Grief and resilience in their many shades are the subject of an exhibit at The Photographer’s Eye that will feature collections by two artists, "when stars fell from the sky" by Diana Nicholette Jeon, and "Grieving in Japan" by Sandra Klein. The exhibit will open March 8 and run through Women's History Month, closing on April 5. Jeon’s work, which has been exhibited internationally in more than 200 separate shows, explores universal themes of loss, dreams, memory, and female identity using metaphor and personal narrative. "When stars fell from the sky" stems from a period when Jeon and her husband separated, and evokes the emotions she went through. “It was like a roller coaster I never got in line for,” Jeon said. “There were periods of very high highs and very low lows, and days of just nothing, but it started at devastation.” While Jeon’s art is deeply personal, it speaks to universal emotions, and viewers can see their own emotional journey in when the stars fell from the sky. “Because my work is a reaction to my life and how I feel about things, ... it always stems from me and what I know and I feel and what I’ve experienced,” Jeon said. But it is not merely introspective. “Almost everybody has experienced some kind of debilitating grief.” Jeon worked in Silicon Valley and then earned a BA in Studio Art from the University of Hawaii and a MFA in Imaging and Digital Art from the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Upon returning to Hawaii, Jeon taught digital imaging and motion graphics at the college level before producing her own art on a full-time basis. She is a regular contributor to FRAMES Magazine and the Female Gaze. Los Angeles-based artist Sandra Klein takes her viewer on a similar journey through her exhibit, "Grieving in Japan." Klein has been a frequent visitor to Japan, accompanying her husband on business trips, almost always in winter. She developed a spiritual connection to the country’s landscape and culture. When her son died Klein discovered a solace in Japan that eluded her in her home country. “The time I visited after my son died, I just felt at home and I felt I could grieve there in a way I couldn’t in Los Angeles, where my life is so mundane and filled with errands and noise,” Klein said. “In going to a quiet place that I find really spiritual I felt I could really find peace and quiet and just grieve there.” Klein’s work often incorporates collage and composites, and some of the pieces in "Grieving in Japan" use masks, urns, or fabric sewn into a photograph. The masks are those seen in kabuki theater and conceal rather than reflect emotion. Klein found the masks to be appropriate metaphors for her own emotional state as she endured her grief. The hushed starkness of winter similarly conveys her emotional state. Klein was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and received a BFA from Tyler School of Fine Art in Philadelphia, and an MA in Printmaking from San Diego State University. Her images have been shown throughout the United States and abroad, including one person shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts, the Lishiu and Yixian Festivals in China, the Photographic Gallery SMA in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, and Atlanta Photography Group. The gallery will host an artists reception on March 8 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Photographer’s Eye Collective on Facebook / Instagram
