EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - A new photography exhibit opens at the Pablo Center on February 10, with the aim of engaging and educating about the lives of people beyond our borders. The Eau Claire photographer behind the exhibit shares perspective from his travels abroad.
“His story is amazing, and his eye as a photographer is valid and vital and crucial to our human existence,” Rose Dolan-Neill, the assistant director of artistic programming at the Pablo Center said. She added that Mark Aumann’s work isn’t simply a collection of great photography, it’s a showcase of humanity. The Eau Claire native’s exhibit spans from Guatemala in 2019 to war-torn Nicaragua in 1988.
“The war in Nicaragua was a war on civilians. It wasn’t a direct military-on-military type of engagement," Aumann said. "Seeing first-hand the reality there, documenting it, coming back home, and engaging and getting active here politically, really made a difference. And I think that kind-of prevented further carnage and bloodshed in Nicaragua.
“Over the years you get used to seeing some of this kind of suffering, but you never really get used to it. There are moments when you see things out on the streets in some of these places that I’ve had the good fortune of visiting, and it’s a reality check and it really makes you wonder.”
The Pablo Center prioritizes the human connection in every new visual art exhibit. Dolan-Neill said Aumann’s work fits the bill perfectly.
“Does it speak to the human condition? Does it elevate us or educate us in some way?" Dolan-Neill asked. "Mark does both of those things. His photography really zeroes in on the human scale and tells a story of dignity and suffering, but lifting up through the rubble of what can happen in a human existence.”
Aumann’s exhibit is called 'Human.' It is free and open to the public from through June 25. To view all of the visual arts exhibits the Pablo Center has to offer, click here.
