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16/9/2013

Victoria Cohen

Third Streaming, New York

THIRD STREAMING PRESENTS NEW PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES
BY VICTORIA COHEN CAPTURING LAST DAYS OF CHELSEA HOTEL

New York — The New York photographer Victoria Cohen captured the last days of the Chelsea Hotel—that storied refuge of the eccentric and creative—during an intensive three-week shoot during the dog days of August 2011. Some two years later, the result is a bittersweet, closely observed portrait of the grand, 23rd Street landmark as it was before its current renovation—and as it never will be again.

From Tuesday, September 17 to October 25, 2013, Third Streaming at 10 Greene Street in SoHo presents a selection of color photographs from the series, marking the first time that the body of work has been exhibited in New York. The exhibition, Hotel Chelsea, is organized by the independent curator Michael Steinberg.

Hotel Chelsea is accompanied by a sumptuous and comprehensive photography book of the same name, published by Pointed Leaf Press (September 2013).

Glowing orange walls enveloping a proper Victorian mantelpiece; a battered brown desk pressing up against a window framing an astounding view of Lower Manhattan; daylight diffused by musty white sheers and faded plaid curtains; neatly folded, floral patterned bedspreads; a box of tissues, an ashtray, and a telephone left on a bedside table: these are among the expressive evidence of past lives still present in the more than a hundred guest rooms photographed by Cohen, represented in 26 photographs on view at Third Streaming.

“At first, I was surprised by how eerily quiet and stark the hotel seemed. But as I began to concentrate on photographing, I came to realize that I was not photographing rooms, really, but was in fact making portraits,” says Cohen.

Cohen chose to use only natural lighting, and a hand-held camera, for the project. As a result, she often waited, holding the camera in position, for long periods to capture just the moment and just the light she was seeking.

“When I first saw these images of rooms, so devoid of any personal items, yet idiosyncratically furnished, I felt mesmerized and transported to a different time and place,” says Yona Backer, founder and director of Third Streaming. “By evoking those who came through the hotel over the years and speaking to their lives and dreams, these photographs remind us of what downtown New York used to represent.”

The Book

Hotel Chelsea (September 2013) is a new publication from Pointed Leaf Press, a New York publisher noted for producing high-quality design, architecture, photography, and fashion books. Eighty-three color photographs are featured in the 10 ¼ x 15” hardcover book, which is available from www.pointedleafpress.com and in stores across the country ($95).

The Chelsea Hotel

The Hotel Chelsea is a historic landmark located at 222 West 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea. The 250 unit hotel has been home to some of the greatest and most unconventional writers, musicians, artists, and actors of our time, including Bob Dylan, Virgil Thomson, Brigid Berlin, Charles Bukowski, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Viva, Gaby Hoffmann and Larry Rivers. Although the Chelsea no longer accepts long-term residencies, the building is still home to many who lived there before the change in policy.

About the Artist

Born and raised in New York and a graduate of Parsons School of Design, Victoria Cohen’s first encounter with a camera came on a visit to Amsterdam when she purchased an old Nikon F 35mm, beginning a journey that was to become a passion. For the past several years, Cohen has focused on the connection between the humankind and our environments, shooting mostly in 4 x 5 large-format. Her work is represented in private collections in Europe, South America, and the United States. Cohen lives and works in New York. Hotel Chelsea is her first book.

About Third Streaming

Third Streaming is a gallery and performance space that also provides strategic guidance and practical implementation plans for individual artists, arts institutions and foundations.  Third Streaming highlights the crossover, connection and combination of the creative lifestyle, keeping at its core the idea of creating something new by fusing different elements.
The gallery is located at 10 Greene Street, 2nd Floor (between Grand and Canal Streets) in New York City.  Hours are Tuesday to Friday or by appointment. For more information please visit www.thirdstreaming.com or call 646.370.3877.

Opening Reception: Tuesday, September 17, 6 -8 pm

Third Streaming
10 Greene Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013
Admission free

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