Gregory Halpern’s Omaha Sketchbook explores the American psyche through vivid, everyday scenes of boys and men in the heartland of the United States.
Through his portraits, group shots, still lifes and landscapes he describes underlying contradictions, anxieties, and pleasures of everyday life, revealing complex emotions in seemingly ordinary moments. Viewer agency lies at the core of Halpern’s artistic practice, encouraging audiences to actively engage with the work, to project their own interpretations and concerns onto it. Rather than merely ‘documenting’, the exhibition aims to celebrate the power of observation, questioning the narratives that shape our understanding of masculinity, the power dynamics underlying our interactions and the inherent intricacies of the human condition.