According to Michelle Rogers Pritzl, Lethe is one of the five rivers of Hades. In order to be reborn, according to Greek legend, newly dead souls must drink of the Lethe to forget all memories of a past life.

Lethe, a series of collodion chemigrams, is featured in the Griffin Gallery Under Glass at the Griffin Museum January 9 through March 2, 2014. An opening reception with the artist is January 23, 7-8:30 p.m.

Pritzl created each of these chemigrams in ether, unfixed that will slowly tarnish and change like memories that disappear.

“The changing landscape in my installation references my family history and the loss of identity through time’s passage and memory loss,” says Pritzl. “Ultimately the oxidation process that changes each tile is like the oxidation process found in the brains and bodies of Alzheimer’s patients as the amaloid beta amino acid oxidizes and changes brain chemistry.”

Pritzl has been making photographs since 1993. She studied at the Corcoran Collage of Art and Design where she received her BFA. She holds a Masters of Art Education from California State University and is a MFA candidate at the Art Institute of Boston. Pritzl is a resident of Massachusetts.

A gallery talk for museum members by Denyse Murphy will take place at 6:15 p.m. January 23, 2014, prior to the opening reception for all exhibits.