Pat Padua
Microscopy
Ten Miles Square presents the work of Pat Padua and Jennifer Wade in Microscopy, at Hounshell, 1506 14th Street NW in Washington, DC.

Padua and Wade take a closer look, literally and figuratively, at the minutiae of life. Padua's photographs feature the quirky side of Americana that constantly seesaws between the oddly humorous and vaguely depressing -- images like a shiny, bright red gumball machine encouraging us to enjoy hugs (and not drugs!), left to rot full of decaying, colorless candies, or a wide-shot of a packed bingo hall parking lot on a gorgeous day. Padua takes his microscope to a modern society that seems to have little interest in (or perhaps knowledge of) any world that exists outside the frame. Heavily influenced by Martin Parr, these images also document our strange relationships with consumerism and collectibles -- Jesus and Mary figurines suffocate silently in plastic wrap waiting for the true believer to save them.

The exhibit opened on September 12, 2009, and will be on view for eight-ten weeks.

Hounshell
1506 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Hours: M-F 9-5