Solo Show
Soho Photo Gallery, 15 White Street, NYC. 1/3 – 2/3/2018.
Reception: FRIDAY, January 5 (Rescheduled), 6 – 8 pm.

 
I began taking pictures of the ground in the messy winter of 2015, when we had frequent snow and ice. Because I was looking down a lot so as not to fall, I started documenting abstract shapes I would find along the way. These ‘ground pictures’ have been continued more recently on my Instagram feed (@susanbowenfoto); the upcoming January exhibit is of the images that started me on this path.

Artist Statement: “‘Street Abstractions’ is an exploration of the abstract shapes I find on the streets and sidewalks of New York City, mostly in the neighborhood where I live. Often created by leaks from garbage bags left at the curb, dropped liquids, residue of winter street salt, and the like, most people would see only ugliness… if they notice at all. I like to find beauty in these unexpected places.

The look of an abstract painting is what I’m trying to evoke. They vary as to the degree to which they have identifiable details, but it is the abstract graphic quality I’m looking for in these images.

Though my neighborhood is getting more gentrified (and destroyed) by the second… it is still not the cleanest of neighborhoods. I have found this to be of great benefit to me, as there is always something new to find spilled, dropped, or dragged on the sidewalks in just in the handful of blocks I typically wander.”