A wonderful exhibit at Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in Chelsea is taking place now through October 18, 2014 featuring the photography of Steve Schlackman entitled "La Clave De Cuba."
Schlackman is a lawyer by profession and creator / author of the blog "Art Law Journal" http://artlawjournal.com and a photographer by choice. First, I especially love all of the valuable information I have received from this blog and working with Schlackman. The blog and his sites are a must for us artists, writers and photographers of all levels.
As for his passion of photography, (taken from the gallery press release), Steve has been fascinated by this magical world since his youth, he honed this skill over time, meticulously pouring over all things photographic, technical and creative alike, with unstoppable enthusiasm. Steve’s passion for taking photographs was ignited early on, during a study-abroad trip to Paris, where he immersed himself in all things art historical. Diligence, a strong trait Schlackman is known for, paid off, and after daily meanderings at the Louvre, a great love for art emerged along with hundreds of photographs. These pictures proved to be early tributes to the urban landscape, and although they didn’t amount to full-on series, a seed was planted.
His diversity ranges from advanced darkroom techniques, to photojournalism, to portraiture and it was during his time at the ICP when Steve decided to cross the threshold from amateur to professional. Seeing Sebastiao Salgado’s photographs commissioned by the UNICEF during the late 1990s solidified this turning point for Steve, and, as they say, the rest is history.
His latest series depict Havana’s cityscapes in 2011, the very year when Castro retired from political life. When Steve was invited to come along to shoot behind-the-scenes, he took this opportunity to further explore the Cuban way of life, succeeding marvelously. While the documentary’s aim was to bring visibility to a group of Santeria musicians, whose practice incorporates “La Clave” – a rhythmic pattern used in Lucumi religious rituals that also underlines different genres of popular Cuban music, Schlackman’s further pursued his interest in uncovering the spirit of humanity in his strong signature style: grainy black and white photographs of a culture suspended in time.
Have a look at the exhibit...
