Gregory Crewdson’s latest exhbition, Beneath the Roses, seems to be everywhere at the moment. Showing at Luhring Augustine until May 3, and at White Cube, and will open at Gagosian May 3, 2008. This latest series continues familiar Crewdson themes; mundane settings collide with a subverted narrative that captures a moment of potential mystery, unease. It’s the viewer who brings the narrative to the image. Interpretation unfolds as you realize something really awful just took place, or could occur, within moments.
Untitled (The Madison)
‘Beneath the Roses’
2007
Edition of 6
Archival pigment print
58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) (incl. frame)
Light has everything to do with Crewdson’s sublime imagery. Dusk bathes an image with an otherness, suspended between day and night. Smoke clouds our perception and hints at more drama laying just beyond what is easily seen in the image.
Gregory Crewdson
Untitled, Summer 2004
Digital C-print
(north by northwest from Beneath the Roses)
64 1/4 X 94 1/4 inches
Cars drift in and out of the images. A door is flung open, or left abandoned.
Untitled (Forest Clearing)
‘Beneath the Roses’
2007
Archival pigment print
58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) (incl. frame)
Intimate. Detached. Horrible. Beautiful. For me, the work is about uncovering contrasts.
How does he do it? There’s a great story online at Aperture that describes his crew, which includes members Rick Sands, Daniel Karp, Carl Sprague and others, and gives insight into their working capacity with Crewdson. Each crew member discusses his or her specialties and contribution to Crewdson’s vision. The scale of Crewdson’s endeavor takes on new meaning while reading this article; you realize the number of people required and the amount of equipment needed to stage a photo.
White Cube has a series of Production Stills available for purchase.
Official artist website here.