STANDING IN THE SHADOWS: NEW ORLEANS IN FOCUS

This collection of photographs - with forewords by Chis Rose, Charmaine Neville, Mark Samuels, David Spielman, and Andrew Hale - "attempts to depict New Orleans from the distanced perspective of someone aimlessly wandering on any given day (and occasionally by night as well), with no pomp or ceremony, but only the city itself in all its simple splendor."

“Thomas doesn't just point and shoot a camera. He thinks and shoots. He doesn't just capture images. He captures life. He doesn't just reveal our surroundings; he glimpses our souls. His photos reveal as much of what New Orleans feels like as what it looks like. Photos that don't just let you see the city, but touch, taste, smell and hear it. Photos that tell a story of who we are, how we live, what we have and know we see ourselves away from the maddening glare of girls, and boys, gone wild. In other words, pictures that show what we really look like” –Chris Rose (from his Foreword)

Thomas Cole has been involved with the visual arts of Central Asia for almost 40 years. Born in Illinois and impressed at an early age with with Mark Twain and his tales of boyhood and coming of age, Cole's return to the heartland represents a full circle. As a homeowner with his daughter in the 7th Ward, his eyes and lens focus on the details of New Orleans as he walks the city with a camera in hand.  He has previously wandered India in a similar fashion, and subsequently curated several exhibitions combining both antique textile art and photography. For nearly 30 years, he has been a contributing editor to HALI, a London based publication with a focus on antique textile art.