Photographs by Gary Cardot

Inspired by the huge pantheon of sub-cultures in America, Cardot exhibits re-constructions of his travels and studies of varied places. Fascinated by people and their decorative talents outside the work place and mainstream life, Gary Cardot has been photographing marginalized sub-cultures and trades including their storefronts, religious shrines, amusement parks, county fairs, pawn shops, mythological sculptures, cemeteries, parades and festivals. Societal signifiers such as Gay Pride parades, Hare Krishna temples, porn shops, nightclubs, Catholic rosary marches, country fairs, and many other events and buildings are portrayed as rich and energetic visual narratives.

Cardot bridges traditional analog photography and new technology in his collages to create a powerful voice for both cultural narrative and free association. Influenced by Dada and Surrealism, as well as artists like Joseph Cornell, Jess, and Arnold Bocklin, Cardot explores sexuality, Romanticism, dreamscapes and the retrieval of memory. His imagination is ignited through working with many images to sew together a whole picture of life lived and celebrated.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.