The saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” is evident through the work of fine art photographer Jane Szabo. Szabo utilizes objects from her childhood home to express the challenges, burdens and joy she experiences as caretaker to her elderly parents, incorporating memory, metaphor and allegory. Szabo’s “Family Matters” photography is on display in the John Wayne Airport Community Focus Space from April 18 – May 16, 2018.
“Through childhood possessions and simple objects, Jane Szabo is able to tell a story of family dynamics depicting her true feelings of pain, loss and hope,” said Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett. “As you travel through John Wayne Airport, take a moment to view her exhibit and learn more about her story.”
After moving her 86-year-old father and 91-year-old mother into assisted living, Szabo began to organize the contents of their home of 36 years. “Family Matters” is a result of the final selection of treasures she kept before placing her parent’s home for sale. Working on this project has helped her unravel and resolve many issues that she was unable to confront about her past.
“Though seeing my parents age and decline is difficult, I feel that I have been given a gift to be able to be a significant part of that transition,” said Szabo.
Using self-portraiture and still life as a vehicle to share stories from her life, Szabo’s work merges her love for fabrication and materials with conceptual photography that bring many facets of visual art, performance and installation into her finished pieces. Her artwork is in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles Museum of Art, Museum of Art & History and her photography has been exhibited widely, including solo shows at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Yuma Fine Art Center in Arizona and Los Angeles Center for Digital Art.
Szabo’s “Family Matters” exhibit may be viewed on the Departure (upper) Level near security screening areas in Terminals A, B and C, and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4. To learn more, visit her website at www.janeszabophotography.com.
Upcoming Community Focus Space artists include painter William Knauer (May 17-June 18) and photographer Douglas Kalagian (June 19 – July 18). For more information about JWA’s Art Programs, visit www.ocair.com/terminal/artexhibits.