Daniel De Azoulay

Press Releases - Laura London:

LAURA LONDON

Jan. 14 - Feb. 20, 1999

Caren Golden Fine Art is pleased to present the first New York solo exhibition of the Los Angeles based artist Laura London.

Since graduating from California Institute of the Arts, photographer Laura London has examined various notions and stereotypes of the feminine. Her most recent work explores more closely the inner life and early development of identity in young women as it is constructed both culturally and individually.

At first glance her documentary-style photographs of punk rock chicks and other teenage girls may appear to be the work of a social anthropologist. However, these staged teen dramas depicting beauty rituals, fashions and other habits of young girls in bedrooms, bathrooms and shopping malls are narratives constructed by the artist herself. Working more like a filmmaker, London carefully recreates the angst and everyday activities associated with this awkward time by carefully choosing the models, locations, lighting and costumes for each photograph.

Although her work deals specifically with the subject of teenage girls, Laura London’s work shares similar formal and conceptual concerns with other contemporary photographers like Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall and Sharon Lockhart. London’s use of a new printing technique, the lightjet Ilfachrome, gives each photograph a highly reflective surface similar to the mirror -- an object with which many of her young subjects are often engaged. This material quality furthers her notions of narcissism, the social affirmation of identity and the “true” inner self commonly associated with this stage of female development.

Included in the exhibition are 30 x 30 and 20 x 30 inch lightjet Ilfachrome photographs and smaller 9 x 9 inch original Polaroid photographs.

Reception for the artist: Thursday, January 14, 6 - 8 PM

Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM

Caren Golden Fine Art is pleased to present “After School Special” an exhibition of new color photographs by Los Angeles based artist Laura London. After a highly acclaimed show in Los Angeles, Laura London introduces her second solo New York exhibition on the inner world of teenagers. Of the two series presented, “Rock Star Moments” observes the dress-up rituals of a 13 year-old girl, mimicking the looks and attitudes of rock stars, models and idols such as Shirley Manson, Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love. Here, in the intimate setting of a teenager’s inner sanctum -- her bedroom -- London comments on the identities teenagers invent for themselves and their desires to be popular and rebellious. To quote Holly Myers discussing London’s work in a recent Los Angeles Times review, the model “wear the costumes not as clothes but as psychological states.”

In the series “Couples, Groups and Friends” Laura London examines teenagers in social environments. In urban landscapes and dreamlike settings, these cinematic constructions convey both the naturalness and the self consciousness that pervades all adolescent interaction. London’s use of a mixture of natural and artificial lighting alludes to both the awkwardness of teenage interaction and the transitional nature of the contemporary era. Laura London conceives, casts, stages and lights all aspects of her seemingly candid photographs. The resulting images are presented as large scale color photographs in editions of three.

Laura London’s work has been featured in The LA Times, Time Out New York, Contemporary Visual Arts, Glue magazine and many other publications. A three page spread will appear of the photographs from the “After School Special” series in the February issue of Smock magazine.

Laura London’s “After School Special” exhibition will be on view at Caren Golden Fine Art through Saturday, February 17th. Gallery hours are 11AM to 6PM Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. For further information regarding the work of Laura London, please contact the gallery at 212-727-8304.

In “Almost True Tales”, Laura London presents a series of new color photographs that expand upon her signature themes of contemporary youth and the exploration of the personal, cultural and social identities of teenagers. Within lush, cinematic backdrops, London creates narratives that stem from her personal memory and her interaction with youth in the Los Angeles area. Based upon reenactments of autobiographical events, these photographs document the daily lives of teenagers in urban settings.

Popular culture and teenage rites of passage are exemplified in the frequent appearance of automobiles, punk rock clothes and disaffected demeanor in these documentary-style images. Though they appear to be candid, these photographs are all conceived, cast, staged and lit by London.

Laura London’s exhibitions have received enthusiastic coverage in the LA Times, Time Out New York, Contemporary Visual Arts and Glue. She was the subject of a three page spread in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Smock magazine. London’s work was recently presented in “Masquerade”, at The Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI.