Charles Peterson’s Nirvana

"Charles Peterson’s Nirvana" highlights the dynamic energy of Peterson’s black-and-white photographs, which have become synonymous with the sounds, styles, movement, and attitude known as Grunge. The exhibition, based on a book of the same name, expands beyond Peterson’s iconic images seen in album art, books, and magazines for decades. Over a five-year photo edit, Peterson focused on the photographs, many never before printed, that stimulated visceral memories of live performances. In addition to Peterson’s gelatin-silver and pigment prints, the exhibition will include black-and-white photographs and video by five distinct artists (including Barbara Morgan, Sylvia Plachy, Nicholas Galanin, and Peterson’s photography professor, Paul Berger, among others) to complicate and complement Peterson’s work. The exhibition has been created by Tacoma Art Museum in collaboration with Seattle-based publishing platform Minor Matters and is curated by Michelle Dunn Marsh.

October 5, 2024 - May 25, 2025