A Conversation with Nubar Alexanian
May 28, 2016 · 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
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Nubar Alexanian, Seagull – Cigar Joe II, 1980
Trident Gallery is pleased to host a moderated conversation with artist Nubar Alexanian on the occasion of the recent publication of his limited edition large-format book of photographs, Gloucester: When the Fish Came First.. A selection of Alexanian’s photographs will be on view, and copies of the book will be available at a 10% discount. This event is free and open to the public.
In the summer of 1979 Nubar Alexanian stepped aboard the vessel Joseph and Lucia II for ten days of fishing on Georges Bank with the Brancaleone family of Gloucester and their crew. More trips followed in 1980 and 1981, and the photographs taken on those voyages form the heart of Gloucester: When The Fish Came First. The collection is both a comprehensive document of commercial fishing in New England before its steep decline and a love poem to the city of Gloucester and her people, revealing and honoring Gloucester’s enigmatic soul, resilient spirit and hard-won character.
“In his fish photos Alexanian finds a metaphor of the people of Gloucester – endangered, atavistic, communal – and they’re as riveting as they are forlorn.”
—Christopher Mills, The Boston Phoenix
“These images manage to be beautiful and honest at the same time. They are the real Gloucester, hard edges and all.”
—Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm
“Alexanian’s pictures are metaphors. Read them like poems.”
—The Boston Globe
The book is distributed exclusively through the Rocky Neck Art Colony. Five hundred copies have been printed, each numbered and signed by the author. For further information about the book and the artist, visit the book’s official website at WhenTheFishCameFirst.com.
After a brief introduction to the artist and the new book, the audience is invited to participate in a moderated conversation with the artist about the images in the book, the artist’s craft and perspectives, the history of Gloucester — about any topic to which the images may take us.
Trident Gallery is located within the Harbortown Cultural District designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a walkable area having a concentration of rich and enduring cultural offerings. The gallery is proud to host a Conversation with Nubar Alexanian as an official event of the first annual Harbortown Arts Festival, May 28–29.