Curated by: Mark Sloan

Robert Ripley’s world-wide reputation as a chronicler of the odd, unusual and unexpected is based on his widely syndicated “Believe it or Not!” newspaper feature. Ripley’s presentation of extraordinary events and acts was backed up by photographic evidence sent in by those whose claims he popularized.

This exhibition, originally organized to celebrate the Ripley centennial celebrations in 1993, consists of 126 vintage photographs, letters and sworn affidavits sent in to substantiate and enliven the claims submitted to Ripley. These images have a strange resonance with both the recent trend to fictionalizing that photographers have embraced, as well as the recent and sophisticated modification of images through the use of computer tools such as Photoshop. Material in the exhibition comes directly from the “Believe it or Not!” archives in Florida.

Events

Saturday April 6, 2 pm at Presentation House Gallery | Exhibition opening reception and The Secret Life of the Archive: Ripleymania and the Ticket to Immortality, a slide talk by exhibition curator Mark Sloan.

Slide Talk Press Release