In the Absence series, everyday public places (hospitals, industrial sites and garages) are transformed by the lack of human figures. This context creates feelings of isolation and the desire to figure out what has happened and what will happen? The viewer becomes the sole participant and their imagination constructs the narrative for these environments. The images can trigger memories of being alone in familiar yet strange places and the emotions that accompany these scenarios. – Stephen Dybas
In addition to Stephen’s visual puzzles and sense of isolation within desolate industrial environments, we encounter beauty and formalism, which presents a rich aesthetic experience. The glowing colors, ethereal atmosphere, dark voids, scientific perspective and minimalist designs draw the viewer into engaging visual experiences. Like the early 20th century painter Edward Hopper, who presents vernacular architecture of American cities, Stephen is a realist/abstractionist who creates formally ordered contemporary architecture. Fences, edges of buildings, rails, poles and doors are considered pure design elements. Stephen combines Mondrian’s minimalist geometry and Charles Sheeler’s technical precision with his mix of ethereal light and color.
Stephen Dybas received his Master of Fine Arts in photography degree from Visual Studies Workshop/State University of New York at Brockport, Rochester, NY. He currently teaches introduction to photography and digital imaging at the University of Rochester. He taught beginning and advanced photography at SUNY Brockport, worked as a Visual Studies Workshop gallery assistant, and worked for US News & World Report and Applied Graphics (a sister company) as a web client manager, digital imager and photo editor.
His recent exhibitions include: Photographic Constructions, Synapse Gallery and Center for Photography, Benton Harbor, MI; Glass House Refractions, Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, Buffalo, NY; and the 14th Annual New Image Exhibition: A Juried Photo Competition of Mid-Atlantic States, New Image Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia. His Rochester, NY exhibitions include: Life, Art and Music Gallery, University of Rochester; Absence, Hungerford Building; People, Places, and Things, Workspace Gallery, Visual Studies Workshop, and Photographer’s Path 6: Innovation, High Falls Fine Art Gallery.