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Dana Lixenberg
American Images, GRIMM 202 Bowery, New York, NY (US), January 12 - February 29, 2020

Dana Lixenberg: American Images

Past exhibition
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  • Press release
  • Press
  • Publications
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Installation Views
  • Dana Lixenberg American Images 2020 Installation View 1
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Press release
Dana Lixenberg, American Images

GRIMM is pleased to present Dana Lixenberg's American Images, a selection of portraits of American icons who have been instrumental in shaping today's cultural landscape. This exhibition marks the debut of this body of work in New York and in the United States.

Nowadays, the appearance of stardom is more accessible. Not only has fame become democratized through digital media and a culture of abundant self-promotion, photographs are more mediated by celebrities than ever before. When first confronted with the photographs in American Images, it is easy to clock the allure of celebrity, but Lixenberg's photographs puncture the veneer of fast fame by giving us something more substantial to behold.

Lixenberg summons the humanity of her subjects and makes visible where the reality of life and the mystique of stardom meet. The tone of each work is defined by the emotional state projected by her subjects. Her stripped-down approach revels in the elemental characteristics of these personalities, celebrating the ordinary qualities which supply their public personas. As a body of work, the images are at once bold and vigilant. They seem to dissolve the threshold between the 'celebrities' pictured and our own lives.

After publishing a portfolio of her early photographs from her Imperial Courts series in 1993 in the then newly-launched Vibe magazine, Lixenberg became a central contributor to Vibe. George Pitts (1951-2017) the magazine's legendary founding Photo Editor, who was also a photographer, painter, educator, and writer, grew to become a dear friend of the artist. Pitts was an early advocate for Lixenberg's work, he recognized the potential of her lens to tease out a more nuanced perspective of the charismatic, larger than life celebrities featured in the magazine. This is exemplified by the fact that one of the first assignments given to Lixenberg was to photograph Tupac Shakur for their February 1994 issue. Her work with Vibe lead to further editorial assignments from numerous prominent publications, both in the U.S. and abroad.

All of Lixenberg's work is made using a large-format field camera, a cumbersome tool which requires the photographer to undertake a precise number of steps. These steps and the concentration they require make for what Lixenberg refers to as a slow dance between her and her subjects. The resulting photographs contain an enormous amount of detail and texture, and are as revelatory as an intimate, personal encounter. The locations for most of these photographs are hotel rooms, homes, and in some instances rental studios. These settings serve to provide context without a sense of theatricality. Among these images we see a yawning Jay-Z, portrayed in a bathrobe at the end of a hotel bed; a fragile-looking Jon Bon Jovi, recovering from the flu; Mary J. Blige slumped in a chair, overcome by sleep; and Allen Ginsberg standing in the kitchen of his East Village apartment, staring past the camera as if lost in thought.

Now, in 2019, more than two decades after most of these photographs were made, the images retain a poignancy and cultural relevance. Some of the images, such as those of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. have taken on lives of their own through wide dissemination and appropriation, such as in various memes, fan artwork, clothing and murals which have appeared around the world. In this way, the photographs themselves have achieved a kind of cult status.

This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of George Pitts.

 Opening: Sunday, Jan 12th, 6-8pm

Download Press Release
Press
  • Dana Lixenberg: America before 9/11

    Hugo Fortin, Blind Magazine, March 20, 2020
  • Dana Lixenberg’s portraits of rap icons and folk heroes puncture the veneer of stardom

    Alex Hodor-Lee, Document Journal, February 25, 2020
  • Dana Lixenberg, Wilteysha, 1993, from Imperial Courts 1993–2015 (Roma Publications, 2015) Courtesy the artist and GRIMM Amsterdam | New York

    Photographing Tupac, Biggie, and Everything in Between

    Stephen Hilger, Aperture, January 30, 2020
  • Tupac Shakur, 1993. Photo: Dana Lixenberg

    Photographing Cultural Icons at Eye Level Dana Lixenberg’s new show, “American Images,” features famous creatives at the

    Katie Berohn and Devine Blacksher, The Cut, New York Magazine, January 29, 2020
  • Left: Kimberly Denise Jones (Lil' Kim), 1997 © Dana Lixenberg. Right: Tupac Shakur, 1993 © Dana Lixenberg. Courtesy of the artist and GRIMM Amsterdam | New York.

    No one photographed the 90s like Dana Lixenberg

    Wilbert L. Cooper, i-D, January 17, 2020
  • Kemberly Richardson reports from the Grimm Gallery on the "American Images" collection

    New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty

    Kemberly Richardson, ABC 7, New York, January 14, 2020
Publications
  • Tupac Biggie

    Tupac Biggie

    Dana Lixenberg Rob Kenner and Kevin Powell
    Design: Mevis & van Deursen
    , 2018
    Softcover 96 pages
    Publisher: Patta, Amsterdam (NL) and Roma Publications, Amsterdam (NL)
    ISBN: 9789492811325
    Dimensions: 24 x 34 cm | 9 1/2 x 13 3/8 in
    Read more
News
  • ‘New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty’, ABC7 News

    ‘New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty’, ABC7 News

    Dana Lixenberg January 14, 2020
    Read more
  • Patta X Dana Lixenberg X Linda van Deursen

    Patta X Dana Lixenberg X Linda van Deursen

    Limited Edition T-shirt January 12, 2020
    After last year's Tupac Biggie book, Patta and eminent photographer Dana Lixenberg once again collaborate with graphic designer Linda van Deursen, releasing an exclusive piece...
    Read more
Related content
  • Tupac Biggie Publications

    Tupac Biggie

    Dana Lixenberg April 1, 2020
    Tupac Biggie, designed by Mevis & van Deursen, presents a visual history of Dana Lixenberg’s iconic photographs of the legendary artists Tupac and Biggie. These...
    Read more
  • Dana Lixenberg: America before 9/11 Press

    Dana Lixenberg: America before 9/11

    Blind Magazine March 20, 2020
    Read more
  • Dana Lixenberg’s portraits of rap icons and folk heroes puncture the veneer of stardom Press

    Dana Lixenberg’s portraits of rap icons and folk heroes puncture the veneer of stardom

    Document Journal February 25, 2020
    Read more
  • Photographing Tupac, Biggie, and Everything in Between Press

    Photographing Tupac, Biggie, and Everything in Between

    Aperture January 30, 2020
    Read more
  • Photographing Cultural Icons at Eye Level Dana Lixenberg’s new show, “American Images,” features famous creatives at the Press

    Photographing Cultural Icons at Eye Level Dana Lixenberg’s new show, “American Images,” features famous creatives at the

    The Cut, New York Magazine January 29, 2020
    Read more
  • No one photographed the 90s like Dana Lixenberg Press

    No one photographed the 90s like Dana Lixenberg

    i-D January 17, 2020
    Read more
  • ‘New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty’, ABC7 News News

    ‘New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty’, ABC7 News

    Dana Lixenberg January 14, 2020
    Read more
  • New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty Press

    New exhibit in New York City gives rare glimpse into hip-hop royalty

    ABC 7, New York January 14, 2020
    Read more
  • Patta X Dana Lixenberg X Linda van Deursen News

    Patta X Dana Lixenberg X Linda van Deursen

    Limited Edition T-shirt January 12, 2020
    After last year's Tupac Biggie book, Patta and eminent photographer Dana Lixenberg once again collaborate with graphic designer Linda van Deursen, releasing an exclusive piece...
    Read more

Related artist

  • Dana Lixenberg

    Dana Lixenberg

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