303 Gallery is proud to present its second solo exhibition of photographs by Stephen Shore. This selection of work dates from the 1970’s and is part of Shore’s renowned Uncommon Places series. Stephen Shore is of the first generation of American Photographers to introduce a new photographic vocabulary that utilized color in documentary photography. And, Shore’s attention to detail, scale and the pristine landscape can be seen as major influences on contemporary photography.
Shore’s presence is consistently felt in his quietly decisive photographic compositions; these images seem to offer the viewer a specific location in the natural and pop-cultural American landscape of the 1970’s. Shore further grounds this meditation on the experience of American culture with his consideration of detail, and repeatedly making the subject of his photographs such ordinary objects as televisions, beds, cars, and the food and signage found while traveling on the road. These photographs are often mundane, dynamic and highly descriptive, expressing a strong sense of isolation through their vast depiction of Americana.
Stephen Shore originally exhibited at the Light Gallery in NYC in the 1970’s and was the first living photographer to have a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY in 1972. Currently, Shore’s work is on view in “Cruel and Tender” at the Tate Modern in London. And, in 2004, Aperture will publish a comprehensive book, including over 100 plates, from Stephen Shore’s Uncommon Places series.