August 9th – November 9th, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 23rd, 2-4pm
The Shadow Resembles Me presents a body of photographic work that spans over ten years, tracing a deeply personal evolution—from solitude and self-examination to a broader exploration of place, memory, and presence.
At its core is the artist’s desire to collect the uncollectable—capturing fleeting moments, delicate forms, and overlooked subjects that might otherwise vanish without record. The photographs serve as both personal artifacts and universal touchstones, transforming ephemeral experiences into enduring images.
The earliest photographs emerged during a time of intense personal struggle and transformation. Living in isolation, Bauer turned the lens on herself. Limited to a small physical space, self-portraiture became an act of play and a means of exploring identity through shifting, sometimes contradictory, versions of the self.
Her subjects—ranging from vintage figurines to deceased pets—are imbued with nostalgia, each treated with the same gentle, respectful gaze. Bauer embraces kitsch and memory with equal tenderness, honoring both the ordinary and the sacred.As time passed and her environment changed, so did her focus. Bauer gradually stepped away from overt self-representation, directing her attention toward the emotional and psychological connection to place—how locations can hold memory, feeling, and reflection.
When Bauer had the unexpected opportunity to visit San Francisco, she fell in love with the city away from home. In that discovery, her shadow quietly returned to the frame, signifying not absence, but transformation. The photographs stand as a growing archive of longing, curiosity, and love—embracing mid-century souvenirs, postcards, maps, and found ephemera in a tender conversation with memory and mortality.
