammad Ali, formerly Cassius Clay. That piece sold for $6500 to actors Boris and Nikki Kodjoe of Los Angeles.
On October 17th, the closing reception of "Resurrections" was attended by nearly 500 people and $20,000 was raised for Katrina relief efforts. The gallery extended the bidding on works that were unsold until October 22, 2005.
