Real and Surreal/
Transitions

Jo Levine and Judy Bonderman

Curated by Gaby Mizes

May 21st - June 14th, 2025

Real and Surreal presents photographs by Studio Gallery members Judy Bonderman and Jo Levine that explore the thin line between the factual and the imaginary. While photographing separately, the two artists collaborated on the show’s theme and production.

Judy Bonderman’s show (subtitled Transitions) consists of images of aquatic plants, frogs, water snakes, and goldfish inspired by walks through the Tregaron Conservancy. The underlying theme is a retreat, a quiet reflection, an invitation to “Be Still.” Rather than reproducing what the lens sees, Judy exaggerates and romanticizes in her digital interpretations to convey what, for her, lies between reality and abstract fantasy. 

In Jo Levine’s photographs, light fixtures are suspended in the sky, structures float in the air, and lines bend and fracture eerily, creating visual puzzles for the viewer. Although her pictures look digitally manipulated, they aren’t. Her mysterious photos are all reflections – off water, glass, or other shiny surfaces – that naturally distort the scenes they mirror, making them simultaneously real and surreal.

Transitions was inspired by walks in the Tregaron Conservancy, 13 acres of protected parkland in the heart of the city. After several years of COVID-induced restrictions and uncertainties, it’s time to linger near the lily pond to be restored and re-centered alongside the aquatic plants, bullfrogs, goldfish, ducks and more than an occasional water snake. The underlying theme is a retreat, a quiet reflection, an invitation to “Be Still.” My new work uses figurative abstraction or abstract fantasy to depict my response to a particular time or place. Rather than reproducing what the lens sees, I exaggerate, romanticize, and fantasize in my interpretations to convey what, for me, lies between reality and abstraction. The digital collages result from a combination of intentional decisions and chance effects. It’s an iterative process of combining, blending, and adjusting which includes a good dose of serendipity.