The American photographer is one of the artists invited to Rencontres de la photographie in Arles. He presents three photo series, taken from the late 1990s to today. In his photos, America is revealed in an unusual light.
For three decades, photographer Gregory Crewdson made America his subject of study. Invited to Rencontres d’Arles this year, he exhibits the first series entitled: fireflies (Fireflies). Crewdson captured the luminous effects created by these beetles in a series of shots taken in 1996. Small points of light are organized into abstract shapes in the dark night, the result is dreamlike and especially graphic. The most recent series Temple of pines And Eclipse of the moths this time delving into highly produced photography. The former offers strolls through gorgeous and haunting forest landscapes, in which often isolated characters are drawn to the power of the trees around them. Their trunks, like giant poles, surround the rare inhabitants of these large formats. The second is making homes around a lake in Beckett County (Massachusetts), the theater of tragic and nostalgic scenes. People of all ages have been photographed in outdated interiors that seem to be the perfect representation of how bad they are. Originally from the region, Crewdson has made his territory a mirror of the United States.
Gregory Crewdson. The Woman at the Sink series Temple of Pines pigment print, 2014 By the artist.
Evening partyblack and white at its peak
The exhibition continues in series Evening party (2021-2022) first shown in France, which paints a raw portrait of America. Barns, outdated shops and unused warehouses replaced the buildings. The streets are almost empty and pale lights illuminate the wet and often foggy pavement of dusk. These somewhat neglected villages have not borne the mark of modernity. They seem timeless, so only certain threads can make them part of the time. He has several familiar characters (his partner and colleague Julian Higham and their children) play there and thus give his landscapes an intimate frame.
Photographing Universal
In this overtly political series, in black and white, he addresses the great moments of life, from birth to pregnancy, adolescence, but also aging and death, which he brings into dialogue with large collections that are also affected by time and decay. Crewdson, who describes himself as a storyteller, weaves many cinematic references into his work and willingly suggests a narrative in his shots, where the characters appear to be frozen between two acts. The photographer describes his work as “a love letter to traditional photography“. A perfect transition to a very nice neighboring exhibition at LUMA dedicated to photographer Diane Arbus.
“Gregory Crewdson, Evening 2012-2022”, until September 23 La Mécanique générale, Arles
Source: Le Figaro
