A new gallery has opened in the Belgo building – Les Territoires are presenting their inaugural exhibition Nightingale, a collection of photographs and video by Meera Margaret Singh.

Singh’s work is an honest, personal exploration of the aging human body and our traditional perceptions of beauty. To symbolize the “twin impulses of living and dying”, the artist photographed her own mother in semi-nude poses traditionally found in 18th and 19th century romantic painting. Alongside the large format portraits are smaller, unsentimental close-ups of parts of the body which demonstrate the process of aging: veined thighs, long hair peppered with white strands, wrinkled hands. Driving the point home are photos of objects with symbolic connotations of use and age: a slightly wilted head of lettuce, a worn piece of carpeting, a tattered bedspread. The message is clear, but not overstated – just an authentic, intimate look at the beauty of age.
By the way, if you’re interested in showing your work at Les Territoires, they are currently taking submissions. There’s a call for video submissions (deadline September 19) and for exhibition proposals for winter 2009 (deadline October 1).

Les Territoires
space 527
Meera Margaret Singh
Nightingale
exhibition period: September 10 – 30, 2008
www.lesterritoires.org