The Human Condition FORLittle Girl In Slum of Boeung Kak Lake, Cambodia IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 1, 2009 The Human Condition Photographs by Samantha Oulavong and Her students www.lensofvisionexpression.org
www.samanthaphotography.com

Exhibit Dates: June 12-August 30, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday, June 12 from 5:00-7:30 P.M. Light hors d’oeuvres and cash bar The opening reception is free and open to the public.

Location: 20 E. Downer Pl., Aurora, IL 60506, first floor gallery

Regular Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Sunday from Noon-4:00 P.M. Suggested Donation: $3.00 for Adults $1.50 for Students and seniors

Contact: Rena Church (630) 906-0654 FAX: (630) 906-6892 EMAIL: rchurch@aurora-il.org Off street parking available at Downer & Stolp. For free parking, bring your ticket to the Museum Shop to be validated.

The Aurora Public Art Commission presents The Human Condition, photographs by Samantha Oulavong and her students from Nicaragua, Haiti and Cambodia. This exhibit will be on display from June 12 through August 30, 2009. The opening reception for The Human condition will be Friday, June 12 from 5:00-7:30 P.M. The reception will include light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Sam Oulavong is an award winning photographer who has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. In writing about her work Oulavong has stated: “When I was younger, I would often wonder why anyone would want to take photos of people suffering. I could not stand to see these images because it draws too much emotion out of me and makes me uncomfortable. Now in my 30’s I have accidentally discovered the power of photojournalism and the impact this genre have on people’s beliefs and values. My career as a photographer began in the summer of 2007 when I had the opportunity to do a photography workshop with the children from the barrio of Villa Esparanza in Nicaragua. While there, I started documenting the children at home, at play, and at work. Then I got interested in documenting their community. From there, my passion to teach photography to marginalized children, travel, and the art of photography itself grew into an obsession. This obsession led me start LOVE, Lens Of Vision & Expression, a non profit organization that works to transform the lives of marginalized children through the art of photography. In March 2008, I did a photography workshop with the children of La Chureca, Managua’s landfill which is home to over 200 families. There are over 1,200 people digging through society’s waste to find food and make a living by searching for recyclables. There in the landfill you see men, women, and children competing with live-stock and to survive. The photographs in this series are images that I was able to capture through my trip to Nicaragua. I want to capture not only the grace of the people, but their lives as well. Photojournalism, I have realized, is not limited to showing the sufferings of humans, but it can also document the joy of human accomplishments and interactions. Today, more than ever, images are shaping our understanding of the world and its social issues. Exciting new means of distribution and publishing have provided imagers with new opportunities to bring to light issues of importance. Because photographs inspire great change…Just look at history: ninety years ago, young children labored long and often dangerous hours in fields, factories and mines throughout the United States. Upon seeing a groundbreaking “photo story” exposing this situation, public outrage forced legislators to pass stricter labor laws that ended the horrors of child labor in the United States.” .