Steven Hirsch: The Beauty Left Behind

Madelyn Jordon Fine Art is pleased to present STEVEN HIRSCH: The Beauty Left Behind a solo exhibition of abstract photographs by New York City artist Steven Hirsch.  The exhibition pairs artwork from two of Hirsch's recent series, Gowanus Waters and Splat!  It is the artist's first solo exhibition at the gallery and in Westchester.

For over 30 years, NYC street photographer and photojournalist Steven Hirsch has been identified by his gritty depictions of society's fringe including portraits of criminals, prostitutes and transients.  Who knew a visit to Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal in 2010 would lead to a pivotal moment which would change the direction of his career.  What he observed in the colorful industrial runoff of the infamously polluted Gowanus Canal inspired the artist to create abstract photographs of the oily psychedelic colors floating on the surface of the water.  This groundbreaking series was captured in a hardcover book, entitled Gowanus Waters, released last month.

A central characteristic of Hirsch's photographs, abstract and street, confirms that he is a careful observer of the world around him.  Since Gowanus, he's been seeking out rust, grease, paint, corrosion, stains, crushed computer parts, even bird droppings in pursuit of subject matter that's not about the subject within its context but for aesthetics alone.

His newfound curiosity for abstraction led the artist to the Portland Child Art Studio in Oregon last summer.  There he spent days studying a 40-foot wall, which, over many years of children painting outside the lines, left an incredible residue of vibrant colors and textures.  The abstract photographs he created from this experience are part of his Splat! series.

The unmodified abstract photographs from both Gowanus and Splat! have a vibrant painterly quality enhanced b printing on aluminum and displaying under acrylic glass.  "This isn't computer-generated art," says Hirsch.  "The highlighted colors are a natural enhancement of what is, the way polish might bring out the color of a scuffed shoe."

Steven Hirsch was born in Brookly, NY.  His photographs have been seen in publications including The New York Times, Paris Match, Time, Wired, Vice, The Huffington Post, The Atlantic and Stern.  Hirsch has taught at the International School of Photography, The New School, Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, New York University, and is currently teaching at Pratt Institute.  Steven Hirsch has been awarded two New York Foundation for the Arts grants and his work has been widely exhibited and collected by the Musuem of Modern Art, Polaroid Collection, Bibliotheque Nationale de Frane, Israel Museum, Library of Congress and the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans.