ASHEVILLE , NC - For one warm November Friday night 350 curious guests gathered in an old derelict hotel in downtown Asheville, North Carolina– to find out what all the fuss was about. After weeks of speculation "13 stories", the new exhibition by photographer Joel Vannfuller finally premiered at the Windsor Hotel. Better known to locals as an abandoned property, it may now be remembered as the place where Vannfuller's interpretive pictures of nude women were photographed and then shown for just one night. Shut-down by the Fire Marshall the day before the event, the sponsors and Vannfuller scrambled to relocate the entire installation to the Satellite Gallery down the street. But at the 11th hour, after making a few adjustments to ensure the safety of the anticipated crowd, they were able to convince the powers that be to change their minds and moved the exhibit back to the hotel. Mounting an exhibition on Friday the 13th in an unused raw space may have been tempting fate. But even the most superstitious among us know there is something inherently intriguing about an idea based on nudes and sordid hotel stories. And considering that the Asheville International Film Festival was also happening that night– the strong turnout shouldn't have been surprising.
Opening and closing an art exhibit on the same night may seem like a counter-intuitive way to get your work seen. But to this relatively unknown photographer with a deep background in design and promotion, his first public exhibition was never meant to be just another gallery opening. The beautifully printed black & white photographs of course were the star attraction. But the event was conceived to be executed with the same sense of style as the photographs it was designed to show. Premiering "13 stories" with 13 photographs on Friday the 13th was no coincidence. From the choice of typeface used on the window displays and 8 foot banners, to the designer furniture and Lux Lighting fixtures, nothing about the presentation was an afterthought. This one night event was more than just an introduction to an interesting new artist– it was a perfectly staged idea. As Vannfuller plans his next show, 'Primal Faces' for April, the question becomes, can he live up to the high bar he has set for himself?
