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
-
Explore a refreshed Athens apartment full of quirk and midcentury characterA 1960s Athens apartment is revived by architects Aspassia Mitropapa and Christina Iliopoulou, who elegantly brought its midcentury appeal to the 21st century
-
The world’s best running brands, according to Wallpaper*Think you need to sacrifice style for performance? Think again. Here’s the 15 best running brands for feeling fast and looking fresh
-
A London exhibition celebrates the next generation of Ukrainian photographersFUTURESPECTIVE at Saatchi Gallery presents an intimate portrait of a country in the midst of conflict
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the British capital this week
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennialOne of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
-
Inside a Courtney Love-inspired art exhibition in New YorkLiza Jo Eilers looks to the glory days of Hole at an exhibition at Grimm New York
