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August 29, 2003

World of pictures at the Zack

Three photographers discover they all have "camels" in the bathroom.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

The world will be brought to Vancouver's Zack Gallery next week with the opening of the photography exhibit Camels in the Bathroom. Formed by Baila Lazarus, Alex Gubanov and Roman Elinson, Camels in the Bathroom is comprised of more than 30 photographs taken in such remote locations as Morocco, Death Valley, the Negev Desert and Thailand.

Begun just two months ago, preparations for the exhibit were launched with a casual question Lazarus asked gallery curator Reisa Schneider.

"A friend who has seen the photographs in my apartment suggested I have an exhibit," Lazarus explained. "I gave Reisa a call, just to see what the procedure is to be exhibited and, as it happened, she had just had a cancellation for September."

Lazarus decided to invite Gubanov to exhibit with her and Gubanov suggested Elinson come in as well.

"I'd seen Alex's work and knew that, visually, his images and mine would work well together," Lazarus continued. "He then suggested Roman come on board. It was during an initial conversation between the three of us that the title for the show was born."

That odd title came from the fact that all three exhibitors had pictures of camels hanging in their bathrooms. They began to see it as symbolic. Each has a day job – Lazarus is the editor of the Jewish Western Bulletin and Gubanov and Elinson are both doctors –- but each also has an artistic side expressed through photography. They now see a "camel in the bathroom" being representative of someone's hidden creative side.

"Having 'camels in the bathroom' took on a metaphorical twist – an offbeat tangent that implies an undisclosed creative identity," says their artists' statement. "Some people have skeletons in their closets, these artists have camels in their bathrooms."

Gubanov, who is the only one of the three who has exhibited his work before, said he's taken more than 50 rolls of "birthday parties, weddings and sunny days at the beach" since he moved to Vancouver from Toronto just over a year ago. He said he likes to use his camera as a "pause button."

"I find that the pace of life often distracts us from the beauty of its contents," Gubanov told the Bulletin. "I enjoy using my camera as a pause button, unveiling and celebrating those brief glimpses of truth that we all experience but often miss. I hope that my photographs portray a decisive moment, expressing to the viewer the essence of a particular situation or subject."

Gubanov has taken many of his photos on travels to Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Morocco and Spain. He doesn't limit what he photographs and he enjoys finding beauty in and taking pictures of the simplest objects.

One such image was taken during his first Chanukah in his new apartment in Vancouver. He had moved out in July 2002 and had returned to Toronto in November to bring some personal belongings out, including the menorah.

"Part of the reason that I enjoy Chanukah so much is because I think the candles are really beautiful," said Gubanov. "I was sitting at my computer and looked over and saw the menorah and it looked quite special so I thought I'd try and capture the image." The result is the photo "Hannukah" on this week's Bulletin cover.

Gubanov shoots on a Minolta Maxxum 7000I, "but I never leave home without my Canon Elph," he said.

Elinson also takes many photos while travelling, sometimes going through "40 or 50 rolls" in one year.

He tries to capture "any situation which represents something different from my everyday experience [and] sharpens my awareness of my surroundings. That's usually when the camera comes out. But sometimes the impetus comes from inside; the environment's the same but I might just feel like taking my camera out for a walk."

Elinson, whose work is often quite abstract, wants viewers to experience his images in a personal way.

"Each person will have their own quite unique impression of a given image that is intensified when it involves the heart and imagination," he said. "The more striking the photograph, the more it seems to transcend its subject and imply something dynamic and inexplicable; it becomes a kind of intimate psychological symbol that defies precise definition.

"Life is constantly happening – external reality continuously becomes inner experience. I think the magic of photography is the ability to showcase those special moments that highlight the bridge between the two worlds."

Elinson shoots on a Canon EOS, using 400 speed film.

While Lazarus's images span the globe, as well, many of the photos in this exhibit were taken in Death Valley, Calif.

"It was just my type of place," said Lazarus. "The sand dunes and geological formations were magical, especially as they visually changed with the movement of the sun. After I saw photos I developed from my first trip, I knew I had to go back and I did, just a month later. I knew I had to be at a certain spot at a certain time to get the shots I wanted."

One of those shots is "Liquid," one of Lazarus's favorites.

"People always think it's a painting," she said. "That says something about the beauty of the place."

Although Lazarus is excited about being able to show her work, she said the condensed period of time in which they had to get the exhibit together and the fact that they were all learning on the fly was very draining.

"Two months – that's all we had," she said, adding that the learning curve was immense for her because she had never exhibited before. "There were so many little details to consider, from selecting a font style for the invitations to writing a collaborative artists' statement to selecting mat styles. We were running from photo labs to framing stores and all the while we were all working full time. The learning curve was really steep."

Lazarus, whose photos were taken on Canon AT1 and AE1 cameras, said that when this is all over, she's going to write a book for first-time exhibitors. "No need for everyone else to get so stressed," she laughed.

Camels in the bathroom opens at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver Thursday, Sept. 4, and runs until Oct. 8. Call 604-257-5111, ext. 244, for information.

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