Jason Gray
Does a parasite know that it’s a parasite?

January 6 - February 11, 2023
Opening Reception January 6, 5-8 PM

Many years ago, as a child on a family camping trip along the Mississippi River, Jason Gray remembers waking up just before dawn. With his family still asleep, he quietly slid out of the tent and stood at the edge of the river, listening and watching. An entrancing fog lay suspended over the water, gently undulating. Gray was captivated. He felt attached to the scene in a way that he hadn’t felt outside before; there was a certain harmony to the moment that he envisioned himself a part of—a unison even. Slowly though, Gray began to feel the uncomfortable sand between his toes. He became aware of the distant factory lights twinkling. A bleating barge passed, and the river parted. The fog disappeared as the sun rose. Gray was once again a part of the human world, where he had always been.

This was the first time, that Gray can recall, where he felt like something of a usurper. He recognized suddenly that all of the comforts which he took for granted came at the expense of something else. He understood that the removal humans desired from nature had the capacity to completely overwhelm the natural environment, and he thought that this was odd. Most other animals do not function in this way; all species have a biological imperative to reproduce (down to a cellular level, in fact), but seldom do so in a way that outstrips their environments. Only an animal introduced to an environment that is alien to them will do this—an invasive species or a parasite. Ours is a peculiar pathology.

Does a parasite know that it’s a parasite? is a body of work focusing on the concept of naturedness (good- vs. bad-, nature vs. anti-nature, authentic vs. inauthentic) with no geographic assignment. The photographs are a non-linear meditation on the impact of people on the environment and upon society’s legacy of built structures. The series is not straightforwardly negative or critical, just observing and questioning.

What is humanity’s role in our changing planet? What is our responsibility? Does the parasite understand its effect on the host, or is it just following biological necessity?

Bio

Jason Gray is a freelance photographer and artist specializing in post documentary work. His clients include Island Press, Dallas Museum of Art, KDHX, HEC-TV, St. Louis Magazine, Terrain Magazine, and more.

He is currently the Image Rights Manager at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where he has also worked as a Preparator and Photography Studio Manager. His previous roles have included Director of Exhibitions at the International Photography Hall of Fame, Curator at The Dark Room Photo Gallery, and Community Manager for North and South America at f-stop Gear. Additionally, Jason is the Founding Director of Photo Flood Saint Louis, a community for photographers with over 600 members.

In 2018, Gray was awarded an Artist Support Grant from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis. He has received recognition from the Missouri Arts Council and the Riverfront Times for his arts writing. He has also been a juror for the Webster Arts Fair, Seen, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, and St. Louis Camera Club, and has lectured at Webster University, St. Louis Community College, and the International Photography Hall of Fame.