Portland newcomers Sally Dennison and Mat Thorne will present their distinctive photographs titled simply "Portraits" at the Addison Woolley Gallery in a public reception on Thursday, March 1 from 5-8 p.m. The exhibition, guest curated by Bruce Brown, will also be open during Portland's popular First Friday Art Walk on March 2 from noon to 8 pm. Their exhibition continues through Sunday, April 1.

Dennison begins by photographing herself but then relies on the digital realm to recreate new characters that reference someone other than her real self.  Within the concept of digital truth, Dennison explores the body's evolution in digital representation.

Thorne turns to the history of American cinema and popular culture for his series of recent images called "Mortals."  While his portraits are easily recognizable as archetypal astronauts, cowboys, or athletes, for examples, his layering of alternating strips of images reflects his own attitude wherein the familiar figures become more alien and anonymous, embodying false and artificial ideals.

Dennison studied photography at Haverford College and received an MFA in photography from Parsons The New School for Design in 2010.  In the past two years she has participated in 16 solo and group shows from Guatemala to Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and her native New York City.  West Virginia native Thorne, an accomplished book designer who conducts workshops at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport and twice recently in Norway, exhibited within the past two years in "Photographing Maine: Ten Years Later" at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA), "Capture: 50 Photographic Artists" at the Maine Museum of Photographic Arts, and "The View Project," a book and traveling photography exhibition curated by Joyce Tenneson and will be featured in the upcoming book, "Maine Art New" by Edgar Beem.  Both Dennison and Thorne are showing at Addison Woolley courtesy of Asymmetric Arts in Rockland where they have exhibited prominently.