ARALI MELENDEZ | staff writer
photo | ARALI MELENDEZ
A set of photographs from Brian Allan's Darling Hallway exhibition.


Senior art major Brian Allan addresses the concept of how we interpret the body. The deep colors and the ability to question the human form in many ways conveys the idea that we all struggle with how we see our body.

Allan and I walked through the gallery and took a good look at his photographs while he expressed what they meant.

“I had the idea of body image. Anything that we relate to—the news, church, personal experiences that can be related to us good or bad,” Allan said.

One photo in particular called “Gone Through Hell,” shows sheets tossed around with no bodies. It gave the impression that something had happened, possibly sexual.

Allan described the pictures as relating to pleasure and how some things we do have to do with satisfaction, whether it is good or bad.

“I tend to deal less with things that are social and more with things that are internal. I don’t want people to walk away from my photographs with a clear answer. I want them to walk away questioning if it is good or bad for us,” Allan said.

The photos depict how we see our flesh. Do we see it as a vehicle for pleasure, as a living temple, as an avenue for worship, or as an object filled with flaws?

Allan was able to leave the audience wondering about the body.

“His pictures are unique. I like how he took body parts and showed it in a way that says ‘Why didn’t I think of that!’ One of the pictures look like it’s moving like a hologram; it impresses me,” senior education major Yolanda Baylon said.

His spiritual pieces showed the most imagination. He used human form in an abstract way where it created more of a lever for the inagination.

One photograph had two sets of bodies. If you look closely, you can see how the imagery shows a cross in between the bodies—using the arms as the cross.

“Wrestling with the body is the idea that I am struggling within myself,” Allan said.

Allan was able to infuse his feeling and personal experiences into his photographs and even use himself as the canvas.

Walking away from the pictures makes me ponder on the constant struggle to understand not only myself, but God.

The movement in the photos gives them a sense of wonder.

There might not be a clear understanding of body image after viewing these photographs, but there are many questions that arise.