Week Four: ART SHOW

This weekend I had to go down to San Diego for a surf competition, so on my way down south from Santa Barbara, I stopped in my home town of Venice. During the short time that i was home, i went to a friend of mines small art opening he held his house. A current student of photography at Brooks institute, he decided to invite a small group of friends and family over to display what he has been working on. My friend, the photographer (who asked that I not use him name in this write-up), focused much of his photography on images on Downtown Los Angeles, attempting to show the contrast in dark, filthiness, as well as random beauty. My favorite image, Untitled, was taken from within dark alley, looking up against the side of an overflowing, fluid-leaking dumpster, with the sun just overhead, the overflowing trash casting unique shadow effects against the bright sun as a background. All of his shots were in black and white, and were blown up to be at least my height, and just as wide. At this scale, it was often times difficult to even make out that the shots were of common city scenery, making for many abstract interpretations amongst many other viewers, as well as myself. It was cool to go to a small show of a close friend's work, allowing me to see his work that i would have otherwise not known he had been making.