Documenting the lives of friends and family in a rural Midwest town, Chris Verene’s photo book Family reveals the struggles faced by declining American communities.
A Brooklyn-based artist and musician, Verene has intimately photographed the folks in his Galesburg, Illinois hometown for the past 26 years. Inspired by Diane Arbus, he makes heartfelt pictures of people and places in good times and bad — conveying the details in a few written words on the final print.
Visit Chris Verene’s website, read an interview with the artist, listen to his music with Cordero, check out his solo art show at Postmasters, and buy a copy of the book
Click through below for a gallery of images.
Chris Verene, The Galesburg Series (1984-present), from the book Family, published by Twin Palms Publishers (www.twinpalms.com)
Comments (6)
This feels like exploitation.
And this approximates art how?
Unashamed Americana. I like it.
An eye for color and composition, along with a sense of compassion. That makes it art and very good indeed. If it makes you uncomfortable to see how some people live that is your issue to deal with and not the photographer’s.
Here is a review from The New Yorker Magazine this week
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/photobooth/2010/08/chris-verene-family.html
[...] will critique the book Jenna brought in, Chris Verene’s Family.It is a large, beautiful, expansive book, full of awkward portraits of his family. I don’t [...]
Post a new comment