Atrium Gallery

The Atrium Gallery is located in the heart of the main terminal. Rotating exhibits of two-dimensional contemporary art have been presented here since 1997 and in that time passengers have enjoyed a wide range of artistic styles and subject matters by local, national and international artists. Exhibits change roughly every six to eight weeks, allowing the Art Program to constantly refresh the space so even the most frequent visitor to Hartsfield-Jackson can find something new and interesting.

Current Exhibition
"Karekin Goekjian: Moonlight in Georgia"

Karekin Goekjian is well known for his images of southern ruins and landscapes photographed by moonlight. He “paints” the scene with strobes and flashlights during extended exposure times that may last up to an hour and a half. His photographs have a romantic, yet ominous feel that reveal the natural colors and mysteries of the night that are often obscured by the darkness. Although the natural hues of the landscape are exposed, the colors are transformed into a brilliant artificiality reflective of neon signs and high definition video. Goekjian juxtaposes nature with artificial constructs of modernity and romantic sentimentality with an otherworldly presence, therefore, revealing the ambiguities of postmodernism.

Born into an Armenian shoemaker’s family in Lebanon, Karekin Goekjian moved to the United States in 1970. His work has been widely exhibited and is in many permanent museum collections and corporate collections around the world. His images have appeared in various periodicals such as Life, Aperture, and Popular Photography. Two books showcasing his work have been published: Light After Dark: A Portrait of Southern Ruins (Lucinne, 1994) and, with Robert Peacock, Light of the Spirit: Portraits of Outsider Artists (University Press of Mississippi, 1998). Goekjian currently lives in Athens, Georgia where he runs a gallery on the outskirts of the downtown area.

For more information about the artist and his work, please visit www.karekingoekjian.com.

Previous Exhibit
"Barry J. Taratoot: Les Fleurs Photographic Collection"

At first glance, one may misconstrue these art works as a painting or an illustration. A closer look however, reveals they are indeed photographs…but how can this be?

"The painstaking and unique process by which these luminous images are captured is totally unique and unusual. But it yields an extraordinary gift – astonishing variations in shadow and light and a soft yet vivid color, and a dream-like “3D” tonality so visually stunning that most viewers are lead to believe they are looking at a pastel illustration or a painting and not a photograph. The unique illumination wraps around and caresses each petal and leaf in such a way that the photos have been described as surreal, “ghostly,” and “hauntingly beautiful.” It is like looking at plants in a parallel universe, one you can neither feel nor touch, but convincingly real enough looking to make you want to try. And yet through the cloudy softness is the most striking detail of each and every Les Fleurs plant, right down to the very delicate veining within leaves and petals."

Les Fleurs photographs are captured by modern digital techniques, yet these images are not the product of painting software nor are they manipulated in a way whatsoever beyond basic color enhancement, placement of the plants, and dust removal.

Barry J. Taratoot is a native Georgian born in 1960. He is honored and proud to exhibit his photographic works of fine art in his native city of Atlanta. Through the years, Barry has seen the City and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport grow both physically and culturally, which is also apparent in his work thanks in large measure to Atlanta’s prominence in international commerce and transportation which afford him the opportunity to photograph some of the most truly beautiful and unique plants and flowers cultivated around the world.

For more information about the artist and his work, please visit http://lesfleurscollection.com/.