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A Labor of Love:
The Caregiver Portraits by D. Michael Geller
On View
February 21, 2019 — June 23, 2019
Location
Focus Gallery
A Labor of Love: The Caregiver Portraits by D. Michael Geller is a photography exhibition that tells the stories of 21 people from Hampton Roads who have devoted themselves to caring for their loved ones.
These caregivers provide physical, financial, and emotional support for those who cannot fully support themselves due to age, illness, or disability. While attention is sometimes given to the stories of the ailing and the infirm, caregiving is both a calling and an unsalaried career that is often overlooked.
Tammy, provides care for Ronny, her former husband, 2013
from the Caregiver Series Archival pigment print (photograph)
© D. Michael Geller
Tonia sits with Ne’Kesha, her sister, at home, and was an advocate for her in hospital, 2018
from the Caregiver Series
Archival pigment print (photograph)
© D. Michael Geller
The photographs in the exhibition were made by D. Michael Geller, a former geriatric medicine physician. Over the course of his professional life, Geller became keenly aware of the relatives who accompanied his patients and provided the necessary but often unacknowledged care that helped those who were ill live their lives to the fullest. As a photographer, he desired to use his camera to tell their stories.
The 25 photographs in the exhibition highlight the love and labor provided by caregivers while exploring a range of caregiving relationships. Visitors will see wives care for infirm husbands, sons care for ailing parents, sisters care for each other, and parents care for their disabled sons and daughters. By sharing caregivers’ everyday stories, the photographs shine a light on how members of our Hampton Roads community build and sustain their relationships.
Amos lies in a hospital bed in his den while Aleena, his wife and caregiver, stands off to his side, 2018
from the Caregiver Series
Archival pigment print (photograph)
© D. Michael Geller
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