Philip-Lorca diCorcia

East of Eden (London)

Begun in 2008, this project is an ongoing series of large-scale photographs, which the artist has said was “provoked by the collapse of everything, which seems to me a loss of innocence. People thought they could have anything. And then it just blew up in their faces. I’m using the Book of Genesis as a start.” East of Eden, John Steinbeck’s magnum opus published in 1952, parallels many themes in the biblical Book of Genesis, such as the classic struggle between good and evil (from the Cain and Abel story), the hunger for acceptance and greatness, and the capacity for self-destruction and especially of guilt and redemption. In his series, diCorcia takes the economic and political climate of the United States towards the end of the Bush era as a source of inspiration. These images convey a sense of disillusionment and seem to depict people and events just after “the fall."

Place: David Zwirner gallery. 24 Grafton Street - London W1S 4EZ.
Date: From 25th September to 16th November 2013.
Philip-Lorca diCorcia will be signing copies of his books in The Photographers' Gallery Bookshop, 25th  September 2013, 5 - 6 pm.
David Zwirner will host a talk by Martin Barnes, Senior Curator of Photographs at the V&A, about the artist’s work, 19 October 2013, 11 am.

Hustlers (NYC)

Taken just over twenty years ago in Los Angeles in the vicinity of Santa Monica Boulevard, the exhibition features male prostitutes posing for the camera for a fee loosely equivalent to what they would charge for their sexual services. DiCorcia paid the subjects with grant money awarded to him by the National Endowment for the Arts, a bold gesture during the controversial years that witnessed censorship of NEA-supported exhibitions by Robert Mapplethorpe, Andres Serrano, and other artists.

Hustlers marks the beginning of diCorcia’s engagement with street photography. Many of his works appear to depict random events in public settings, yet rarely involve chance. For this project, each composition was carefully arranged before nearby hustlers were approached, and the result is a series of loaded narratives that revolve around a tension between the subject’s unique presence in front of the camera and the artist’s predetermined idea for the shoot. Depicted in a variety of settings including vacant lots, fast food chains, bus stops, and motel rooms, the hustlers are identified in the titles of the photographs by their name, age, place of birth, and payment received for posing for the camera.

Place: David Zwirner gallery. 519, 525 & 533 West 19th Street. New York, NY 10011.
Date: From 12th September to 2nd November 2013.