The Elena Kalis Photography exhibit at the Duncan Miller Gallery in Bergamot Station is my new Obsession. Titled Ocean Song, the exhibit charts the relationship of mother and daughter in the open ocean off the coast of the Bahamas where they live. With mother as photographer and daughter as model, they’ve co-created surreal and otherworldly images. I’ve seen a lot of underwater photography over the years, but these images take me to a whole new world of tranquility. Innocent. Elegant. Explosive. Haunting. Just some of the words that come to mind when I savor these remarkable photos. I can’t imagine the countless hours these two have spent in the ocean together, not to mention the hours spent choosing and editing the final images.
On Ms. Kalis’s web site, the images are broken down into 3 major galleries, with multiple subheadings. Alice in Waterland, Gallery III, is such a brilliant riff on the classic story of Alice in Wonderland. I look at the images and It’s nearly impossible to understand how she created them, let alone which way is up or down. If you can’t afford a holiday vacation this holiday season, go to her web site, explore her images, turn up the volume, and watch some of the video compilations of her work. The video I’m sharing below makes me think of “O”by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, one of the favorite stage shows I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing. The powerful worlds of water, music and movement come together in a way that taunts me, begging me to return to the bottom of my own pool in my Palm Springs home. When I’m alone there, I’ll spend hours holding my breath, floating in and on the water, or sitting on the bottom of the pool watching the sun filter through the ripples above me. Truly the happiest moments of my life. I suppose that’s why these images of Elena Kalis resonate with me so much. I’m adding her photos to my Christmas wish list.
Show closes January 10, 2015.