Benjamin Lowy's "Storylines" reviewed in ARTSCENE (Nov.)

dnj's own Ben Lowy's Storylines written as "Continuing and Recommended" exhibitions in the November ARTSCENE





Benjamin Lowy is best known as a photojournalist who has worked for both Corbis and Getty Images. Having covered numerous wars and traveled worldwide covering conflict with his digital camera, he began using toy cameras, such as a Diana or Holga, in 2004 that allowed for an overlapping of images. Originally intended to save film, these overlapping images became the project "Storyline" which, according to Lowy became a panoramic image representing an idea or space that he could not illustrate with his digital cameras. Lowy's images present narratives unfolding over time. The black and white as well as color images are montages of multiple square frames presented in an extended horizontal format. The images from Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, rather than capture a decisive moment or image of action, imply a storyline and the sense of simultaneity. The photographs gain a cubistic aura. The topic and location are still specific to the ongoing conflicts worldwide, but Lowy's presentation in these works is humanistic and narrative. For example, in "Afghanistan 02, 2007" Lowry could combine two views of a crowded outdoor scene showing people moving in and out of the frame as the street recedes in two opposite directions, thus creating a powerful compositional component (dnj Gallery, Santa Monica).
Jody Zellen