The Camera's Lie

The camera is supposed to be a faithful correspondent, capturing exactly what's in front of it when the shutter opens. But even the camera can lie, as An Altered Reality, the new exhibition at phd gallery, proves. Linda Mueller and Emily Stremming both photograph real-world objects, but their work surpasses representational documentation. Mueller shoots still lifes, but then digitally manipulates what the camera saw, rejiggering the perspective point so that her world is one of unsettling angles and impossible geometry. Stremming photographs cityscapes with a large-format camera, then slices her archival prints into strips which she weaves back together by hand to create a jagged-edged facsimile of her subject. An Altered Reality opens with a free public reception from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, November 2, at phd gallery (2300 Cherokee Street; 314-664-6644 or www.phdstl.com). The show remains up through Saturday, November 30, and the gallery is open Thursday through Sunday.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: Nov. 2. Continues through Nov. 30, 2013