Photographer Gwen Arkin is bringing her beautiful photos of Merwin’s palm forest to Hawaii Pacific University Art Gallery. The opening is Nov 24, 4-6pm at Hawai’i Pacific University Art Gallery in Kane’ohe, Hawai’i. This not-to-be-missed exhibit runs from November 24 through January 17.
Gwen Arkin has photographed the garden of W. S. Merwin for over two years, from time to time sharing with him both her images and her responses to the rare individual organisms in his unique palm forest garden. Merwin’s generous sharing of his property and quiet support of Ms. Arkin’s artistic voice lends this work deep significance, infusing each image with far more than documentary value. Ms. Arkin intends to remind the viewer that while her processes are material and governed by time, this ethereal, majestic garden abides by a different order. Ms. Arkin’s images pay homage to the palm forest and its individual trees, as well as to the recognition she shares with Merwin of the fleeting, fugitive beauty of the life of a forest. The finished prints offer a view of the forest and its spirit, but more importantly, lends it another voice to the forest itself.