Combining two different cultural phenomena and presenting a stark yet thought-provoking juxtaposition, Southern Expressionism and the Spirit of Zen is now on display at the Louise Brown Art Gallery located in the Bryan Center. The exhibit features photographs by award-winning photographer Paul Dagys. One half of the exhibit depicts the American South, while the other half presents the Zen aspect of nature.
The inclusion of these two different cultural manifestations in the same exhibit is purposefully done.
"Well, they're different," he said. "But there is a time for every purpose, a time to laugh, a time to cry. The south side is the high stimulus side, while the Zen side is more the reflexive side."
The Brown Gallery is unconventional in how it is designed, which is part of what motivated Dagys to come to Duke to display his work.
"When I applied for the exhibit, I realized that the space is divided into two rooms, and I thought that it would be great to be able to put this exhibit into two modes," Dagys said.
Dagys hopes that students who come to see the exhibit will embark on a mini journey of stimulation and reflection.
"In a way it does seem logical for me to do the South first, because it's more in tune with where your mind is at," he said, "and then you go to the Zen side and hopefully have a more contemplative and reflective experience before you leave the exhibit."
Dagys' philosophy, when it comes to photography, is to capture and display beautiful scenes of ordinary places. During his 20 years of working as a freelance photographer, he has worked for publications like Time, Life, People, Smithsonian and Newsweek.
For Dagys, the American South has always attracted his attention. His photographs include poverty and wealth, a Ku Klux Klan rally, an Elvis vigil and a couch burning taken on a certain campus following the 1991 NCAA championship game.
"Religion is very important to the South, but it has social problems and complications," Dagys said. "The religion of hatred, of Elvis, of basketball. It seems the rest of America is becoming more like the South, particularly in her musical, religious and political trends."
Also, Dagys emphasizes the close proximity of most of the scenes depicted in his photography.
"A lot of this stuff is very recent and close to my home [in Cary]," he said.
But the South doesn't exemplify all of what Dagys wants to display. He also wishes to help people de-stress their lives though his photography.
"The thing that people have so much stress about is something they think is going to happen in the future, or they regret something they screwed up in the past," Dagys said. "So the future and the past are things that you cannot control, so if you focus on the present and take care of the present, the past and future will take care of themselves."
Dagys encourages focus on the present through shots of nature inspired by Zen teachings and philosophies. For example, he presents us with the image of a twig's reflection as it floats in a lake. The simplistic beauty captured in this photograph allows viewers to lose themselves in the moment.
The particular dichotomy of Southern Expressionism and the Spirit of Zen serves to stimulate awareness of the South and to provide a transient sanctuary from our everyday stresses.
Southern Expressionism and the Spirit of Zen will be on exhibit at the Louise Brown Art Gallery through Dec. 6, 2007.
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