Eye of the Revolution

The entrance to the Steve Kasher Gallery is easy to pass by, without much more than a small poster to trumpet its existence amidst the apartment buildings.  I stepped out of the elevator and was immediately affronted by a wall of silence.  Stark, white walls along with the thin black photo frames declared that this gallery is serious business.

I made my way around the one-room gallery, starting with the photograph labeled number one.  There were no captions for these photos, only small black pins with tiny white numbers placed at the corner of each photo.  Even though the 1960s are famous, or maybe infamous, for the Vietnam War, these photos painted a much different picture – one that showed people not only coming together in an attempt to end the Vietnam war, but also to try to change the society in which they lived.  There were photographs depicting protests for women’s suffrage and civil rights, sky writers writing the “peace” sign, and even a sign nominating Franz Kafka for President.

The theme of the gallery was apparent from the incredible variety of messages being shown in the photographs – freedom of speech.  A photo of a man wearing a pig mask behind a police officer reflected slang of the time, and the man crossing his arms in front of “Patria O Muerte” on a brick wall showed off his patriotism.  The simple design of the gallery and the content of the photos made it the truest expression of free speech that I have ever seen.