Mara Pelecis: Souvenirs

While interviewing Vietnam veterans, Mara Pelecis talked with a man named Phong Phan, who told her, “Many people have souvenirs–some souvenirs are very heavy.” Pelecis’s photos explore the kind that can tear people apart. She shows us life after wartime for Native Americans, Vietnamese, women, and her own father. One of her most moving works is a black and white photograph of her father’s lighter, inscribed with his post in Vietnam. The story of this object, which Pelecis rescued from the bottom of a lake, has a lasting impact, especially if you walk away from this stunning exhibit with a matchbook, printed with the lighter’s image, in your hand. 165 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis; 612-824-5500; www.mncp.org