“IN MY WORDS”
Photographing Nancy Moyer’s Exhibition
Walking into Nancy Moyer’s IN MY WORDS exhibition felt less like entering a gallery and more like stepping into someone’s living conversation — one built out of language, color, memory, and texture. I came in with my camera ready to document the artwork, but I quickly realized I was photographing reactions just as much as the pieces themselves.
The first thing that pulled me in was the scale and intensity of the text based paintings. Bright reds, electric blues, oranges, and deep purples stretched across the white gallery walls, layered with phrases and fragments of poetry that felt both personal and public at the same time. Some words were immediately readable, while others disappeared into the paint, forcing me to stop, move closer, and look again. Through the lens of my camera, the works almost shifted depending on where I stood.
One of the strongest moments I captured was a vivid blue and red painting with layered lettering that seemed to vibrate against the wall. From a distance, it looked graphic and bold, but up close the overlapping words created tension and emotion. Photographing it wasn’t only about composition, it was about trying to preserve the feeling of standing in front of it. The colors reflected onto nearby viewers, making the audience feel like part of the artwork itself.
So many thoughts
Another thing that stood out throughout the exhibition was the combination of mediums. This wasn’t simply painting on canvas. Poetry, visual storytelling, and metal elements all worked together in unexpected ways. The sculptural torso pieces especially caught my attention. Painted in bright monochromatic colors- blue, yellow, lavender, they introduced a physical presence into the room that contrasted beautifully with the flatness of the text paintings. It was perfect time for me to use my flash to capture those torsos images and bring the beautiful colors and add richness with light to every piece. In several of my photos, visitors leaned in closely toward these pieces, almost instinctively trying to decode the necklaces, inscriptions, and textures attached to them.
One of my favorite photographs from the day was taken during a moment when Nancy herself was speaking to visitors. Dressed in black with her unmistakable bright orange hair, she stood between the colorful sculptures and paintings, gesturing passionately while people gathered around her. There was energy in the room, not the quiet distance people sometimes keep in galleries, but real engagement. People pointed at words they recognized, discussed interpretations, and moved slowly from piece to piece as if reading chapters in a visual memoir.
The gallery space itself added to the experience. The clean white walls and open industrial ceiling allowed the artwork to dominate visually. Every turn revealed another burst of color or another hidden line of text. Through photography, I found myself framing not only the art but the relationships happening around it: viewers pausing in silence, couples discussing meanings, people standing alone in front of a canvas for long stretches of time.
What made IN MY WORDS memorable for me was how layered it felt emotionally. The exhibition carried themes of identity, memory, communication, and vulnerability, but never in a heavy handed way. Instead, the poetry and imagery invited interpretation. Some pieces felt loud and confrontational; others felt intimate and reflective. Even the metal elements necklaces, sculptural details, and textured additions added a sense of permanence, like fragments of thought turned into objects.
As a photographer, I realized I wasn’t just documenting an exhibition. I was documenting interaction: people responding to words, colors, and forms in real time. The camera became a way of preserving those fleeting moments- someone tilting their head while reading a phrase, someone smiling during Nancy’s talk, someone standing quietly in front of a canvas awash in orange light.
By the end of the exhibition, my camera roll was full not only of artwork, but of atmosphere. IN MY WORDS lives up to its title because every piece feels like part of a larger voice speaking across the room. Through poems, pictures, and sculptural metal forms, Nancy Moyer created an experience that invited viewers to read, observe, and feel all at once , and photographing it allowed me to become part of that conversation too.
Photographer : LUCAS DANIEL
Location : STUDIO A
Artist : NANCY MOYER
