By Lisa DiCarlucci
Haunting images of the cemeteries of Scotland were put on display on Nov. 7, on the tenth floor of the Axinn Library. In conjunction with the third annual "LGBT Symposium: Queer Iconography," the Hofstra Museum Gallery's latest exhibit, "Sacred to the Memory: Photographs by Robert Reinhardt" gave a close up look at the beauty and also the deterioration of Scotland's burial grounds.
What first appears as photos of old statues are really an examination of the "sacred grounds" of Scotland's landscape. Reinhardt's photography does not just put sculpture on display, but shows the intricacy of cemetery architecture. The exhibit is not just focused on art, but also the history that the images represent. Each piece of sculpture and tombstone photographed clearly displays strength despite how they have been weathered.
Reinhardt has dedicated the last few years (2006-2008) of his life exploring the undiscovered and neglected cemeteries of Scotland. He has created a visual archive that captures the disregarded art and structure of each graveyard. His collections, all of similar subject matter, have been on display throughout the United States and also in Scotland.
Reinhardt said the pieces in this collection "bring to life a strength that lives on in these objects. They almost seem indifferent to the elements." Each photograph has a life which comes from within the objects that is not diminished by the overgrown landscape and deterioration.
"Sacred to the Memory" will be on display in the Rochelle and Irwin A. Lowenfeld Conference and Exhibition Hall in the Axinn Library until Feb. 6, 2009.
(Lisa DiCarlucci)