Sequences - Gail Rebhan

Time and change are integral to all of Gail Rebhan’s work. In the book, Sequences, she uses her family as typical representatives of a quotidian, middle-class, American family. In her Family Sequences from the 1980’s, fleeting gestures between family members are captured in candid color photos (arranged in linear sequences of three to six images) that note familial gender and generational roles. In Sequential Still Life, she examines how common domestic objects and clutter move around on a daily basis in her home. She displays this work in four-image grids with the dates of the images in the lower left corner. Evidence of socio-economic class, education level, aesthetic sensibilities, and perhaps the importance placed on surroundings is revealed in this work. Rebhan’s light touch and humorous take on these serious issues provoke a note of recognition in many viewers. Sequences includes Sally Stein’s essay excerpt from a 1984 Folkwang Museum catalog and her 2014 postscript.