Hundreds poured into the Max L. Gatov Gallery on Sunday, Feb. 18 for the opening reception of the CSULB Photo Collective’s “Let it Linger” exhibit.
“Let it Linger” features photographic work from 40 students including undergrads, grads and alumni, each allowing visitors to have an intimate glimpse into the lives of the photographers.
Throughout the night, family and friends gather in crowds around each piece showing their admiration.
Habiba Hassaan said her piece “re.connecting” is part of a larger project about her connection with her siblings despite the geographical distance. “Perhaps trying to showcase how we’re connected deeply,” Hassaan said.
Hassaan expressed her joy over being selected for the exhibit.
“It’s very different when it’s printed and framed and people can see it and to see how other people interpret it in different ways,” Hassaan said.
Iris Huerta, who has four pieces featured, said most of her photography comes from observation.
“I like to walk around a lot and photograph in my neighborhood,” Huerta said. “It’s kind of like a meditative practice for me.”
One of Huerta’s pieces is a photograph of the nape of her partner’s neck, which has a birthmark called a stork bite. “You can’t really see it, unfortunately, but I still like the idea that I know that it’s there. He didn’t even know that he’d had it,” Huerta said.
Syan Shih, one of the student curators of the gallery, said they reached out to as many Long Beach State community members as possible within the short amount of time they had to put the event together.
“There was so much work and there was so much unknown for me. I felt really nervous the whole time,” Shih said.
“We’re able to include 40 different artists here at the show meaning we could bring at least 40 people and their families to enjoy the space.”
While “Let it Linger” is a photographic exhibit, there is a great deal of variety between the pieces.
“The Weight of” by Sarah Gallegos is a suspended photo sculpture and “Blanket Statements” by Steffany Maybel E. Reyes, is a blanket with photopolymer plate etchings in it.
“It really shows you that photography can be very different than what we think it is,” Shih said.
The exhibit will be on display until Thursday and is open from noon to 5 p.m. at the Max L. Gatov Gallery by Fine Arts 2.