NASHVILLE, TN.- In the series Looking at God, area artist Pradip Malde presents portraits that suggest a comparison between how people perceive photographs and their understanding of God. On display at Cheekwood July 7 through September 28, Malde’s work addresses the perceptual limitations of photography. At first glance, photographs appear to represent reality; but they actually depict subjects from a distorted perspective.

Pradip Malde is currently a Professor of Fine Arts at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. He previously taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and California State University at Long Beach. His work has been exhibited around the world at venues such as Walsh Gallery in Chicago, Fugitive Projects in Nashville, Pluto Gallery in Oslo, Norway, and the Cheatle Gallery in London. Many institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Princeton University Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, are collectors of his work.

With the opportunity to showcase his current work for Cheekwood’s Temporary Contemporary gallery, Malde makes us aware of photography’s uncertainty by cropping images. “It is generally acknowledged that a photograph is born of time, that it preserves a moment, that it is an accurate instance of an event,” says Pradip Malde. “All of this seems to point to a process that is an effective rendering of reality. But what if the photograph is actually the shadow of a reality that is beyond human awareness?”

In Looking at God viewers can see faces, but their surrounding space is covered or blocked. In one image, a man rests his head against an upholstered piece of furniture. Viewers see small design features of the upholstery and the wrinkles and creases of the man’s face, but are unable to make out the space around the man. In each of Malde’s photographs, the viewer comes across a person in an uncertain context. The details provided are a residue of an event, but we are unable to recover the reality of the circumstances about when the photograph was taken.

Cheekwood’s Temporary Contemporary was initiated in 1996 and consists of four solo exhibitions each year. An opening reception will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 6 with a gallery talk by the artist at 6:30 p.m. at Cheekwood’s Frist Learning Center.

Cheekwood inspires and educates by making art, horticulture and nature accessible to a diverse community. Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art is located at 1200 Forrest Park Drive in Nashville, 8 miles southwest of downtown Nashville. Open Tuesday – Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For further information call 615-356-8000 or visit www.cheekwood.org.