Exhibition Review: Mitch Epstien | Recreation
Mitch Epstein. Jacob Riis Park, Queens, NYC, 1974. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Writer: Sophie Mulgrew
Copy Editor: Robyn Hager
Photo Editor: Alanna Reid
Photographer Mitch Epstien’s exhibition Recreation at Yancy Richardson is just what its name suggests; fun. Epstein’s images are colorful and dynamic. They capture moments of unrepressed abandon; subjects dance and leap across compositions, they recline blissfully and laugh freely. Epstein finds joy in the obscure– in particular moments of celebration, ritual, or gathering that reveal within them some fundamental human truth.
The exhibition is a collection of Epstein’s work from the years of 1973 to 1988. At the time, Epstein was one of the few major photographers working in color, and his images are far better for it. The photographs are rendered in deeply saturated tones with high contrast and just a hint of film-induced grain. They are uniquely captivating; recognizably retro yet enticingly alive. Viewers feel as if the subjects might step out of the canvas and into the gallery at any moment. Each composition depicts its own fleeting moment. Epstein’s subjects are captured mid-laugh or even mid-flight. There is a palpable, transient energy behind each frame that makes them difficult to look away from.
Mitch Epstein. Cocoa Beach I, Florida, 1983. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Mitch Epstein. Dallas, Texas, 1974. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Mitch Epstein. Glacier National Park, Montana, 1988. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Epstein's work takes an interest in documenting the particularities of American life in the seventies and eighties. His photographs gesture to social trends and issues of the time without overtly addressing them. Remnants of a hippie era aesthetic remain, but the images turn more towards a kind of new collectivism, a sense of community and persisting joy amidst a changing social landscape. The photos are taken across the country. Sightseers peer through binoculars in Glacier National Park, Montana; partygoers crowd into an elevator in Dallas, Texas; in New York City, soldiers in uniform assemble for a Vietnam Veteran’s parade. Though each photo reveals something distinct of its location and inhabitants, the essence behind them remains consistent.
Mitch Epstein. Vietnam Veteran’s Parada, New York. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Mitch Epstein, Santa Monica, California II, 1974. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
This essence seems to be rooted in relationships. All of Epstein’s images depict more than one person. The conceit of the photos’ composition is the dynamic between people rather than the actual figures themselves. Even when the subjects of a photograph do not appear to be interacting, they still engage in a kind of visual conversation within the frame. Epstein’s work suggests that across a country of incredibly diverse people, there remain between us certain essential commonalities. In this particular collection that commonality is Recreation; joy, gathering, community-building, travel, games, and an innate human need to play and connect with those around us.
Mitch Epstein. Los Angeles II, California, 1974. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
Mitch Epstein. New Orleans I, Louisiana, 1974. Chromogenic print. Edition of 10, 20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Yancey Richardson.
