Bill Aron’s photographs have been seen in these pages before, specifically a book and exhibition, “Shalom Y’All (June 2004)” [on Southern Jewish Communities] and “Holocaust Survivors: The Indestructible Spirit” (November, 2007). This current exhibition, which by the way must be seen up close and personal, seems to fundamentally change the rules and forces us to reassess not only the subject matter he presents, but also the very act of seeing. The lesson here is that photographs are not facts and cannot be inherently trusted as such. Rather they are visual essays of ideas and concepts that need to be carefully and analytically approached. To do so will yield rich rewards for his work and many others, time and time again.
Richard McBee is a painter and writer on Jewish Art. Contact him at [email protected].