“Nothing kills a river like concrete,” says photographer Eddee Daniel. He knows what he is talking about. His work and pieces by installation artist Melanie Ariens are on view at Alfons Gallery in an exhibition that juxtaposes history and reclamation.
“Concrete River: Memorial and Promise on the Kinnickinnic” mirrors the encasement of the natural river. Tall stone-like slabs line the walls. Daniel’s photographs are punctuated by Ariens’ sculptural altars, modeled after Day of the Dead ofrendas. One is framed by a mirror with outlines of the Great Lakes, its silvery surface reflecting a sugar skull with a blue tear dripping down its cheek. The color scheme makes connections to water and nature, and although it is a memorial piece, there is still an optimistic sense. Another is harsher. Made of up trash that Daniel collected from the river, it is an assortment of refuse, including the usual food packages and cans. A deck of playing cards is weirdly unsettling for its combination of fun and abandonment.
Daniel has long been interested in environmental concerns, and was asked to photograph the changes happening as a result of the Kinnickinnic River Corridor Neighborhood Plan. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, working with the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, has taken on the task of removing the concrete lining the river channel between Sixth and 27th streets. It is a way of transforming the river from essentially a long drainage ditch back to something akin to its natural form.
Daniel has a poetic penchant for capturing the landscape in a way that is complex and nuanced, especially within intersections of industry and nature. One pairing of images shows the orange body of a container ship, brightly standing out from the drab atmosphere of a surrounding dock. In a companion piece, the concrete of the river is contrasted with water that runs orange.
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Not all is so bleak, however. Images of verdant flowers and a peaceful river signal bright spots for the future. It is an encouraging sign, especially in the way that art captures life taking a positive turn in our city.
The show runs through July 31 at Alfons Gallery, 1501 S. Layton Blvd.
