NEW YORK, NY— 14x48 is pleased to announce its latest billboard, Hoods (2016), by New York based pho
NEW YORK, NY— 14x48 is pleased to announce its latest billboard, Hoods (2016), by New York based photographer John Edmonds. The billboard, located at 252 W. 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in Manhattan, features a ‘portrait’ of a hooded figure with a hidden face, obscuring any notion of individual identity. Edmonds’ work encourages the viewer to question how we individually and collectively make assumptions about character or intention based on a small set of visual clues. In the case of Hoods, the simplicity and ambiguity of the work invites the viewer to ask questions about visual identity and public self-presentation. Using photography as a medium, Edmonds explores the tensions between self as a construction to be performed and the veiled truths that can be captured within that production. His work specifically focuses on issues of race, gender, and sexuality. He says, “It is this paradox of hyper-visibility and invisibility that I am interested in with the HOODS series—the micro-aggression of misidentification and how one relates to another.” Though the series originated as a kind of self-introspection, the parallel applicability to the wider social interpretation—and misinterpretation—of the ‘hooded figure’ makes this publicly displayed work a relevant addition to the social dialogue on race and perception. The photograph’s public display plays to the work’s intricate messaging. Posted in the consumer driven and trendy neighborhood of Chelsea, the ambiguous image that references fashion photography invites the viewer to question the wordless image. Is it an ad or an artwork? And what does that difference mean in terms of what we are supposed to glean from the image? John’s photograph is striking as a visual image, but also stunning in the sense that it allows the viewer to physically catch herself in the familiar, uncomfortable, and tragic cycle of making implicit judgments. The work’s clear links to recent social debates on race remind passersby that we are constantly perpetuating prejudices whether we intend to or not. As in Edmonds’ original self-exploration, perhaps we are simultaneously encouraging those prejudices to persist in our own selfimages. John Edmonds is a New York and New Haven based artist who works primarily in photography. He earned his BFA in Photography from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in 2012 and his MFA in Photography from Yale University in 2016. Edmonds’ work has been acquired by collections such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Foam Museum Amsterdam Library, the Indie Photobook Library, the George Eastman House Library, and the National Library of Australia. Notable recent exhibitions include: James Baldwin/Jim Brown & The Children, The Artist’s Institute, New York 2016; New Genealogies: 2016 -, Yale School of Art Green Gallery, New Haven, CT 2016; LOVE 2016, LeRoy Neiman Gallery at Columbia University, New York 2016; 5th Annual Contemporary Photography Exhibition, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA 2015; and Photo LA, LA Artweek, Los Angeles, California 2014. 14x48 repurposes vacant billboards as public art space in order to create more opportunities in public art for emerging artists and to enliven the vibrancy of our urban environment. Visiting the Installation The billboard is located on the east-facing wall of 252 W. 29th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues—a short walk from the 1 Train at the 28th Street/7th Avenue stop. Read more at: http://www.14x48.org/ -- source link
#john edmonds