Lawndale Art Center presents four exhibitions in conjunction with the FotoFest 2014 Biennial.

In the John M. O'Quinn Gallery, Otis Ike and Ivete Lucas examine the intimate yet physically detached relationship between two anonymous correspondents who exchange letters hidden inside a dying tree for the exhibition Love Letters in a Tree. Ike is photographer, documentary filmmaker, sustainable designer and builder. Lucas is a filmmaker and visual artist based in Houston.

In the Cecily E. Horton Gallery, Galina Kurlat explores the intimate relationship between photographer and sitter in Safe Distance. Galina Kurlat was born in Moscow in 1981 and immigrated to the United States shortly after the fall of communism in 1989. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is in number of public and private collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Krista Birnbaum fits hedges, trailing vines and decorative grasses into the structure of the Grace R. Cavnar Gallery for the exhibition Curb Appeal.  Birnbaum is an interdisciplinary artist currently residing in Houston. Her images and sculptures reflect issues of control over nature. 

In the Project Space, Spike Johnson documents the lives of a group of U.S. veterans who exist beneath Houston's Downtown in Friends in Low Places. The work is accompanied by audio interviews with the subjects. The percentage of veterans in the homeless community is double the representation of veterans in normal society. Around 300,000 veterans sleep rough every night, around 1 million will have been homeless at some point in 2012.

Originally from Southern England, Johnson completed an MA in photojournalism at the University of North Texas. His work has published with outlets including Foreign Policy, Vice Magazine, the BBC and Human Rights Watch.

On view through April 12.