Rural Tibet and Mongolia: An Art Show by Anthony Busa
This exhibit featured work by student photographer, Anthony Busa!
Opening: August 20
Reception to meet the artist: September 14
Closing: December 17
Villanova Art Gallery Presents the Debut of a Remarkable Young Photographer
Rural Mongolia and Tibet:
An Art Show by Anthony Busa
The Villanova University Art Gallery was delighted to open the academic year with Rural Tibet and Mongolia: An Art Show by Anthony Busa, on display August 20 - December 17. The Gallery hosted a reception to meet the artist on Friday, September 14 from 5-7 pm. The Art Gallery is located in the Connelly Center on the Villanova campus. Convenient on-campus parking is available.
As his senior year at Villanova University begins, Anthony Busa will have a challenging course load in the School of Engineering. He will represent all of Villanova’s 6,500 undergraduates as the Student Body President for 2018-2019. He will launch a search for his first post-college job. And amid all that, he will experience his first public exhibit as a sharp-eyed, socially-aware photographer.
Rural Tibet and Mongolia includes some 30 photographs that Busa took during two separate trips to Asia. The first was an almost month-long trek through Tibet, visiting several isolated Tibetan communities and Chinese towns. During that trip, Busa served as an assistant and apprentice to the group’s guide, Chinese photographer, fine artist, and cultural exploration guide, Keren Su. The second trip, a National Geographic Expedition, gave Busa access to remote communities in Mongolia. He again served as a photographic assistant, carrying and caring for equipment while learning about field photography from some of the world’s best.
On both of his trips to Asia, Busa was accompanied by his grandmother, Houston, TX-based painter Jo Sherwood, his mentor and one of his greatest supporters. He says, “My grandmother has done a lot of educational outreach on disappearing cultures, a topic that is especially prevalent nowadays with globalization and Americanization of communities around the world. Her art strives to both preserve and honor cultures that are changing dramatically, recreating their essence with respect and historical accuracy. She has always encouraged me to represent the world--and these communities where I’m blessed enough to be a visitor--as authentically as I can.”
The quest for authenticity is a vivid through-line in Busa’s photography. He shoots with a Sony Alpha Series, and uses a longer-than-usual exposure time in order to capture the broadest possible range of color. He doesn’t use Photoshop to doctor his images: If there was a power line across a cerulean sky, it exists in his photo. If there was garbage on the street beside a family scene, it’s still there in Busa’s picture. Busa says, “Even though a photo may have what some people call imperfections, I think that's even better, because it makes it more relatable. I do my best to achieve the Photoshop look while keeping the real attributes and the details that make something more realistic.”
Busa is thrilled to have the opportunity to share his photography with friends and family in a gallery setting--especially the gallery in the Connelly Center, where he has routinely enjoyed exhibits since his first year on campus. He reflects, “I am so committed to photography because, when I’m traveling and living with cultures and places that are new to me, I often feel that something needs to be experienced, not just by me right at that moment, but by people all across the world forever more. The joy isn’t only in capturing a moment, but in sharing that with other people.”
Busa has been interested in photography for as long as he can remember. Throughout his childhood in Houston, TX, Busa’s parents and grandmother provided avenues for growth and encouraged him to study photography in high school and beyond. He has been documenting his domestic and international travels ever since. He will graduate from Villanova University in May with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He hopes to find a job that bridges his excitement about research and development with his interest in connecting people. He will always continue to share his experience of the world around him through photography.
The Villanova University Art Gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. -11 p.m. For extended and weekend hours, and other information, contact the Art Gallery at (610) 519-4612
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.
