For Gray Loft Gallery founder Jan Watten and Executive Director of the Center for Photographic Art Ann Jastrab, pink represents jubilant vibrancy and sheer joy — the perfect hue to center the gallery’s sixth annual color-themed show and a picturesque passion project to allure gallerygoers, getting everyone truly thinking pink.
Gray Loft Gallery is located in Jingletown, a lively pocket arts community in Oakland. Nestled among narrow streets lined with old warehouses turned art galleries — bedazzled with vibrant mosaics and sprawling murals — both Gray Loft’s inconspicuous location and plain building exterior evoke a sense of mystique, branding it a Jingletown gem. After ascending a flight of polished wooden stairs to the third floor, visitors are greeted warmly by Watten, glamorously styled with pink jewelry and eager to whisk audiences away into a tastefully curated, captivating world of pink caprice.
Although the gallery is cozy and small, its high ceilings, smooth gray floors and expansive, well-lit walls expand the space beyond its physical confines, allowing guests’ imaginations to run wild as they indulge in the fantastical photographic world the “Pretty in Pink” juried art exhibition has to offer.
To the immediate left of where visitors enter, a section is set aside for contemplative pieces, conveying delicate, ephemeral beauty where one would not ordinarily think to look. Here, “Solitary in Kerala” by Steve Goldband and Ellen Konar stands — an archival pigment print of a young Indian woman, back turned to the camera draped in a translucent, pastel pink polka-dotted dress against a dark backdrop of weathered stone walls framed by leafy emerald foliage and opaque water at her ankles. Serene and somber, the worn and quiet setting contrasts the subject’s youth and beauty.
On the opposite wall, attire and feminine subjecthood are captured by contrasting methods of heightened euphoria and whimsy. “Pink Joy” by Ingrid Becker portrays a grinning woman dressed in a short-sleeved, hot pink dress jumping high in the air. “The Finest in Blush,” by Raena Frohlich, situates a couple in front of a candy pink, illustrated background of fine curtains and pillars looking in opposite directions. While the man is sharp in a salmon tuxedo and his gaze is distant, the woman stares straight on, looking lavish in a gown of lace and tulle. One is beckoned to wonder at the story behind the couple — all that is revealed through Frohlich’s lens and all that goes unsaid, up to the interpretation of the viewer.
On either side of the gallery’s hallway, primarily nature-themed photographs are featured. One wall features water and a flowing, liquid tonality illuminated by pink. The other features more natural, muted shades. Jenny Sampson’s “Pink Flowers” tintype photograph, etched in deep magenta, is featured in the works of local jeweler and friend Dorie Meister, whose handmade works are also featured in the exhibition.
Whether by featuring emerging photographers beside Jingletown photography veterans, showcasing the talents of artists from a multitude of cultural backgrounds or encouraging collaboration between friends, the beauty of the gallery is most enchanting not just in its content but in its layout. For instance, on the rear of Gray Loft, a shock of cerise is the backdrop of photographs where pink is a dominant component of their graphic design. Opposite, another space lined by gray walls contains photos wrought with emotion and storytelling. How could one not marvel at the expansive array of IVF materials in Caren Alpert’s “This is What It Takes for One Round of IVF” or find delight in the fisherperson’s pink gloves in Candice Jacobus’ “Fresh Fish”?
As guests bid farewell to Gray Loft Gallery, they leave with a fresh admiration for the mesmerizing world of photographic art. Inspired by the exhibition’s celebration of creativity and collaboration, each visitor carries away the beauty and richness discovered during their “Pretty in Pink” exhibition experience.
Gray Loft Gallery is open Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The closing reception will be held on Feb. 24 from 4-6:30 pm.