DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTO
“Nini” detail located on the wall of Cafe Nine, Crown Street side.
“Why are you showing your photographs there? The lighting isn’t right, it isn’t a gallery, and no one will take the art seriously.”
The question and comment was put to New Haven photographer Hayward Gatling by a friend in reference to his photography exhibit, “Nein Neun @ Nine” — no nines figure into the exhibit — featuring sixteen nature-inspired images that opened on Nov.6 at Cafe Nine at State and Crown streets and runs through the end of the month.
Gatling was undaunted by the assertion that Cafe Nine is not a suitable venue for visual art. The bar has become a bit of an art lover’s destination owing to “Nini,” a beautiful exterior installation piece by renowned street artist Swoon, who put up her paste-up block print under the auspices of New Haven’s Site Projects, just over a year ago.
Neon signs in the window compete for attention.
Gatling’s friend has a point about the lighting. Cafe Nine is known for its busy schedule of live music, featuring “national, regional, and local acts seven days a week.” But it is lighting-challenged when it comes to displaying visual art. The few spotlights that are available do a fair job of lighting the works; Gatling said more spots are on the way.
Also disturbing the exhibition-craft is Cafe Nine’s own signage and some furnishings. Handsome and artful in their own right, the items interfere with the visual flow of exhibit pieces in some areas. Though that is perfectly understandable for a venue without pretension. Cafe Nine is not trying to masquerade as a gallery.
Gatling is well aware of all this. He has curated art exhibits in actual galleries and explained his rationale for choosing the nightspot.
“I don’t just want to show in galleries, but want to reach people in places where art is not expected,” he said. Gatling also talked about his connection to the club’s owner, Paul Mayer, and business. “He’s a friend and I feel like this place is my home — it’s a good place to grab a drink.”
Gatling’s exhibit has made Cafe Nine also a place to grab some good photography. The exhibit encompasses imagery based on his longtime passion for careful observation of nature. Whether photographing birds at close range…
…or capturing the turbulence…
…flow and reflections of water, there is always something beyond the mere surface of the photograph.
“Dead in the water.”
In “Dead in the Water,” light reflections on the Mill River near East Rock conjure the contorted visages of human faces. Gatling said he learned later that a dead body had been submerged beneath the water at the very spot and time of his shoot.
Gatling with his Nikon Camera.
A Nikon P 900 camera with 24 – 2000 mm zoom lens allows Gatling to enter the personal sphere of creatures in ways not usually possible with the naked eye. Whether photographing birds or amphibians, Gatling’s images transcend the usual photographic aesthetic of the creatures to reveal humorous personifications through their eyes and expressions.
“Toad’s place.”
There is the wary stare of a giant bullfrog seconds before disappearing under a screen of lily pads…
Great Blue Heron.
… a predatory blue heron’s frozen patience …
“Angry bird, Rincon, P.R.
… and the incredulous umbrage of an angry bird.
“Grandma and Grandpa.”
In “Grandma and Grandpa,” Gatling takes personification to new levels as he swaps out ancestral portraits in gold-leaf frames for the close-up images of a dignified turkey vulture and guinea hen.
Gatling said he does not use photo processing programs for anything but the occasional cropping of his images. This series departs from his more abstract, impressionistic interpretations of nature, requiring a different skill set to produce. Being able to navigate the natural environment to take his pictures is a process unto itself, one in which he said he had to learn to stay safe and become an effective photographer.
“Nein Neun @ Nine” at Cafe Nine affords the opportunity to glimpse Gatling’s experiences in nature — and enjoy a drink and live music in the bargain.
“Nein Neun @ Nine” runs through November. Gatling may periodically swap out images — part of the flexibility of not showing in a conventional venue. To see more of Gatling’s photography, visit his Facebook Page.