Monmouth Museum presents: Rafal Goraczniak: Beyond Badlands

Edward Abbey wrote “A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.”

Rafal Goraczniak is the next Monmouth Museum New Jersey Emerging Artist featured in the Series, and will be on exhibit at the Museum from June 8 – July 8, 2018. He is a New Jersey based artist, from Hillsborough. Goraczniak’s Photography exhibition, Beyond Badlands will open on June 8, 2018 with a reception from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM in the Nilson Gallery at the Museum. Goraczniak’s Gallery Talk will be held on June 27^th from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Both the opening reception and gallery talk are free and open to the public.

“For me, photography does exactly this thing. The camera is like a brake, that helps me slow down to engage more deeply with where I am in space and time. From the Pine Barrens of New Jersey to the high desert of the Colorado Plateau, I find inspiration in what is often overlooked, the simple things that are hidden in an intimate landscape. In my work, I strive to create unique but realistic images with a surreal twist; photographs that offer visual metaphors for thoughts and feelings, rather than simply record the reality surrounding me,” said Goraczniak

“The desert landscape is my beloved subject. It is a place where, instead of chasing the light, I simply allow the light to capture me. My favorite moments are when desert light transforms ordinary sandstone into otherworldly formations. Viewers often see sunlit sandstones only for their radiant and saturated colors, so I deliberately chose black and white presentation to expose their beautiful forms, rich with textures and complex geometries. My approach to sandstone photography is to capture both its roughness and its softness, to show that it was formed from sand and will turn into sand again, to convey the message that nothing is lost in the universe.”

Since 2007 the Monmouth Museum has presented the work of NJ emerging artists through its popular series, The New Jersey Emerging Artists Series. The Series consists of six annual monthly solo exhibitions to showcase the new work of NJ artists who have not previously held one-person exhibitions in our State. The Nilson Gallery in the Monmouth Museum provides a unique and exciting opportunity for these artists to exhibit their work. Selected artists are guided through the exhibition process, provided promotional materials and encouraged to give an Artist’s Talk during their exhibition, offering the public insight into their artistic process. All opening receptions & Gallery Talks are free and open to the public. The artists selected for this Series represent the diversity of talent in the State and demonstrate creativity in a wide variety of media.

The Monmouth Museum, founded in 1963 as a Museum of Ideas, presents changing art, history and science exhibitions to educate and entertain while providing a destination for creative expression and life-long learning to the diverse community it serves.

For more information about the Monmouth Museum exhibits and programs their website is www.monmouthmuseum.org or call 732-747-2266. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. The Monmouth Museum is located
 on the campus of Brookdale Community College. 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ. Follow signs to Parking Lot #1, off Museum Drive.