Sunday 31 July 2011

Hipsters, Drifters, Stoners and Loners...

http://mb.mercedes-benz.com/en/article/58/Hipsters%2C+Drifters%2C+Stoners+and+Loners


With his new exhibition Somewhere Place American prodigy Ryan McGinley proves that pure innocence can indeed be a provocation.
A back entirely covered in scratches; two bodies against the fiery evening sky; a teenager cradling a wolf cub. The protagonists of Ryan McGinley’s photographs are invariably young and naked. They reveal – and revel in – an intimate and liberating portrait of an America that awaits the rediscovery of its own innocence and insecurity. (In)famous for his excessive productions, created during week-long cross-continental road trips with a coterie of youngsters, McGinley has filled thousands of rolls of film staging the bodies of young people in dramatically surreal and dreamlike tableaux. A superficial spectator, suffering from sensory overload, might consider this an attempt at scandalous provocation. McGinley’s avowed commitment to beauty, vitality and youthful hedonism, however, transforms his work into the testament of a new American generation. In their nudity and innocence, they continue the dream of boundless freedom.

It all began in the 1990s with biographic Polaroid documentaries of Manhattan’s skater, graffiti and gay scenes. Over time, McGinley’s shots and situations started to feature more and more staged events and choreographies without ever losing their sense of spontaneity. With his latest work, the photographer explores novel ground: switching to the studio, he joins his fearless models in a range of visual adventures involving a range of docile – and decidedly dangerous – animals.


Check out more of his work on his personal website: http://ryanmcginley.com/Everybody_Knows_This_Is_Nowhere

Bags are getting packed for Shanghai! I leave in 2 weeks...

Till next time...

xx Street Gleam