Resist Convenience

Solo Exhibition

March 1 - April 1, 2021

JKC Gallery, Trenton NJ

Statement from the gallery

“Heather Palecek reconnects us to what has always been a fundamental truth about analog photography and that is, making photographs feels like magic.

The inventors of photography were people of science who were experimenting with some of the most basic elements of life and Earth. Elements such as light, water, fire, salts, and precious metals were the building blocks of the alchemy that would become photography. Palecek brings us back to the mystery of those early methods through her incredible knowledge and mastery of the processes that utilize some of those same elements, and that alone is a conversation in itself, but also, that alone does not fully describe her work. Palecek shows us the beauty and phenomena of the ritual passage of time with imagery that can be abstract, impressionistic, and even vernacular, sometimes all at once. By this process and practice of using the elemental forms of photography to show us the beauty and the scars we find in the world, Palecek is reminding us that we need to be mindful of the gifts we have been given by mother nature and to collaboratively work towards preserving, restoring, and as Palecek puts it, “celebrate” our resources before they are too far gone.”

-Michael Chovan-Dalton, Gallery Director

Statement from the artist

“I explore the relationship humans have to mother nature by using historical photographic processes in experimental ways. This has allowed me to discover new approaches in art making where I can collaborate with mother nature to make my work. The photographic materials I choose are placed into the world to be affected by the sun, weather patterns, and other time-based recurrences during the creation of the image.

“Resist Convenience” is an exhibition showcasing a wide breadth of my photographic pursuits: pinhole photography, lumen prints, cyanotypes, site-specific and interactive installations as well as activism work. As a society I believe our desire for convenience is prohibiting us from experiencing life fully, being present in our interactions, having empathy, and living sustainably: I think convenience is killing our humanity and ultimately the Earth. This exhibit ties my philosophy to a few different projects about humans’ relationship with mother nature. You’ll see a series of abstract cyanotypes about climate change made with food waste, yearlong pinhole exposures, a lumen print installation about the negative effect of single-use plastic bags on the environment, as well as a selection of work from my community garden project celebrating the resilience of plants.

I hope you will leave this exhibit thinking about your own relationship to mother nature and how our choices of convenience can impact our relationships with each other and the Earth.”

-Heather Palecek

Recording of the virtual gallery tour and artist talk on 3/9/2021 at 6:45pm