Last Chance

Catch it or Regret It

by Nadia Stadnycki

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Photographer John Francisco's fascination with the Jewish diaspora led him to document its impact on present-day America and Europe. Traveling everywhere from Philly to the Ukraine at the end of the last century, he snapped black-and-white shots (pictured) of people and places such as dilapidated synagogues; grave sites in Kiev surrounded by jagged white fences; an elderly man holding a baby at a bris; and Babi Yar, a ravine near Kiev where Nazis killed nearly 34,000 Jews over two days in 1941.

Dissatisfied with the simplistic inkblot monoprint used in psychological testing, graphic designer John Langdon created inkblot paintings with collages, oil paints and ambigrams (symmetries that make words read the same way from two vantage points). Alongside his works are actual inkblots used by neuropsychology professor Eric Zillmer, complete with commentary by those tested — including a 16-year-old spree killer, an Auschwitz officer and a reality TV show creator.

True to its title, this group show is jam-packed with vibrantly colored pieces. Samad Arastu's paintings feature chaotic scribbles, splatters and swirls on mostly white canvases, and Cynthelia Cephas' intricately stitched quilts look stunning with golden thread and bright fabrics. Our favorite is Sonia Sadler's sculpture of a swirling woman, her blue, green and purple dress flowing with her dance.