A First Friday pop-up exhibition like no other
By Teresa Bruce
Special to Lowcountry Weekly
The stories readers find in the pages of rare editions at Beaufort’s NeverMore Books stir the imagination and conjure up vivid images. On Friday, Nov. 1, vivid images will be conjuring up stories – thanks to the first fine-art photography show curated by owners Lorrie and David Anderson.
The pop-up First Friday show features the work of three far-flung photographers: Gary Geboy, Mark Kirby and Jacko Vassilev. Like the one-of-a-kind books their work will temporarily displace, no two images on display are remotely alike. This isn’t a show assembled to serve a theme explained by earnest art-speak. These visual raconteurs are more likely to share the backstory of the characters and landmarks in their photographs than primers on the latest cameras.
“That doesn’t mean you should trust any story you hear that night,” says David Anderson. “But their photographs don’t lie. Each one of them is a character study – some of people, others of places you think you know but don’t. Just come and see for yourself.”
Vassilev is traveling the farthest for the show – he lives in Florida now but most of his black-and-white street portraiture is from Bulgaria, his homeland until he escaped from a slave labor camp in the early 1970s. His next project will feature his take on true Americans – from day laborers and drifters to modern-day cowboys.
“The so-called poor are rich in spirit,” Vassilev says. “If your car breaks down in America, they’ll help you fix it and feed you what they’re having. The life I’ve lived is just like theirs and my photos are just a mirror.”
Geboy also made street portraits of overlooked people on his travels as a cinematographer, but for this show he’s giving modern city skylines and zen-like, watery landscapes an artificial intelligence twist. What may seem familiar and natural is actually a form of fiction.
“Whatever is in front of the lens has always just been the starting point for me,” Geboy says. “Many of my collections and shows have used primitive cameras and alternative processes — almost going back in time to show the timelessness. But Friday, you’ll see the future – colors dreamed up by AI and then altered again by me.”
Kirby discovered NeverMore Books at one of its “normal” events – a book signing with an author. The eclectic, ever-changing, almost movie-set design of the store drew him back as much as the impressive art and photography book collections.
He’s excited to break tradition and debut his work at a break-out event like a photo show in a bookstore. “I graduated from West Point. Edgar Allen Poe got kicked out of West Point. So me showing at NeverMore Books has got to be a good omen,” Kirby says.
Or at least a good story – like those that underlie his vibrant, spontaneous street scenes from around the world. Instead of titles for every photo on his website, a behind-the-scenes description pops up in text. A technique he’ll replace with in-person stories at the Nov. 1 show. Truth may be stranger than fiction.
“Mark is an ex FBI-agent. Gary’s been kicked out of the White House press corps. And Jacko still might be wanted in some parts of the world,” says Anderson, but he’s interrupted quickly by co-owner and wife Lorrie.
“Don’t let that fool you,” she says. “All three of these artists are as charming and kind as they are colorful.”
The First Friday photography exhibit at NeverMore Books starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 – with light catering by Matt and Krista of Black Sheep fame. The works on display are available for purchase during the exhibition on site – major credit cards accepted and shipping can be arranged – along with an extensive collection of fine-art photography books. The photographs will disappear almost as fast as the food – the two-day transformation from bookstore to fine art photo gallery reverts to stories told between covers on Monday.
About NeverMore Books
NeverMore Books (910 Port Republic Street, Beaufort) has been a Beaufort-based, independent bookstore for nine years and a New York Times reporting bookstore since 2021. Owners David and Lorrie Anderson opened their original location after retiring from motion-picture set-dressing and the newspaper business, respectively and frequently host book signings and events in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center. NeverMore Books’ extensive collection of art and photography books will be displayed and available for purchase at the First Friday pop-up photography exhibit, as well as first-editions, rare books, biographies, children’s books and literary fiction.
