Gerald Forster
dal 16/4/2008 al 13/6/2008
Segnalato da
16/4/2008
Gerald Forster
Hous Projects, New York
Everyone ditches their trench coat in this series titled with the spy novel like sobriquet Nocturnal. Lush nudes flanked by cityscapes have a heightened effect because of the painterly light captured through kaleidoscope foliage. His photos creates an intimate scenarios within the context of oddly disconcerting landscapes.
Hous Projects present a solo exhibition by Gerald Förster of his series Nocturnal.
Sex contains all, bodies, souls,
Meanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results, promulgations,
Songs, commands, health, pride, the maternal mystery, the seminal milk,
All hopes, benefactions, bestowals, all the passions, loves, beauties,
delights of the earth.
-Walt Whitman, A Woman Waits for Me
Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place.
- Billy Crystal
Everyone ditches their trench coat in this series by Gerald Förster titled with the spy novel like sobriquet Nocturnal. Lush nudes flanked by
cityscapes have a heightened effect because of the painterly light he captures streaming through kaleidoscope foliage. His precise balance
of abstraction and clear representation unfold a sequence of perceptions peppered by glimmers of recognition that ultimately allow one to
conclude these results are hardly accidental. The velvety vibe of the prints exudes all the juicy allure of a dream without the graphic gloss.
Each is an origami undone to reveal a cornucopia of scenarios and types of couples choreographed by Förster in New York, Los Angeles,
and Miami. Some have distinct landmarks and others are literally someone’s backyard. Förster shoots Nocturnal as still lives or
architectural portraits whose human presence is enriched against panoramic, technicolor skies. Simple voyeurism is raised to a new level
by inviting the viewer to participate in the dialogue of rebellion and the dangers of sexual transgression.
The Nocturnal series creates intimate, sexually charged scenarios within the context of elaborate and oddly disconcerting landscapes.
Förster utilizes the scenarios as a vehicle to explore the powerful tensions between intimate physical contact and alienating physical
context. They are nuanced studies in the divided nature of human intimacy as well as elaborately constructed visual metaphors for the
beauty and mystery elicited in the open disregard of social taboo. Each exemplifies the exhilaration of liberated sexuality in a lost, isolated
world. Within the nightscapes, human figures bound in the act of making love blur beyond distinction. Their physicality is simultaneously
elevated and diminished making them appear ghostly, translucent, and immaterial.
A culture’s definitions of sexuality and its place in daily life are oft defined between public and private spaces. The majority of the population
holds intercourse as an activity reserved for closely guarded spheres or isolated pleasure zones definitively separated from the wide open
great outdoors in accordance with conceptions of propriety. There is the seedy motel room for hourly hire to indulge in the dirty love affair
or a secret rendezvous, perhaps a gentleman’s club for an evening out with the boys; for women there are parties where toys can be
bought rather than Tupperware or a class taken at the gym to combine aerobics with learning to strip and pole dance, but in general sex is
done at home.
Heightened awareness of these set notions pervades daily life and relationships. Now and again though, couples are overcome in a
moment or perhaps even uncover a fetish for public displays of affection beyond hand holding or kissing. The necessities of romance and
soft emotion are thrown off along with their garments allowing for interaction that is raw, revealing, and risky, or if nothing else risqué. The
precept and reliance of fantasy or distraction is essential for some while simply playful for others. To sing the body electric under the veil of
the night sky on a dock, in a parking lot, or perhaps against a telephone pole, is an evangelical praise to the morphing of two individuals into
one. The works are titillating on the grounds of sheer sex, but a realm of suppression is also critically analyzed, longings unleashed, and
definitions questioned. There is something to learn from Förster’s couples in terms of finding a freedom, a balance between the
entertainment and the intimacy of sex.
Gerald Förster hails from Bad Oeynhausen, Germany and attended the school of photography in Bielfeld, Germany. He has mounted solo exhibitions at
Jenkins Johnson Gallery and has been included in group exhibitions at Pace Digital Gallery, NY, NY as well as at The Center of Photography, Woodstock, NY.
Moreover, his work has been included in Wiesbadener Fototage, Circa 07 Puerto Rico, Scope Miami and Voies Off. Förster has received critical review in
Planet, American Photography, City, Focus, Spread, and Surface. He has been awarded first place from the Fuji Press Photo European Professional Photo
Award in 2006; third prize from the IPA International Photography Award in 2006; first prize from the Fuji Press Photo Award for Germany in 2005; and,
first prize from the World Focus in 2003.
This series won first prize at the International European Professional Photo Award 2006
A reception to celebrate the artist will be held from 6 to 8pm, Thursday, April 17, 2008. A limited edition catalog with print will be available.
Hous Projects
31 Howard Street, floor 2, New York, NY 10013
Mon - Sat 10am - 6pm