The Crux of Visibility: Portraits, Vision, and Empathy – Virtual Exhibition Opening Reception
- Thursday
November 19, 2026
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
The Crux of Visibility: Portraits, Vision, and Empathy show is curious about the conversations and connections enabled by portraiture, suggesting that the photographer and mechanical eye can inhabit and further problematize such limitations and photographic histories or undo them by offering a view rooted in compassion and understanding. In that sense, this show suggests that the photograph can enable a dialog anchored in empathy and acceptance.
FREE with RSVP
© Photo by 2nd Place Winner Sarah Wells, Marsha Flexing
About
Top Prize Winners
1st Place: Renming Liu
2nd Place: Sarah J. Wells
3rd Place: Eliot Allen
Honorable Mentions
Joan Benney, Alex Burholt, Scott Caldeira, Richard S. Chow, Kristy Cullen-Campanelli, Nikki Culley, Joshua David, Joe Doherty, Javiera Estrada, Diana Feil, Cristian Garnier, Charlotte Gould, Jonathan Hum, Wen-Hung Lin, Mariah Moneda, Tyler N, Sean Niu, Mayra Rae, Karen Safer, Steven Simko, Sahej Singh, Michael Sobel, John A. Stewart, JP Terlizzi, Leonia Wade, Yichen Wang, David Wolf
Juror & Curator
Shana Lopes, PhD, is an Assistant Curator of Photography at SFMOMA
Opening Reception (Virtual)
Thursday, November 19, 2026, 12 pm – 1 pm PST on Zoom RSVP BELOW!
Exhibition Run Dates (Virtual)
November 19, 2026 – February 19, 2027
About
To be seen means to be recognized. To be photographed, or captured, means to be seen in a certain way: by the photographer, the mechanical eye, the viewers of the image, and the economic and social systems in which the photograph (and its photographed subjects) will circulate and be evaluated. Portraits hold a unique form of power, and can exist in various photographic languages; from ID cards to institutional archives, from museum collections to family albums. Portraits can be instrumental or conceptual, they can convey fragmented and complex identities, or arrest all other possible meanings by offering a single interpretation to one’s face and environment.
This show is curious about the conversations and connections enabled by portraiture, suggesting that the photographer and mechanical eye can inhabit and further problematize such limitations and photographic histories or undo them by offering a view rooted in compassion and understanding. In that sense, this show suggests that the photograph can enable a dialog anchored in empathy and acceptance.
Back to Show page HERE.
Tickets
Admission is FREE. Please RSVP below. Suggested Donation HERE
Details
- Date: Thursday, November 19th, 2026, 12-1pm PST
- Who: Open to anyone with RSVP
- Cost: FREE
- Location: Online via Zoom
A details email complete with the Zoom link will be sent to the attendees prior to the start date. Please read the instructions included in the email. If you have additional questions please email info@lacphoto.org.