I went to the Trump rally in Cincinnati in August and will be installing a 360-degree walk-in photograph of the rally at Bushwick Open Studios on September 20-21 from 12-is 6pm. You can see it on the street in front of 12 Grattan Street.
Trump rally in Cincinnati, segment of full panoramic image
Installation view, Nogales Cyclorama, Bushwick Open Studios, 2018
Maspeth Salt Shed, 2018
Summer Sampler 2018
Opening Reception
Friday June 29, 7-9pm
Exhibition runs June 29–July 29th
Front Room Gallery
48 Hester Street
New York, NY 10002
Gallery Hours Wed-Sun 1-6pm
with Sasha Bezzubov, Thomas Broadbent, Phillip Buehler, Jade Doskow, Peter Fox, Sean Hemmerle, Amy Hill, David Kramer, Jesse Lambert, Stephen Mallon, Sascha Mallon, Mark Masyga, Melissa Pokorny, Ross Racine, Ken Ragsdale, Paul Raphaelson, Emily Roz, Ashok Sinha, Patricia Smith, Joanne Ungar, Zoe Wetherall, and Edie Winograde
Installation view of the exterior of “American Trilogy” at the Spring/Break Art Show
For the first time I showed more than one of my walk-in panoramas under the title, “American Trilogy.” It was curated by Larry Walczak. The show was held on the 22nd floor of #4 Times Square during Armory Art Week.
“American Trilogy: Ferguson” places viewers on the spot where Michael Brown was killed by police. I remembered the rioters, tear gas, military assault vehicles and rooftop snipers from the nightly news, but when I was there it was a quiet neighborhood, and on the line where he fell was a makeshift memorial of hundreds of stuffed animals, flowers and notes. The panorama was part of a Black Lives Matter event in Times Square in 2015 as well as installed in a Brooklyn public high school for Black History Month.
“American Trilogy: Arlington” places viewers in front of Muslim soldier Humanyun Saqib Khan’s headstone. His Gold Star parents spot at the Democratic National Convention and were mocked by then-candidate Donald Trump. On Khan’s headstone is the Muslim Star and Crescent and surrounding headstones have Jewish, Christian, Mormon and Buddhist symbols. The panorama was originally installed in Erie Pennsylvania, a red part of a swing state, the week before the Presidential election.
“American Trilogy: Washington” places viewers in front of the White House during the Women’s March on Washington, where they are surrounded by protest signs and a sea of pink pussy hats. It debuted at Spring/Break.
Interior of “American Trilogy: Washington” and two women viewing.
Detail of “American Trilogy: Washington, 2017”
Happily, the exhibit received a lot of press. My favorite quotes were:
“He really seems to be on to something here–standing there looking out at the makeshift memorial for Brown, a black teenager who was unarmed when he was shot and killed by a white police officer, was really moving.” Nicole Disser, Bedford & Bowery
“We are living in unprecedented times. Sometimes, it helps to travel outside frames that are most familiar to us, the narratives we are spoonfed. Step into the panoramas of ‘American Trilogy’ and you just might walk out with a different perspective about a person, place, or cause you thought you knew all about.” Daniel Kessel, Bushwick Daily
“They are technical tours de force, but more importantly they are eloquent reminders of the obstacles facing contemporary America.” Robert Ayers, Ocula
I created another walk-in panorama, this one I shot in front of Captain Khan’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery. Before the Presidential election, few people outside the military had heard of Gold Star Families or could truly comprehend the enormity of their sacrifices. Stepping inside, people will find themselves standing in front of Captain Humayun Khan’s headstone and see flowers, small stones, a teddy bear and letters left for Captain Khan’s Gold Star parents, Khizr and Ghazala. Surrounded by headstones spreading as far as the eye can see, viewers will see the Muslim Crescent Moon and Star on Captain Khan’s headstone alongside Christian, Mormon, Buddhist and other religious symbols. Off in the distance can be seen a funeral procession with a horse-drawn carriage as well as visiting Gold Star Families.
I will be installing it in Erie Pennsylvania, a conservative part of a swing state, from October 27th until October 29th. Larry Walczak, founder or eyewash Projects, is the curator and it will be located at PACA in Erie.