By Laurence Salzmann
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing.
Edition of 10.
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Laurence Salzmann’s first solo show at the Robin Rice Gallery depicts the gritty world of wrestling in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The word “La Lucha” means both wrestling and struggle in Cuban Spanish. Here the dual meaning refers equally to the young wrestlers’ physical struggle and the Cuban people’s fight to survive in an economically and politically oppressed culture. Both rely on pride, ingenuity and an indomitable spirit as they strive to gain respect on the global stage.
Salzmann’s photographs reflect over a decade long passion that began on a trip to Santiago de Cuba to improve relations between our two countries. While there, Salzmann stumbled upon a gym where young boys aged 8-18 learn Greco-Roman style wrestling. Once home he could not get the silhouetted forms of young athletes in training out of his head.
This classical series of eighteen photographs, ranging in size from 11″ x 14″ to 20″ x 24″ are silver gelatin prints. Using his Hasselblad, Salzmann’s shots are un-posed and almost voyeuristic, revealing an intimate and universal portrait of human resilience. While Salzmann’s work is rooted in the social-documentary tradition, the exquisitely printed images tell a narrative of personal discovery that appeals to all ages and cultures. Taking early inspiration from American photographic greats such as Walker Evans and Paul Strand, Salzmann’s method is to create a relationship whereby the subjects feel comfortable with his presence.
In the invitational image, “Ascending”, we see four boys train using their only resources, their sinewy bodies and the primitive gym’s concrete stairs. Each boy grips the ankles of another, wheelbarrow style, as they climb the steps on their hands. The slanted staircase, the triangulated shapes of the boy’s limbs intertwined, and the brown bodies against the stark white wall create an arresting image that goes beyond its documentary origin to artistry. Viewed from afar it recalls the ancient Greek brush in red-figure technique used to decorate fine pottery.
In the image, “Jump of the Tiger”, a young man vaults across the back of another. The intense physicality of the wrestler...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Kazuo Sumida Art
