Taryn Simon’s 2002 series of photographs titled: The Innocents documents the stories of 12 men, each of which served time in prison for crimes they did not commit.

Each of these men had a story, but because of mistaken identity by "eye-witnesses," their stories were assumed to be anything but the truth and were dismissed. the Lives of these 12 men were placed on hold for years until their convictions were over turned.

Simon photographed the men at sites that held personal significance to their wrongful convictions. The sites were either  the scene at which their identity was mistaken, scene of the arrest, the scene of the crime or the scene of the alibi.

Presenting these innocent men  along side the crimes they  were accused of being seen committed,  presents the question of is seeing really all we need to believe?

Charles Irvin Fain
Scene of the crime, the snake River, Melba, Idaho

Served 18 years of a death sentence for Kidnapping, Rape and murder, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches

 Edition of 5

 Larry Mayes Scene of arrest, The Royal Inn, Gary, Indiana

Police found Mayes hiding beneath a mattress in this room

Served 18.5 years of an 80-year sentence for Rape, Robbery, and Unlawful Deviate Conduct, 2002

Chromogenic print, 48 x 60 inches, Edition of 5 

    Art can transcend all barriers; it can link many different people and experiences together. Art creates a universal language that can be used to find the commonality among regional and cultural differences. As powerful as art can be in finding similarities, individual isolation has become a characteristic of our time. We allow our language, looks, and beliefs to become monumental differences that are impossible to overlook, regardless of the technology available to bridge communication gaps. It is definitely important to feel unique and special, but it’s equally important to be aware that we are still a part of a collective whole. Some of the true beauty in humanities, is in our basic common threads, we are not completely different for each other.

    We all have a story; it could be one or many. Whether it’s about your mundane morning routine, living through extreme social injustices, or the memories of your 3^rd grade teacher’s bad breath you have a story. The amazing thing is that, somewhere in the world, there is guaranteed to be someone that can relate and connect with it. In an attempt make these links, I've started to curate a series of exhibitions called Personals > Missed Connections .  Consisting of three exhibitions that showcase several different artist as they depict a range of personal, cultural and historical stories that often go unheard; Personals > Missed Connections attempts to highlight these untold stories, in hopes of, helping the audience find a possible missed connection.