Jen Bekman Gallery Introduction to Urban Wilderness
Holmes’ photographic practice is rooted in his ability to capture and elevate the everyday into the quintessential. The viewer is carried to another place and time, often thought to only exist in films and fantasies. In The Urban Wilderness, the stark snowy landscape of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, a place familiar to many, is captured as a wonderland that could easily be mistaken for remote and vast landscapes far away from the city. Symbols of man intrude upon the pristine park: fencing, lampposts and looming buildings. The images, in turn, define the magical sensation of finding a brief moment of isolation in a place often overcome by crowds, chaos and noise.
Of his work Jen Bekman notes:
It's hard to imagine discovering such an un-peopled expanse of space, sky, and of white-tipped branches in our crowded metropolis. Yet, Joe is able to capture these solitary snow day moments again and again, creating images that infiltrate my brain. I imagine that this uninhabited pocket of the world that Joe has captured is probably just around the corner from kids hurtling down hillsides, using garbage can lids for sleds. This is what makes Joe both a great photographer and the ultimate New York storyteller: he’s a fast photographer, ever ready with an eye out for what's interesting and beautiful but he also knows exactly when to slow down.
Prints from "Urban Wilderness" are produced by the artist starting at 16x20" in a limited edition of 12 for $1600. Inquire for larger sizes.