NEW LONDON, CONN.- The Lyman Allyn Art Museum announces the opening of The Distance Between Us. The exhibition is on view from August 6 through October 2, 2016.
The Distance Between Us, the latest exhibition in Lyman Allyn’s Near :: New contemporary series, showcases recent work by photojournalist Christopher Capozziello. Here, Chris turns his camera on his own life, and that of his twin brother Nick, who has cerebral palsy. He confronts their differences and the anger and shame he carries over being the healthy twin. Sharing this story was not something Chris ever set out to do; over the years, one picture led to another, and a story emerged.
The Distance Between Us began as a book, and we are thrilled to see Chris’s exceptional work come to life as an exhibition,” says Sam Quigley, Director of the Lyman Allyn. Featured are 33 black and white photographs that reveal the effects of cerebral palsy on Nick’s life. Raw, intimate, and deeply affecting, the images allow the viewer to take a deeper look into a world many normally wouldn’t see.
Along with these primary works, two mirrored sets of small color photographs by Chris and Nick not only document a cross-country journey they took, but attempt to answer a different sort of question: what’s next for the brothers?
In his own words Capozziello says, "The time I have spent with my brother, looking through my camera, has forced me to ask questions about suffering and faith and why anyone is born with disability."
Christopher Capozziello (born 1980) is a freelance photographer and a founding member of AEVUM. His work focuses on documenting both life around him, and stories that are outside of his own experiences. He believes that there is a redemptive quality to photography; that it can take the unpleasant or repulsive and make it beautiful, not by misleading anyone, but by allowing the viewer to stop and take a deeper look at the subject. As a photojournalist, his method of making pictures is not something new or incredibly deep – it is, simply, to tell the truth.
His work has been recognized by World Press Photo, the Alexia Foundation, the Golden Light Awards, the National Headliner Awards, and the China International Press Photo Contest. Christopher’s clients and publications include The New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, L’Express, The Dallas Morning News, The Wall Street Journal, World Vision, Christianity Today, Samaritan’s Purse, Open Society Institute, and The Sunday London Times Magazine, among others.
