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Sticks and Stones:

        Bullies, Brats, & Bashers

Thursday May 15th - Thursday June 12th

Opening Reception: May 15, 2003 6-9PM


Zachary Z. Handler’s exhibition Sticks & Stones: Bullies, Brats, & Bashers of large format digitally manipulated color photographs collectively examines the adage: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me’. The works investigate power struggles among adolescents in the controlled, yet often unruly environment of high school culture.

In each photograph, several characters look outward at their victims/audience, often jeering, sneering, pointing, and laughing. Through digital manipulation, Handler creates repetitions of characters within a photograph allowing an image to contain a trio of identical bullies. As well as a commentary on individuality vs. conformity that is so prevalent in high school, this repetition extends the absurdity present in the body language, costumes, and props of the characters.

The aggressive behavior of the characters serve to recreate the bully/victim dynamic, but the exaggeration and foolishness of a character’s gestures, facial expressions, costumes, or props, gives the victim/viewer the upper hand. Instead of being victimized, the viewer is in a position to ridicule his ridiculers, and to perhaps for a moment become more like them.

In the “Sticks & Stones” exhibition, by asking the viewer to decide what to do with this advantage, Handler hopes to open dialogue among those who have been affected by similar power relationships.

Handler’s research for this exhibition included exploring the work of photographers, Anthony Goicolea, Robert ParkeHarrison, and Adrienne Salinger; writers, Bret Easton Ellis, Jim Carroll and J.D. Salinger; designers, Richie Rich and Travis Rains creators of the Heatherette line, and filmmakers, Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse), Michael Lehmann (Heathers) and Larry Clark (Kids).

Zachary Z. Handler is currently a Linehan Artist Scholar at UMBC studying Photography. In May 2003 he will graduate with honors and has been accepted at the Teachers College at Columbia University for graduate studies in Art Administration. He has held assistant positions at the UMBC Photography Special Collections, the Albin O. Kuhn Gallery, and the UMBC Retriever Weekly. Handler is also an American Sign Language Program Creator and Drama Teacher at the Green Acres Day Camp in Rockville Maryland, as well as holding several other internships at the Abilities Network and the Maryland School for the Deaf.

Stick & Stones was made possible through the generosity of UMBC's Provost Undergraduate Award. Instituted in 1995, the Undergraduate Research Awards program provides stipends to fund research projects designed by students who work in close collaboration with UMBC faculty mentors. Proposals are solicited from all fields of study and are competitively reviewed by a multidisciplinary faculty committee.

Handler can be contacted at: signtozach@hotmail.com or zhandl1@umbc.edu