Big: New Installation by Victor Skrebneski

October 26—November 24, 2007

Carrie Secrist Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of three new projects by the Chicago native and internationally renowned fashion and portrait photographer Victor Skrebneski. Offering a glimpse into the private passions of a true working artist (offering an intriguing alternative to the elegant fashion photos and celebrity portraits that have made Skrebenski a legend), these three series allow the iconic artist to flex the purely artistic muscle that has informed his commercial eye over the last half century.

An installation of imposing individual photographs entitled “BIG!” stretches floor to ceiling in the massive front gallery space. Photographic figure studies presented in the manner of a Modern Age Michaelangelo (turning his model, Chicago notable Billy Dec, into the artist’s “David”) dissects the model into parts (none of them “private”). Each of the individual images command a powerful presence on their own, and the sum of the parts makes a whole as stunning as if it were a sculpted marble created by a 15th Century Master. (Artist’s proofs are on view. Each image is an edition of 3 and will be printed upon purchase).

Also quite BIG– Skrebneski’s photographic homage to artist Cy Twombly. In past written correspondence between the photographer and the contemporary Master, Skrebneski realized that Twombly’s letters were no different than the painter’s actual art. In 2002, he photographed the famous painters scrawl and kept the images as his own “Twombly”

And finally on view in the gallery’s project room, Skrebneski’s first photojournalistic effort to date. Over years of Thursday nights, artist would move anonymously through a favorite local haunt (a very friendly, very non-glamorous place simply called Richard’s Bar) and photograph its devoted patrons (without their knowledge… the only criteria for his subjects). What became of this weekly tradition is a series of over forty intentionally blurred images– each capturing the dynamic of private narratives along with every nuance of the public joint that housed them. In the tradition of Toulouse Lautrec and the Moulin Rouge, the place that stages the play is as much a model for the artist as those who swirl in front of the lens of his recognition.

Prints in the Richard’s Bar series are available in editions of five. There is also a new limited edition publication available (the photographers 14th book) that shows the “Richard’s Bar” series in it’s entirety. Also available is another new publication– “Skrebneski Seduced”. In this thorough volume, Skrebneski pays respect to the great artists, designers and photographers whose work helped him to find his own unique vision. It is a mark of his enduring respect for them, his way of doing them honor.

Victor Skrebneski’s photographs have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the world. His work is included in several notable permanent collections (The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago).