Joseph O'Neill "Urban Abstract" March 1 - 25, 2017 Opening Reception Thursday, March 2, 2017, 6 - 8 PM
Inspired by Eugene Atget’s style of capturing the simplicities of everyday life and Man Ray’s unique combination of photographic realism and artistic surrealism, O’Neill’s work captures elements of New York City that are urban and industrial in tone. Rather than trying to make things beautiful, he seeks the deeper truth beneath the first impression. “I simply don’t accept the limited view of the first look,” he says. “When I take a photograph, I never know what I will find. But if I’m quiet, if I’m patient, if I let the subject do the talking. “I nearly always discover something—a story that wants to be told.”
With his camera, O’Neill looks to illuminate things that are easily overlooked. ”I use my lens to look at details, offering a play of reflection, light, and shadow that happens naturally when someone is walking past the same building looking it up and down,” he says. “My lens attempts to freeze that moment when a viewer first notices something unique but might not have time to stop and take proper note.”
Shooting in black-and-white, O’Neill isolates subtle details of texture, light, and space. “I found that I could focus a viewer of my work into the eyes of a subject, to allow viewers to look as differently upon the world in which they live as I might,” he says. “I notice objects and scenes that were obscure, making me realize I had been missing large parts of the world around me.” O’Neill’s black-and-white photography earned him an Honorable Mention at last year’s Monochrome Awards in the Abstract category.
Joseph O’Neill is available for interviews or for private viewings of his work. Please call 917-371-1167 or email [email protected] for more information.
Playing big--as our full selves--can be a risky adventure. Park discovered, though, that there is no other way to live once we’ve tasted that experience. Each piece expresses a taste of the splendor of a life lived for fulfillment and joy. From Slipstream to Cathedral Ship, he builds a pageant of wonder. www.parkmcginty.com
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