from “INTERNAL AFFAIRS” STEVEN AHLGREN // 1991–2001
seen from India
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from “INTERNAL AFFAIRS” STEVEN AHLGREN // 1991–2001
Three Retail Storefronts, Steven Ahlgren, 2004-05
Steven Ahlgren
Steven Ahlgren, da série Internal Affairs.
Steven Ahlgren. From the series "Autocratic Landscapes."
In response to a question at Fototazo about his process.
"...my current project – which I still consider kind of amorphous and can only describe as the physical and social landscape of the car - came about in a much different way. I was looking at photographs of mine that I liked but that were not made with any project in mind. I found the theme only after looking at these photos and realizing many were connected. My interest in the subject was always there but I didn't realize it until spending time with the images. Only after making this discovery did I begin to go out and make pictures specifically for this project. Even now, however, I still don’t know precisely what I am looking for when I go out to photograph. This situation can be either liberating or frustrating depending on my point of view at that moment.
"I remember comments from two people I greatly respect that relate to both of these approaches. The German photographer Michael Schmidt wrote in an interview in his book Irgendwo that he needs three to five years to complete a project. The first couple years are spent intuitively making photos without a clear objective. Often the work looks different than what he planned. Oftentimes he is confused. But by the simple act of going out and making photos it helps to clarify what it is he is really after.
"The other comment comes from photographer/curator John Szarkowski in a documentary about his life in photography. He mentions briefly near the end of the film that often students (and I think all photographers) sometimes don’t have any idea what to photograph. His advice is to simply start making photographs – even if the initial subject is something you might only be slightly interested in. When you are stuck, try to figure it out through working and responding to what you have made, instead of trying to resolve the answer in your head before you pick up a camera."
LS 11 | Wealth | Curated by Fabio Severo
Steven Ahlgren - Outside the Office
These photographs were made between 1996 - 2001, mostly on Wall Street and in Midtown Manatthan