While conventional wisdom tells us to keep away from dark alleys, photographer Xavier Nuez goes looking for trouble, or at the very least, signs of it. Being accosted by addicts and dealers, chased by gangs and questioned by police is all part of a night’s work. Nuez is inspired by inner-city ruins, dead ends, back lots and uninviting urban corners, partially due to a family history of homelessness and the fear that he too would succumb. To counteract this past, the artist creates monuments of the gutters, working with Hasselblad film cameras and shooting with lights and gels, and very long exposures.
Artist: Xavier Nuez
+ nuez.com
Work by Xavier Nuez will be featured in two upcoming California exhibitions. One opens August 21 at the L.H. Horton Gallery in Stockton and the other starts August 29 at Stanford Art Spaces Gallery in Stanford.
Photography | Aug 15, 2008
