Literally Just a Girl by Marino Fernandez
Abundance Food Co-op
571 South Ave.
Apr 4, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Literally Just a Girl is a series of 31 photos taken with an old model iPhone. Hundreds of images were taken during the artist’s travels. The images represent 19 cities in 11 countries.

The exhibit celebrates women working, singing, waiting, competing, touring, dancing, marking a momentous occasion, relaxing, heading somewhere — and captures the power of being oneself, whether alone or in a crowd. Here we see self-expression, uniqueness, and being true to oneself publicly, and confidently.

The empowerment of women is depicted in a fusion of realism and surrealism. Zooming in creates images reminiscent of those captured in masterpiece paintings; playful editing makes for easy sketch reproductions; cropping makes context and others immaterial; enigmatic expressions and classic backdrops feed our imagination. The subjects are all bad-ass women living in the moment.

The artist is a Brooklynite transplanted in Rochester 16 years ago. He is also a lawyer, a Spanish interpreter, a Chess enthusiast, a chaplain, and an Abundance shareholder. Marino, the proud father of three fine young men has created numerous collections of uniquely-themed photographs for more than 40 years.