Eye-catching black and white photographs taken of Denver community members line the walls of the Victoria Myhren Gallery, as part of the “Joel Dallenbach: Sidewalk Stories” art exhibit that opened last Thursday night and will be showing through the month of March.
The exhibit features over 100 photos that photographer Dallenbach has taken in Denver over several decades, some dating back to 1982, keeping a camera with him everywhere he goes, many of his photos are impromptu, which gives them a unique edge.
“Photography is a good filter for life,” said Dallenbach.
Most of his photos show human subjects partaking in day-to-day activities, such as walking across a street or a band playing at a performance. Untitled and with no descriptions, some of Dallenbach’s photographs have no human subjects but rather depict graffiti painted on alley walls, leaving interpretations open.
“I don’t plan these stories, I just observe them,” said Dallenbach.
Each photo is distinctive, as some shots are out of focus, while others are close up with sharp focus. Some photos are shot using bright lights, adding emphasis on subjects in comparison to the background.
He also depicts some of his subjects as blacked -out shadows with a contrasting bright light in the background. His ability to capture these images using a variety of techniques gives meaning to the age-old saying a picture is worth a thousand words.”
The subjects of many of his photos seem to be unaware of their photograph being taken, while others are completely aware, but unwilling, participants. For example, one photo shows a man blocking his face from the camera.
This is proof of Dallenbach’s dedication to photography which has, in some cases, led to injuries. As written by Dan Jacobs, the director of the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery and the curator for University Art Collections, Dallenbach has gotten into altercations, one such resulting in a black eye, shown through a self portrait on display at the event.
Developing his own photographs for the exhibit, Dallenbach manipulated a number of photographs to explore different elements and tonal range through abstraction, according to the exhibition description.
“I like the idea of doing the process yourself,” said Dallenbach. “No one has to see it until it’s finished.”
The opening reception was not overcrowded, allowing visitors to move through the gallery comfortably and enjoy the food and refreshments available. A local band, Pythian Whispers, played at the event with Dallenbach, who is also a musician but not a member of the band.
Members of the DU and Denver community came out to appreciate Dallenbach’s art, which has not been given much recognition outside of the photo community, according to Jacobs.
“This is the largest exhibit that Joel has been a part of,” said Jacobs. “He has not had much of a profile with galleries and museums.”
This exhibit will be at DU during March in celebration of the month of Photography in Denver. Other photography exhibits around Denver include the Will Wilson-Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange at the Denver Art Museum from March 23-31.
“We knew we wanted to have a photography-oriented exhibit and we wanted someone local,” said Jacobs , referring to choosing an artist for this month’s exhibit.
Jacobs was introduced to Dallenbach by Paul Harbaugh, who was familiar with Dallenbach’s work.
“The Joel Dallenbach: Sidewalk” Stories exhibit will be at DU from Feb. 21 – March 31. The gallery is in the Schwayder Art Building located at 2121 E. Asbury Ave. It will be open everyday from noon-4 p.m.
