Philip-Lorca diCorcia

Opening Reception: May 1st, 6-8 pm

Gagosian Gallery is delighted to announce an exhibition of photographs by Philip-Lorca diCorcia. The exhibition will comprise a group of photographs from diCorcia's acclaimed Streetworks series as well as the first selection of prints from a new body of work entitled Heads.

The Streetworks are a group of emotionally charged theatrical streetscapes shot over a number of years (1993–2000) in various cities around the world. DiCorcia sets up hidden lights on the sidewalk where he is shooting. These lights single out certain individuals from the crowded streets with the subtle glow of an unexpected light source, bestowing the kind of divine light reminiscent of religious paintings. Although compositionally these photograph are documentary, this strange and selective lighting gives the work the feeling of an operatic set, imbuing the work with a sense of meaning and numerous possible narratives that may take off from that moment. By using this semi-documentary semi-manipulated method of photography diCorcia invests his pictures with the enchantment of fantasy without relinquishing the power of fact.

In his new series Heads, diCorcia takes the concept of his working method to a new level. Shot from under the scaffolding of a building site in New York's Times Square, diCorcia uses a trip light and focuses in on single or small groups of passers by. He eliminates the backgrounds and compositional relationships between the figures and focuses in on individual characters. Visually the photographs are shocking in their directness and simplicity, brightly illuminated faces against a stark black background. But the illuminated faces tell endless stories. Through diCorcia's probing lens the information in these images, provided by these random passers by, belies their simplicity.

This eagerly awaited new series by the important American photographer will be shown for the first time by Gagosian Gallery. Philip-Lorca diCorcia has exhibited extensively in the United States, including at the New York Museum of Modern Art and in the Whitney Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, as well as throughout Europe, but neither of these series has yet been seen in England. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition.