The Art Academy of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Museum present an exhibition and free lecture by Lightborne Artist-in-Residence Yamini Nayar, a photographer who merges architectural and sculptural elements with photography to explore representations of place and memory in imagined, psychologically disconcerting environments. Her miniatuure dioramas are intentionally devoid of human interaction, and they convey the sense that chaotic events have just occurred in those spaces. After constructing scenes fraught with unresolved circumstances, Nayar's photographs her architectural assemblages with a large format camera, amplifying the scale of the original constructions. The Lecture will take place on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 pm. in the Cincinnati Art Musuem's Fath Auditorium. Reservations are not required but early arrival is recommended.

Pursuit, (Chromogenic Print, 36" x 48", 2010)

Yamini Nayar received a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Related Media  from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has participated in over 40 exhibitions in Australia, China, France, India, Pakistan, Switzerland, and the United States. In 2010 she completed a residency at the Center for Photography in Woodstock, NY.

In early 2010, several of Nayar's photographs were exhibited in "The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today" at Saatchi Gallery in London. Please visit www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk to read about Nayar's Influences and visions, and to view samples of her work.

The public will have the opportunity to meet Nayar on Friday, October 8 at the closing reception, which will take place 5-7 pm. in the Art Academy of Cincinnati's Pearlman Gallery.

Exhibition Dates: September 10 through October 8, 2010, Pearlman Gallery Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Lecture: October 6 at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Parking $4. Free parking for Cincinnati Art Museum members. The lecture, exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Reception: Friday, October 8, 2010, 5-7 pm.

This lecture and exhibition are sponsored by Lightborne, Inc.