Robert Polidori explores ‘auto-constructed’ cities in his first show at Paul Kasmin Gallery

In photographer Robert Polidori’s inaugural show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery – entitled 'Ecophilia / Chronostasis' – gritty, urban photographs completely envelop the viewer, blocking the surrounding trendy Chelsea neighborhood. Polidori uses ‘dendritic’ to describe the industrial sprawl captured in this series – a term that more commonly refers to the branching extensions of a biological structure such as a cell or a tree.
This is the first time Polidori’s 2007 ‘dendritic’ series is being shown in the United States. In it, the photographer, known for capturing post-disaster scenes in Chernobyl, New Orleans and Havana, turns his lens on Amman, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro.
‘These "auto constructed" cities are constructed (as the term implies) by the inhabitants themselves,’ Polidori says. ‘I began the series in 1996 when I chanced upon the auto-constructed settlements in Jabal al Qal'a [Amman Citadel]. This whole settlement was constructed within three years by Palestinians expulsed from Kuwait in 1991 and I was amazed by the vast and rapid expansion of this new "organic" urban growth.’
Three enormous photographs of India dominate the space, especially his 12m work, 60 Feet Road which captures an eponymous street in Mumbai. The image is a compilation of 22 separate photographs stitched into one. ‘I wanted the piece to be large enough for the viewer to see the myriad details inherent in the image and wide enough to force the viewer to walk by it from end to end as I had to do when I initially photographed it,’ Polidori explains.
Also on view is the photographer’s 2010 Hotel Petra, a set of images taken of a formerly grand hotel that was nearly destroyed and abandoned in Beirut during the 1980s civil war. Unlike his expansive city photographs, Hotel Petra focuses on specific details of flaked paint and mottled walls, offering up a more poetic perspective of architectural decline. Combined, the two series continue Polidori’s exploration of the boundaries between beauty and decay, order and disorder, and the architectural record that encapsulates all of these conditions.
Polidori uses ‘dendritic’ to describe the industrial sprawl captured in his series – a term that more commonly refers to the branching extensions of a biological structure such as a cell or a tree. Pictured: Amrut Nagar #3
This is the first time Polidori’s 2007 ‘dendritic’ series is being shown in the United States. Pictured: Amrut Nagar #3
Also on view is the photographer’s 2010 Hotel Petra, a set of images taken of a formerly grand hotel that was nearly destroyed and abandoned in Beirut during the 1980s civil war. Pictured left: Hotel Petra #6. Right: Hotel Petra #8
INFORMATION
’Ecophilia / Chronostasis’ is on view until 15 October. For more information, visit the Paul Kasmin Gallery website
Photography courtesy the artist and Paul Kasmin Gallery
ADDRESS
Paul Kasmin Gallery
293 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
-
Achille Salvagni imbues Upper East Side townhouse with understated glamour
Designer Achille Salvagni’s latest project is a Manhattan townhouse whose understated design is led by function and inspired by 1920s and 1930s architecture
By Pilar Viladas • Published
-
Discover July 2023 Wallpaper*: the Design Directory
See Wallpaper’s July 2023 Design Directory for the best new seating, tables, beds, lighting, outdoor furniture, rugs and more, on sale now
By Sarah Douglas • Published
-
Ruinart’s Food For Art promises culinary delights in Basel
Hosted during Art Basel in Basel 2023, Ruinart’s latest Food For Art dinner draws on Eva Jospin’s Carte Blanche commission
By Simon Mills • Published
-
Matthew Day Jackson: ‘I want digital and analogue to fit together perfectly so we can regain our hands’
American artist-designer Matthew Day Jackson’s new show 'Against Nature' at Pace Gallery, New York offers a sharp digital spin on landscape painting
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Janny Baek’s psychedelic ceramics are objects in flux
Korean-American architect and sculptor Janny Baek speaks about expressing ‘vibrancy, pleasure, and hope’ through her vivid ceramics, ahead of a major show at Culture Object, New York (on view until 20 May 2023)
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see in 2023
As Frieze 2023 gets ready to touch down at The Shed, explore our ongoing guide to the best New York art exhibitions 2023 for your diary
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published
-
Los Angeles exhibitions: the best shows to see right now
Read our ongoing picks of the best new and upcoming LA art exhibitions to see under the California sun
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
John-Paul Philippe presents ‘Ombre’, an evocative show at Cristina Grajales, New York
New York gallerist Cristina Grajales presents 'Ombre' by John-Paul Philippe (until 28 April 2023): the artist tells us about this new body of work, and finding inspiration in parakeets
By Emily R. Pellerin • Published
-
Wangechi Mutu’s fantastical creatures take over the New Museum
Wangechi Mutu’s ‘Intertwined' at the New Museum, NYC, until 4 June 2023, is a major survey spanning the full breadth of the Kenyan-born American artist’s work
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Heaven on Earth: architect Toshiko Mori curates Candida Höfer’s sublime new photography show
At Sean Kelly, New York, architect Toshiko Mori is curating a new show by Candida Höfer, spanning a 30-year period of the German photographer’s spatially sublime work
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
‘The Yanomami Struggle’: piercing New York show sheds light on an Amazonian community under critical threat
Now on view at The Shed in New York, ‘The Yanomami Struggle’ is a poignant exhibition dedicated to the friendship between artist and activist Claudia Andujar and the Yanomami people, and their collective fight against invasion
By Tilly Macalister-Smith • Published