FAMILIAR DIFFERENCES | A group photography exhibition curated by Innocnts
FAMILIAR DIFFERENCES | A group photography exhibition curated by Innocnts
August 19 – September 4, 2016
THESE DAYS presents FAMILIAR DIFFERENCES | A group Photography Exhibition curated by INNOCNTS focusing on contemporary portraiture by young LA based photographers. Featuring works by DANE PETERSON, EMILY KNECHT, KEEGAN GIBBS, STACY KRANITZ, VALERIE J. BOWER, and WILL ADLER.
Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on a face they think is the one they would like to show to the world... Every so often what lies behind the facade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares to believe. – Irving Penn
FAMILIAR DIFFERENCES is a mixed grouping of young photographers whose work often entails the use portraiture as a means of depicting the world around them. Often, as active participants within the cultures they document, this grouping of young photographers is imbued with a sense of access and candidness that is unique and endearing to the work. Using various unmediated approaches, this forthright survey of early career photographers explores aspects of portraiture through formal and informal depictions of human experience.
ABOUT INNOCNTS
INOOCNTS is a lifestyle-based project that manifests itself through various mediums including art, writing, video, music, clothing, photography, and curatorial efforts. Driven by emotive experiences and romantic conviction, INNOCNTS engages influence from fringe lifestyles, perceptions of artistic nostalgia, and the interstitial space where “high” and “low” culture intertwine.
DANE PETERSON
As an accomplished surfer in his youth, Dane Peterson traveled the world. It was the unique people and places he encountered along the way that inevitably lead him to first pick up a camera and begin documenting his journey. In that process, he developed an uncanny knack for finding beauty in the subtleties that surrounded him. Dane now lives and breathes his art. His primarily focus utilizes a variety of analog film mediums that act not only as his tools but also as his inspiration.
EMILY KNECHT
Emily Knecht is a Photographer, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her work is as personal as it gets, often turning the camera on herself, exploring her vulnerability, sexuality, and the power of the camera to edit perception and reality. Her work often explores the female body, the casual magic of everyday, and the American landscape. Emily currently resides and works in Los Angeles.
KEEGAN GIBBS
Keegan Gibbs’ work is about the balance and relationship between narrative and conceptual photography. His photographic experiences have found him in various unique situations from the Venice studio of artist John Baldessari to 2am billboard climbing with noted LA graffiti artists from the infamous 7th Letter Crew. Conceptual sensibilities lend themselves within Keegan’s compositions but the work remains rooted in a narrative derived from the subjects he chooses to shoot.
STACY KRANITZ
Stacy’s work explores history, representation and otherness within the documentary tradition. She use’s photography to open up a narrative that confronts our understanding of culture; one poised between notions of what is right and what is wrong. “I am interested in carving out a path that explores the subjective relationship to the people I photograph, resulting in images that are meant to implicate the photographer as well as the viewer.” Born in Kentucky, Stacy is currently based out of Los Angeles but her practice often finds her living within the communities she documents.
VALERIE J. BOWER
Valerie J. Bower is an L.A. based street and documentary photographer. She uses childhood nostalgia and the visuals and experiences of the neighborhood she grew up in as influences in her work. Her subtle images show a softer side and a feminine point of view to typically masculine themes and subjects, such as lowrider, street, punk, and skate culture.
WILL ADLER
Will Adler is a west coast photographer known for his distinctive takes on surf culture. Adler's laid back, light infused images convey the spirit and atmosphere of place as much as the intended individual or element. Despite developing his self-taught digital camera chops, Will works almost exclusively with film, both color and black and white with an affliction to available light. When questioned about his photographic methods Will laments, "I like capturing free flowing, natural moments, and generally just shooting things that I find interesting or funny.”