Ryan james macfarland
almost
July 17 through August 30, 2008
Opening reception:
Thursday, July 17th, 6-9pm
Merge Gallery
205 West 20th Street
New York, NY
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11-6pm
Merge Gallery is pleased to introduce almost, a solo exhibition of work by New York-based photographer Ryan James MacFarland. The show will include a series of color photographs that explore the conscious existence of the photographer and the people and places with which he interacts.
Each photo is remarkably unafraid of being beautiful while exposing the simplicity and the vastness of life. MacFarland takes snapshots of friends, animals and nature in an attempt to understand and reveal his and our roles as people and what separates us from animals and from each other. The exhibition titled “almost” is taken from the idea that we are almost always on the brink of full awareness and understanding. The somberness that is evoked from the futile endeavor of understanding the universe is elegantly juxtaposed by the hope of his young subjects and the humor of his oblivious non-human subjects.
Ryan James MacFarland’s style is incredibly refined and his craft perfected and with a surplus of young photographers taking poor photos he is truly a breath of fresh air. The way he captures youth and all of its questioning and vulnerable qualities is through a mature and thoughtful eye without the compulsive sexualization and forced seediness that seems to saturate photography today.
MacFarland has captured his world and our existence with skill and attention. The impression of the photographs and that of the artist is one that will stay with you and fascinate you, perhaps provoking the same enigmatic questions that the artist himself was considering.
For further information or to arrange an interview with the artist please contact Cass Zielinski at info@mergegallery.com or telephone 212.929.7505.
High-resolution images available for reproduction upon request.
