Charlie White: Everything is American
"Everything is American," photographer Charlie White's first solo show in nearly three years, opens this Friday, 13 January, at Andrea Rosen Gallery in New York. White's latest subjects, like the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, gymnastics, and early man, are cultural touchstones that capture the popular imagination and inspire controversy. Created with elaborately-staged sets and lighting design, his work is about the horror and pathos of history and current events; in part, a comment on how popular mediums like film and television communicate these collective stories. The dramas as envisioned by White's unflinching gaze make for unsettling results: a young gymnast open-mouthed in her coach's arms, a human-like creature with gore in his hand and at his feet (Homo Habilis, pictured above left), and a courtroom crowd foregrounded by three women with shaved heads (Tate-LaBianca, above right). Honest and ambiguous—Is she yelling or moaning? Are the entrails human or animal?—the effect is neither drained of emotion nor overtly manipulative.
Through 18 February 2006 at Andrea Rosen Gallery, 525 West 24th Street (opening reception: 13 January, 6 – 8 pm and running concurrently at f a projects in London through 25 February 2006.
Related Entries: Charlie White, 6 Questions, Semi-Permanent Recap.
