North Gallery
M. Teresa Valero
The Levant: Lebanon and Syria Through Western Eyes
September 10 thru October 28, 2007
In her photography exhibit, The Levant: Lebanon and Syria Through Western Eyes, M. Teresa Valero has created a travelogue of images inspired by her interest in the social, religious and economic realities of life in these societies. Through her photographs of boys herding sheep over dirt roads, women caring for their children and men selling beans and spices in open air markets, Valero sees herself as a sort of anthropological observer.
"The Levant" is the name for the group of countries that border the eastern Mediterranean Sea - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Turkey and part of Egypt. Valero said she chose the name as the title for her exhibition because it so aptly expresses the paradox that emerged for me from the scenes and faces I captured. Like the sun that will always rise as it has since time began, everyday chores and habits have not changed for centuries. At the same time, each revolution of the earth brings a new day, in which people change, culture mutates, and unpredictable events unfold.
Unlike some photographers, Valero shoots on slide film, scans the slide and prints the digital image. In many of her previous photographs, she used black and white film. But through her travels, Valero explained that, color had to happen, after she encountered the saturated blues and beautiful greens of the countryside. The faces of the people she met, however, became her favorites.
"Each photo becomes a record of a moment in the lives and times of the people of The Levant, who are as enduring as the rising sun, and as surprising as the freshness of a day unlike any other."
Valero, a native of Venezuela, is an Applied Associate Professor of Art, Graphic Design at The University of Tulsa where she is the Director of the School of Art. In 2001 she was awarded an outstanding teaching award by The University of Tulsa, and again in 2003 by the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences at TU. In 2007 Valero received the Pinnacle Award for the Arts and Humanities presented by the Women Foundation and the MayorÕs Commission on the Status of Women.
In addition to her teaching duties, she works as a photographer and graphic designer, winning many awards in advertising and design. Her photographs have been exhibited around the United States as well as overseas and she has curated many exhibitions.
Valero graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Art History, and later received a master's degree in Art History. She lives in Tulsa with her husband Ghayth Coussa and her son Valerio.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information contact Scott Cowan at 405.521.2931 or scott@arts.ok.gov.
The North Gallery is located on the 1st floor of the State Capitol and open daily from 8:00-5:30.
