art commentary

With Marion Wolberg Weiss

ALTERNATE SPACES: KATHRYN SZOKA AT CANIO’S
Part III

As past “Art Commentaries” have suggested, space that surrounds an exhibit becomes part of the presentation itself. This can be tricky business, especially when art works are placed in settings devoted to other purposes. A good example is Canio’s bookstore in Sag Harbor, a well-known venue for literary material, poetry readings and art exhibits. And clutter.

Yes, clutter. It’s part of Canio’s charm and character; no one would have it any other way. Forget Barnes and Noble and similar somewhat sterile shops. Cano’s is an important “home away from home.”

It’s especially appropriate, therefore, that the current photography show by Canio’s co-owner, Kathryn Szoka, is about Sag Harbor, a town that shares much in common with the bookstore itself: intimate, congested, evoking the promise of chance encounters.

While Ms. Szoka’s works, which will be included in her forthcoming book, Sag Harbor Is a Literary Celebration, are personal, most are not literally “up-close.” Even so, the long shots give the impression of closeness; Ms. Szoka has a talent for making it seem we are with her on all her photographic journeys.

This observation applies to her nature scenes, like “Misty Creek” and “Blue Boat in Cove Fog,” as well as those slice- of-life moments like “Marty the Barber” and “Fred Hines Conducts.” Even those photographs that feature decorative elements, like “Arrangement in Green and Rust,” evoke a personal response.

Regarding Sag Harbor’s congested aspect, one piece suggests this: “The Sideway,” signifying the town’s iconic architectural features. The house reminds this critic of Mousehole, an enchanting Cornwall village in England.

While Ms. Szoka doesn’t capture Sag Harbor’s congested elements in all of this exhibition, another picture may approach the same sense of closing in, namely “Skyward,” a worm’s-eye -view of a tree. The larger-than-life image fills the space; we are moved, too, by the power exerted.

The “chance encounters” one may experience in Sag Harbor (running into friends and neighbors) also occur at Canio’s. This doesn’t apply only to the books we may accidentally discover, but to a sculpture by Bill King that hovers above the space like a cherished muse. In what other bookstore can you find that?

Ms. Szoka’s exhibit will be on view at Canio’s until Oct. 10.