Black and white and red all over: 'Listening Devices' at the Ulrich Museum of Art
The exhibition, which showcases black-and-white photography, is suffused in red light, evoking a darkroom.
When picturing an art exhibition, many think of white walls and pure white light. This presentation can make art seem clinical and removed from the act of creation. In the case of photographic works, viewers could even assume a “well I could do that” mindset, especially in the age of smartphone photography.
“Listening Devices: Photographers and New Perspectives,” currently on view at the Ulrich Museum of Art, immediately remedies this by plunging visitors into an intense red light. It’s as close to a darkroom as an art space can get without adding water or chemicals. This display choice pushes visitors to consider how the artists created the exclusively black-and-white photographs and, by extension, what the images attempt to convey.
The work from which the exhibition gets its title, Carrie Mae Weems’ “Untitled (Listening Devices),” features nine rectangles that hold different “listening devices”: a few phones, two cans on a string, and a megaphone. After attending a recent talk by the photographer Jennifer Ray, I learned why these images are central to the show. Weems’ photo is made up of devices that most would consider talking devices, not ones to receive and listen to information, especially not the megaphone. This exhibition pushes its viewers to sit with this contradiction and to contemplate the reasoning behind the grid of images.
To the right of Weems’ piece, one encounters a photo by Lorna Simpson of a pair of suede high-heeled shoes pointed away from the camera, sitting on a textured surface. The words printed below the image in red read “Cure/Heal,” which is also the title of the photograph. This work invites the viewer to literally step into the shoes of the photographer but also think about whose shoes these were (and for me, why I’d never choose to wear them for long periods of time).
Some of the photographs in the exhibition ask viewers to tap into their sense of humanity. My personal favorite is “Magnolia con Espejo (Magnolia with Mirror)” by Graciela Iturbide. The subject Magnolia appears to be a genderqueer individual who wears a floor-length dress and holds a mirror while gazing into the distance. Magnolia exudes a quiet confidence. I find that photos like this rarely make it into exhibitions in which the focus is not showcasing queerness. Magnolia’s captivating gaze made me want to learn more about them.
In the marketing for “Listening Devices,” Myriam Boulos’s piece “LEBANON. Beirut. Nightshift” featured heavily. In this work, the subject appears to be a woman with long hair, placed right of center in the frame, with only her head and the torso visible in the image which is obscured in shadow in the bottom third of the composition. She looks away to her right with a lollipop held only by her lips. The contrast in the print and her pose are particularly striking.
This exhibition is anything but bland. Bathed in red light, the pieces throughout range from quiet and unassuming to bold and daring, and all leave the viewer wanting to know more.
The Details
"Listening Devices: Photographers and New Perspectives”
January 23-July 12, 2025 at the Ulrich Museum of Art, on the Wichita State campus, 1845 Fairmount St.
The museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.
Admission is free.
Learn more about "Listening Devices."
WSU campus maps and parking information.
Zelda McAfee served as the SHOUT's first intern in spring 2025. They are a photography and art history major at Wichita State and the co-founder of Ink and Honey Studios.
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