Zoe Strauss

 Zoe Strauss’s gritty street photographs are on view at Bellevue’s Open Satellite until January 12. Consider making the trek east to check out this Philadelphia artist’s challenging work, but be prepared: stand still for her slide show and you’ll receive a sort of visual pummeling. From a sad outcropping of bushes behind a blank-faced building to the swollen, bruised eyes of a lost-looking woman, Strauss’s images are not easy to confront. The vulnerability of bodies is central to her work: split chapped lips, a blood-soaked bandage unwrapped from a new tattoo. A worn old neon sign reads “Your Future Starts Here.” Strauss’s photographs depict a hardscrabble population, including recent photographs of down-and-out Factoria residents as well as people from her hometown. Seen one after another, the faces become defiant, almost proud. One of the strongest images is of a beautiful brown-skinned boy prostitute in drag. Decked out in a glinting nylon wig and penciled-on eyebrows, he exhales cigarette smoke through his full lips. He’s almost—just—smiling.
Dec. 4-Jan. 12, 2007