Physical Boundaries

January 22, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Museum of Photographic Arts

Physical boundaries. There maybe has never been a better time to broach the subject than in today’s world of #MeToo, Trump’s antediluvian view of (Muslim) immigrants and his damn border wall.

The Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego’s Balboa Park had on display a student exhibition* that mostly focused on physical boundaries. Boundaries created by walls and fences; boundaries within nature; travel and relationship boundaries; political and physical boundaries and boundaries created by both city and country, wealth and poverty.

Two things I took away from the exhibit.

First, there are some strikingly creative, inspiring young photographers out there and, second, many of the youth partaking in the exhibit see a world vastly different from what I saw through my eyes as a child. And not for the better.

My world wasn’t perfection. No one’s is. But compared to what is happening today, I (thankfully) lived in an episode of ‘The Wonder Years’.

Today’s issues aren’t new. Bullying. LGBT. Sexual abuse. Poverty. Drugs. Parenthood. I think they are just intensified by the constant velocity and span of social media. For instance, the ability to hide behind a smart phone and systematically destroy someone else’s confidence is both tragic and cowardly.

I’m rooting for strength, hope, resilience and love getting these kids through whatever horror and sadness they witness in their lives. Maybe my rose-colored glasses need cleaning, but judging by the work hanging on these walls, I don’t think so. They got this.

*12th Annual Juried Youth Exhibition showcasing local K-12 students across San Diego County & Tijuana.

Keywords: art, art gallery, boundaries, california, exhibit, mopa, museum, photography, san diego, students

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