PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 4, 2011) – In Louisiana, it is estimated that the coastal wetlands are eroding at such a quick rate that nearly 25 to 35 square miles disappear each year. This crisis, says photographer Daniel Kariko, illustrates the turbulent relationship between civilization and the natural world. From Jan. 18 to Feb. 11, a collection of his photographs exhibited at the Saint Joseph’s University Gallery – “Storm Season” – will feature this troubled region.

Kariko shot the dramatic photographs in Louisiana’s Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary following hurricanes Katrina and Rita in order to capture the devastating effects large storms have on the coastline. The construction of levees along the Mississippi River in the early twentieth century aided the river’s navigation, but prevented necessary nutrients from replenishing in the wetlands – a process that Kariko says has added to the erosion crisis.

“We stop the flooding of rivers by building levees, yet that destroys the wetlands that protect us from storm surges,” he says. “Our adversarial relationship with the outside world ultimately reveals our inability to adapt to the natural process.”

Pinhole photography, a lens-less, extended-exposure technique that Kariko employed to photograph the wetlands, is used to create a softer but often more striking image.

“Kariko's low-angle shots help dramatize the immensity of Louisiana’s coastal erosion problem,” says Jeanne Bracy, SJU Gallery coordinator. “The grittiness of the images enhances the trauma of this ignored calamity. He expertly captures the texture of the terrain and displays the region's beauty despite its problems.”

The photographs in “Storm Season” were taken between May 2006 and May 2010, when Louisiana suffered the effects of major hurricanes, as well as the beginnings of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The work addresses environmental concerns and the impact the erosion may eventually have on the region’s Cajun culture.

Kariko, a native of northern Serbia, holds an M.F.A. in photography from Arizona State University and teaches at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. “Storm Season” has previously been exhibited at the Turchin Center for Fine Arts in Boone, N.C., the Tula Arts Center in Atlanta, Ga., and Castell Photography in Asheville, N.C. Other works have been shown domestically as well as in the United Kingdom, Slovenia, South Korea, the Czech Republic and Burkina Faso.

The Saint Joseph's University Gallery is located in Boland Hall on Lapsley Lane, off of City Avenue, between 54th Street & Cardinal Avenue in Lower Merion. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.