Robin Schwartz - My Amelia Project

Robin Schwartz’s photographs of her daughter Amelia transcend our traditional notions of pictures of children and animals. In “My Amelia Project,” which will be shown at Safe-T-Gallery at 111 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn from May 18th to June 16th, 2007, Ms Schwartz presents a series of images that capture a fantasy world of exotic animals, through which the young Amelia walks with a studied nonchalance, and the more subtle interplay of a loving mother and a young daughter growing up together.

Schwartz has a fine background in photographing animals, both wild and domestic and the Amelia photography project began on a backstage shoot at the circus, when she noticed that her three-year old was gravitating toward a young chimp, Ricky. Eventually Amelia was arm in arm with her new soul-mate. The resulting photograph shows the dignified entwined couple looking insouciantly out, straight towards the viewer/mother, who may as well be a hundred miles away.

  Young children inevitably are drawn to these photographs of Amelia, someone like themselves, yet with a grave affinity for animals that can appear almost magical. In a black dress, with a hand outstretched, Amelia, circled by a group of small spotted deer, appears to be both a concerned friend of the animals and a kind of child priestess-in-training, who gently commands them. On another day, Amelia seated indoors, appears unconcerned that a large striped-tailed, white-bellied lemur is leaping right above her head. Robin Schwartz is blessed with both a disciplined compositional eye and a generous sense of humor.

   Robin Schwartz’s work has been much published and exhibited. Her two books are Like Us: Primate Portraits (1993) about people and their primates, and Dog Watching (1995) which included smartly dressed canine pets as well as a pack of feral dogs living in Brooklyn. Some of the “My Amelia Project” photographs were recently featured in The Fader magazine in May/June 2006 <click here>. Her work can be found in many private and corporate collections. In the New York City area her photographs are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum.

  Join the artist for a reception Friday, May 18th from 6 to 8 PM, children and pets are welcome.


© Robin Schwartz
Robin Schwartz’s photographs of her daughter Amelia transcend our traditional notions of pictures of children and animals. In “My Amelia Project,” which will be shown at Safe-T-Gallery at 111 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn from May 18th to June 16th, 2007, Ms Schwartz presents a series of images that capture a fantasy world of exotic animals, through which the young Amelia walks with a studied nonchalance, and the more subtle interplay of a loving mother and a young daughter growing up together. Schwartz has a fine background in photographing animals, both wild and domestic and the Amelia photography project began on a backstage shoot at the circus, when she noticed that her three-year old was gravitating toward a young chimp, Ricky. Eventually Amelia was arm in arm with her new soul-mate. The resulting photograph shows the dignified entwined couple looking insouciantly out, straight towards the viewer/mother, who may as well be a hundred miles away. Young children inevitably are drawn to these photographs of Amelia, someone like themselves, yet with a grave affinity for animals that can appear almost magical. In a black dress, with a hand outstretched, Amelia, circled by a group of small spotted deer, appears to be both a concerned friend of the animals and a kind of child priestess-in-training, who gently commands them. On another day, Amelia seated indoors, appears unconcerned that a large striped-tailed, white-bellied lemur is leaping right above her head. Robin Schwartz is blessed with both a disciplined compositional eye and a generous sense of humor. Robin Schwartz’s work has been much published and exhibited. Her two books are Like Us: Primate Portraits (1993) about people and their primates, and Dog Watching (1995) which included smartly dressed canine pets as well as a pack of feral dogs living in Brooklyn. Some of the “My Amelia Project” photographs were recently featured in The Fader magazine in May/June 2006 <click here>. Her work can be found in many private and corporate collections. In the New York City area her photographs are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum. Join the artist for a reception Friday, May 18th from 6 to 8 PM, children and pets are welcome.