Nudes – Gary Schneider

The exhibition Nudes, consists of 30 life-size portraits of nude men and women that Schneider has photographed using an unusual technique. All the figures lie in the same position, seemingly imposed, while Schneider moves flashlight beams slowly across the bodies, accentuating their characteristics with light and shadows. In a text written by the photographer Einar Falur Ingólffsson says: “Schneider has lived and worked in the United States for years. Since the early seventies, his subject of his photographic work has been genetics, bodies and faces; his own and those of other subjects. Over the last two decades he has developed a technique where he “paints” the sitter onto the film during very long exposures.

In a way these pieces might be approached as either painting or photography, as the film records what the artist slowly illuminates, allowing light to paint the subject onto film. The subject lies on a black cloth on the floor of a darkened studio. The camera lens remains open for up to an hour, during which time Schneider illuminates the body with a small flashlight. He starts with the right side of the face and slowly moves down that side of the body. He then works his way up the left side of the body, finally reaching the left side of the face. He has, over a long period, developed a sense for the volume of light needed to sufficiently expose each body part.“

Works from the “Nudes” series made quite an impression when they were first exhibited five years ago. A New York Times critic described them as “remarkable photographs” that “present a collective celebration of the human body” and showcase a vivid life-force triumphing over mortality.

The photographer Gary Schneider was born in South Africa in 1954 but lives and works in New York. His photographs have been exhibited at major art museums in the United States and Europe, and he has works in many prestigious collections.

The exhibition is a part of Reykjavik Arts Festival 2010.

Saturday 22 May 3 p.m.
Hafnarhús – Nudes: Gary Schneider
Gallery Talk with Einar Falur Ingólfson photographer.