Issue No. 28 – Control

What is the nature of control? The desire for it—and to be free of it—are essential parts of both life and art.

BEN WATTS: WATTSUP MONTAUK AT MILK GALLERY

Image Above: ©Ben Watts (Lickshot 06)

Milk Gallery launched its highly anticipated exhibition WATTSUP MONTAUK : PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEN WATTS on June 17th, 2015 with an opening reception from 7PM-10PM. The exhibition launched Watts’ new monograph, Montauk Dreaming, co-published by Damiani and MILK.

1©Ben Watts (Left: Montauk Dreaming 02; Right: Montauk Dreaming 06)
2©Ben Watts (Left: Montauk Dreaming 03; Right: Montauk Dreaming 05)

 

4©Ben Watts (Left: Montauk Dreaming 01; Right: Lickshot 01)

WATTSUP MONTAUK is a collection of images taken from the monograph as well as an archival survey of the artists’ 30 year career in photography. Montauk Dreaming is a vibrant celebration of the Long Island town that London-born photographer Ben Watts (born 1967) has called home since 1995. A "paradise three hours outside the walls of the greatest city in the world," as Watts calls it, Montauk has exploded in recent years, going from a sleepy beach town to a major summer cultural destination.

10.9"x14.0"scan dirt upper left corner, convert to grayscale?©Ben Watts (Lickshot 03)
5©Ben Watts (Left: Big Up 02; Right: Lickshot 02)

 

 

3©Ben Watts (Left: Big Up 01; Right: Lickshot 04)

 

 

This volume collects the photographs that Watts takes on his days off, of his friends and family at the beaches and the parties that inspire his colorful style. Primarily shot on an iPhone with Watts' own photo app and set of filters rendering the beaches in hallucinatory, sun- drenched neon hues, Montauk Dreaming captures the lifestyle and spirit of a summer on the beach and features an introduction by Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts.

ZED NELSON

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