Deborah Sullivan's photographic vision is filmic. A single photograph is a still in a strip of celluloid
framing several other photographs. The artworks you see on the walls today are layered and
juxtaposed moments that give viewers radical freedom to construct their own narrative. As a
sophisticated storyteller and an accomplished artist, however, Sullivan does not assemble her
images in a haphazard manner. Look closely at the way color weaves through one image and into
another. Pay attention to the pop of red that emerges throughout the entire collection. Red is
powerfully symbolic as an indicator of love, but also of blood and war. It is a lipstick color that has
become a politically charged accessory for powerful women, the color of city districts known to
offer adult entertainment, and the color of signs and lights that warn us to stop. It traipses through
this exhibition, whispering from the shadows, fiercely punching through as negative space, or taking
center stage as a sassy neon figure. Now search for circles, rectangles, and curves that lead your
eye through one artwork and into the next. These photographs are a record of Sullivan's
adventures and her meditations on survival, but they are also the foundation of a generous and
vulnerable relationship with her viewers as she simultaneously shares a personal tale and invites
you to build your own.
-Heather Murray