The Gallery at BRIC House recently featured an exhibit of photographs entitled “Brooklyn Photographs”. The exhibit, which ran from September 7 through October 29, 2017 was curated by Elizabeth Ferrer, and included works by eleven photographers. The theme of the exhibit was the changing neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The photographs of Brooklyn neighborhoods including Bushwick, Williamsburg, Flatbush and others, spanned a period of about fifty years, from the 1960’s through the present, all depicting some aspect of Brooklyn and its people.

Most of the photographers focused on one particular type of subject or idea. For example, George Malave took black and white photographs of children in poor neighborhoods, contrasting their happy expressions with their bleak surroundings. Sergio Purtell photographed stark cityscapes and neighborhoods under construction. Eve Laramee photographed artists in their work spaces. Yolanda Adradade focused on stores and fast-food restaurants. Nelson Bakerman’s work focused on the construction of the Barclay’s Center.  

In its premise, the theme of the exhibit might sound interesting to some viewers, however, in its execution it fell short. The quality of photography in this exhibit was uneven. Many of the photographs I did not find especially impressive. They appeared overly simplistic and some even amateurish, the type of picture a non-professional might take with their ordinary camera. There were even some in which the subject was blurry. Other pieces that were more polished and appealing might have provided a better show on their own, but they suffered by being in the company of these less impressive works.

Besides the varying quality of the photographs, I also felt that some of the pieces were less successful than others in conveying the theme of the changing neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Some were generic images of people that could have been taken anywhere, for example “Handshake” by Meryl Meisler, while others were more identifiable as being of specific neighborhoods and places, such as Sergio Purtell’s photographs of building and street corners.

Of all the photographs on display, the ones depicting the construction of the Barclay’s Center by Nelson Bakerman were the most well done and impressive. They were more polished and had the quality one would expect from an exhibit of professional photography. In addition to the photographs displayed on the wall, there was a tablet containing all of Mr. Bakerman’s photographs chronicling the construction of the Barclay’s Center. In addition to allowing the viewer to admire his photography, this allowed one to see the entirety of the construction project.

On the whole, I found the exhibit to be subpar and not especially effective. The less attractive photographs took away from the overall success of the exhibit and reduced the impact of the stronger pieces. I would have preferred to see fewer pieces but with a higher and more consistent quality. I would not recommend this exhibit, and one looking for interesting photographs of Brooklyn might do better elsewhere.