MANUEL SCHMETTAU : Lacunae
Schmettau’s objects, often curbside discards, are examined not for their intrinsic worth or past function, but for their newfound convergences, alignments, and the transformation of the seemingly innocuous. This creates a palpable perceptual tension: between lyricism and specificity, abstraction and materiality, the banal and the rarefied.
The idea of photography here is not as description, but as invocation; not as affirmation, but as contemplation. The title (“Lacunae”) hints at something that has passed, that we may have missed, that is now somewhere else. The term ‘lacuna,’ from the Latin for gap or void, directly informs this investigation into hidden narratives, displaced histories, and the liminal spaces where the real and imaginary meet.
Manuel Schmettau was born in Bremen, Germany. His family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota when he was a young child. His father was an established classical musician; the Schmettau family followed his career as a musician and teacher to Los Alamos, New Mexico, Brevard Music Center, Brevard, North Carolina, and eventually to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Manuel received a BFA in Painting from the Pennsylvania State University and a MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He lived and worked in New York City for thirty five years as an artist and curator before returning to South Carolina in 2014.
- Exhibition Open: Jan 22 – Feb 28, 2026.
- Reception: To be announced