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North Texas photographer Misty Keasler turns her camera on the rituals of pandemic life. In her latest body of work, “Sanctuary Dispatches,” Keasler offers an intimate look at her family’s isolation.

The pandemic redefined what home meant. For many Americans, the definition expanded to include all facets of our life. It was where we worked, relaxed, and were alone. It was where we came together (when it was safe), celebrated and grieved.

In her latest body of work, “Sanctuary Dispatches,” photographer Misty Keasler offers an intimate look at her family’s isolation during 2020. Her series of 14 photographs, on display at Holly Johnson Gallery Aug. 28 – Nov. 14, captures the unusual but semi-universal aspects of the pandemic like back-porch haircuts, long walks through the city and endless hours spent staring out the window.

As a photojournalist, Keasler works in reality, but as an artist she’s interested in the underpinnings of artifice in real life. She is perhaps best known for her portraits of Japanese love hotels and American haunted houses.

In this latest series, the images are posed or digitally stitched together. They are reflections of how the artist processed the previous year and a half — the longing, the isolation, the ennui familiar to so many of us.

Details - Through Nov. 13th, 1845 East Levee St., No. 100, Dallas, TX 75207. www.hollyjohnsongallery.com

Lauren Smart is an arts writer and critic. She teaches journalism at Southern Methodist University.