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Stephen Shore: The Biographical Landscape:
The Photography of Stephen Shore, 1968-1993
Presentation House Gallery
North Vancouver BC Nov 12-Jan 15, 2006
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Steven Shore, U.S. 97, South of Klamath Falls, Oregon, July 21, 1973 (1973), photograph [Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver BC, Nov 12-Jan 15]
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As an aspiring photographer in his youth, American Stephen Shore frequented the Factory, Andy Warhol’s New York studio. Shore was 23 years old when he had his first show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1971. His exhibition had the distinction of being the first one-person show by a living photographer. In 1972, he began a series of car trips during which he documented the roadsides, passing landscapes, gas stations, diners and motels of middle America.
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Steven Shore, West Third Street, Parkersburg, West Virginia, May 16, 1974 (1974), photograph [Presentation House Gallery North Vancouver BC, Nov 12-Jan 15] courtesy the Aperture Foundation
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Today Shore is known as a pioneer of colour photography for his early work. His cool style, dispassionate gaze and objective stance confer well with his belief that taking a picture “solves a puzzle, more than composes”. The images have a wide-eyed presence, as if the photographer cannot quite make sense of what he is seeing. Shore’s impartial scrutiny of odd and often graceless scenes has influenced several generations of photographers since the work was first shown.
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Steven Shore, Second Street, Ashland, Wisconsin, July 9, 1973 (1973), photograph [Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver BC, Nov 12-Jan 15]
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The Biographical Landscape was previously exhibited at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. A concurrent exhibition of 300 photographs entitled American Surfaces, a detailed visual diary of his roadtrips, continues at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, Long Island until the end of January.
Artist’s Talk: On Saturday, November 12 Shore will give a talk at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. For more information, 604-986-1351.
www.presentationhousegall.com
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