Photographic New York presents a major retrospective of the career of the photographer, artist and director Frank Ockenfels 3.
The exhibition, entitled Introspection, includes more than 100 works from his thirty-year career, including portraits of actors, musicians and Hollywood figures such as David Lynch and Angelina Jolie; artworks made on newspapers, scrap metal and skateboards that suggest his broad interests and ambitions; and a unique installation of hundreds of Polaroids taken during his many sessions with some of the world’s most famous faces.
“Frank Ockenfels is one of the most remarkable artists of his generation,” said Sophie Wright, executive director of Fotografiska New York. “Not only has he seamlessly crossed the boundaries between fine and commercial art for decades, but he also continues to push boundaries and develop new languages for what photography can be and how it can be adapt to other media. Our institution, which works to erase the distinctions that Ockenfels effortlessly ignored, is uniquely positioned to present this retrospective.”
Introspection examines the artist’s career through 12 sections, each linked to the next through exhibitions of Ockenfels’ personal journals, which he made to document his various projects. What started as quickly scribbled notes on Polaroid photos to remember lighting setups and plans for the next day became a record of his conversations with his subjects and a way of developing ideas, working through influences and monitor its progress. These works will serve as a key for the public to understand his evolution as an artist.
Ockenfels was widely applauded throughout his career for his playful style, his combination of various techniques (photography, painting, collage), and his experimentation with light and optics. The sometimes brutal treatment of his photographs, sometimes cut with scissors or covered with ink and charcoal, allows him to add his subjective sensibilities to his work, combining his personality with those of the people represented in his images. His art often has a dreamlike side, with a nuance that is sometimes dark and suggestive but nevertheless imbued with a certain elegance.
Ockenfels (born 1960 in West Chester, Pennsylvania) is best known for his psychologically revealing portraits of famous figures such as George Clooney, Damien Hirst, and David Bowie; his campaigns for brands like Converse and Nike; and his work as a director of music videos and commercials.
After studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York in the early 1980s, he made a name for himself designing covers for magazines such as Rolling Stone et Spin and overseeing photo shoots for artists such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jay Z and Alicia Keys. In the 1990s, he began directing music videos, then orchestrating promotional campaigns for shows and films like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Pirates of the Caribbean and, most recently, The Bear and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Throughout, he also maintained a distinct but related studio practice, producing work in a variety of media and presenting exhibitions at venues such as the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles.
“After more than 20 years away from the city, I am thrilled to return to present my work at Fotografiska New York and to present my work to a new audience in a place that has shaped much of my artistic sensibility,” said said Frank Ockenfels. 3. “showing the full scope of my work here – from celebrity portraits and works on paper to skateboard paintings is a rare and wonderful opportunity, and nothing short of a homecoming for me .” – Frank Ockenfels 3
Frank Ockenfels 3 : Introspection
Until March 2024
Photographic New York
281 Park Ave S.
New York, NY 10010
www.fotografiska.com/nyc
@fotografiska.newyork
2023-12-28 03:00:30
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