Deep Breath opening reception

Join the Gordon Parks Gallery for the opening reception of Deep Breath: New Works by Melissa Borman on Thursday, April 17, from 5–7:30 p.m.

Photography, video, and sound installation are combined by noted Minnesota-based artist Melissa Borman in her engaging, immersive, and poignant presentation about the importance of breathing in our lives.

Breathing is an indicator of one’s current embodied condition and is a fundamental human function that we often take for granted. The act of taking a breath; of inhaling and exhaling is more than functional. It is also a powerful metaphor for life and death. Breathing is often automatic, so when it is inhibited or strained it becomes a conscious act and makes us acutely aware of our existence and interdependence on the environment around us. Embracing these concepts, Borman created a new body of work that envelopes the gallery space. For the artist, breathing is a personal and vulnerable expression of memory, grief, loss, and resilience.

The exhibition is presented as several interwoven sections—video, sound, photography, and a public reading area—creating a multi-sensory, temporal experience. A multi-channel immersive sound work envelopes the viewer through delicate audio and the large, nuanced narrative of the projection draws one into the space. The reading area includes an additional sound work (on headphones) and several publications, which underscore Borman’s research-based practice.

The show will continue through June 21. Gallery hours are 1 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The gallery is located on the first floor of the Library and Learning Center, 645 East Seventh Street, at the university’s Saint Paul Campus.

For more information about the exhibit, contact Dr Megan Arney Johnston, interim gallery director, at 651.999.5942 or megan.johnston@metrostate.edu.