CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Laurinburg, N.C., native’s work will be a part of the largest exhibition ever produced for photographs of and about the American South in the 21st century.
McNair Evans grew up in Laurinburg and his work is being featured in “Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South” by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina. Southbound will feature the work of 56 artists.
The exhibition features artwork that shows the region through different lenses that may bring into focus the New South and it’s representations of the world around it. The curators contacted artists who had taken photos in the south since 2000 to use their work in the project. The pieces selected from Evans are part of a series he did in 2009-10.
The photos were taken in Laurinburg and around Scotland County for his series “Confessions for a Son.” The photographs follow Evans’ relationship with his father 10 years after he died.
Evans is currently based in San Francisco, California, but traveled back to Scotland County to take on the project. He began to map out his father’s life, such as spring being when his father was born and in the summer going through his teenage years.
“My process was to take the contents of my dads life and photograph it,” Evans said. “The photo subject is my dad’s life, the photos are my vision and experience from it and the series are those put together.”
Evans hopes that his work, along with the others in the Southbound project, will form a connection with other people. He spoke on wanting to speak to people and to show that what people might be embarrassed about is what makes them stronger.
“The driving point of my work is connection,” Evans said. “My goal is to make projects that not only expand my connections by others as well.”
Overall Evans says that he carries a lot of experiences from Laurinburg that he puts towards his work all over the world. One of the things he counts towards helping him get to know and listen to people was listening to his aunts and uncles tell stories after church on Sundays. The stories taught lessons and Evans credits listening to those fable stories that he takes a highly personal approach to photography.
“I meet people an photograph them but I listen to them and their stories,” Evans said. “And seeing globalization in Scotland County and seeing that impact has made those issues very prominent in my work… Growing u[ in a small community where you could talk to anyone and listen to them made me empathetic to people of all walks of life.”
The exhibit made its debut in Charleston on Oct. 19 and will run until March 2, 2020. After it leaves the Halsey Institute it will travel nationally — stopping in Raleigh, N.C.; Durham, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Meridian, Mississippi; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.