Manhattan_1982Gun_RoZe
I visited New York City for my first time in 1980. As a young artist and photographer living in Toronto, NYC offered me everything I had only fantasized about, or seen in the media. I returned for two stays in 1982 with the intention to photograph and capture the feeling of the city I fell in love with. I consciously chose to record my visual experiences not only for myself but to share with friends and colleagues back home. Shooting on the streets in the early 80s was a much freer practice than the noticeable guardedness of today. People were far more approachable and intrigued by my camera in the 80s. Many even asked which magazine I was employed by. This project was all shot on 35mm color negative film. Once home I was able to personally print up my selects in the photo lab's darkroom I was a part owner of, in order to create a small portfolio.
I moved to NYC in 1997. The demand for Analog Printers was great enough to warrant being sponsored for my 01 Visa. By 2012 the demand for Analog Printing was strongly being replaced by the Digital method. With more free time available I decided it was my time to return to my own Fine Art Photography. Going through my archives I rediscovered my Manhattan 1982 series. It was my colleagues who encouraged me to work towards giving the series greater exposure by having a solo photo exhibit or publishing a book of the finest images.
By 2013, I began to shop a selection of the series around NYC galleries. Brian Clamp of ClampArt responded immediately. The timing was ideal to have three of my Manhattan 1982 images included in the group show he was curating titled “NYC, c. 1985”. It was truly an honor to be included with the other chosen photographers such as; Amy Arbus, Nan Goldin, Larry Clark, etc.
In March 2015, I had my first solo show titled “Manhattan 1982” in Toronto at Akasha Art Projects. The curated exhibition featured 21 images focusing on the fashion of that year. This exhibition travelled to two more locations in the city until the end of the year.
In 2016 I donated one of the key images of my collection to the annual SNAP auction for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), where my framed print received the highest bid at the evening event. This exposure resulted in several private commissions for large scale framed prints.
I decided it was time to honor this historical series with a hard cover self published book. This summer I established a GoFundMe campaign for Manhattan 1982- The Book. I have a dedicated Researcher committed to discovering the various locations of the images to be included as text. I am working with a gifted Photo Editor and Graphic Designer as well. The negatives require High Res scans and Retouching. A few prototypes of the book will be necessary before the final version is ready. As a freelancer I cannot possibly cover these expenses on my own. I invite anyone who is intrigued by this series and would like to support it, to make a contribution to the fund set up for it. The link is- HERE . I thank everyone who has encouraged and supported this passionate project of mine to date. The book is my gift in return for the amazing 15 years that I resided in NYC.
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