Images of Osama take on new meaning at Aldrich

This is an article written about the James Esber exhibiton that I did a drawing for. There is a slide show as well located at the link below. Enjoy!

RIDGEFIELD -- In sepia and black, 157 images of Osama bin Laden are mounted in neat rows on the white walls of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

In some, the beard is all black, in others, mostly red -- in some, the red stains the black. On some, cross marks stain his cheek like scars. In others, the markings look like jet planes. One has is a faded circle over much of bin Laden's head. With only a bit of imagination, it looks like a target.
Adam Calderone, of Newtown, a student at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, saw the exhibit by artist James Esber a couple of weeks ago. He said he was interested in the technique -- how each of the 157 images, traced by 157 different people -- altered the Esber's original drawing.

Calderone revisited it Tuesday, the first time the Aldrich had been open since Navy SEALs ended bin Laden's life on Sunday. The sudden shift of history altered Calderone's perceptions about what he was seeing.

"It's different," he said. "It has more meaning."

Which doesn't surprise Esber, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

SEE MORE OF THE ARTICLE HERE

More Information
If you go What: "Your Name Here,'' an exhibit of works by James Esber, including his 157 images of Osama bin Laden Where: Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main St., Ridgefield When: Through June 5. Hours: Tuesday- Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. ADMISSION : Adults, $7, seniors/college students, $4 Free to museum members, K-12 teachers and children 18 and under; free on Tuesdays and to active military families