Paul Graham's photographs touch upon the social fracture of America--the great divide between the included and excluded, blacks and whites, haves and have-nots. Taking on a simple topic, of late dealt with only through cliché photojournalism, American Night embraces neglected territory in a series of shocking images that sit on the fence between art and document. Graham's images blind and overwhelm the viewer with a feeling akin to stepping out of a sheltered place and into the sunlight. Drained of color, shadow and form, they resonate with the lives of those they portray...and then the sequence snaps, either to a vibrant full-color image of a freshly minted dream house, complete with a blue sky and green grass of unattainable perfection, or to an intensely dark street portrait...before returning to the endless blinding whiteness of everyday life. Beyond their paucity or wealth of color these images contrast one another in their content: These perfect homes are unobtainable to those walking in the burnt landscape; they are a mirage, a dream or promise that can almost never be reached. Here is the chasm between promise and actuality, hope and reality, dream and truth. Shot between 1998 and 2002 in locations across America, including Los Angeles, Memphis, Detroit, New York City and Atlanta.
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Paul Graham was born in England and currently lives in New York. The recipient of many awards including a Eugene Smith Memorial Fellowship, his work has been exhibited extensively, including at The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Tate Gallery, London. Graham's previously published books include Troubled Land, New Europe, Empty Heaven and End of an Age.
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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Edward Post
Format:Hardcover
Sophisticated and challenging work; exquisitely put together, and very well worth the effort.
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Ivar Tenes
Format:Hardcover
Graham has a great idea behind how the photographs are presented but in the end the statement comes out a little flat and simplistic...and this is if you have the stamina to wade through what seems like a bloated edit. The middle photographs are beautiful however and really quite nice on their own as weird street photographs.
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