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Alvin Booth

Projections

April 28 – June 18, 2005

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Press Release

ALVIN BOOTH
Projections

April 28, 2005 through June 18, 2005
Reception for the Artist: Thursday, April 28, 7-9 pm

The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present new work by photographer Alvin Booth. "Projections" is a new series of nudes in Booth's signature style - transforming the human form. Photographing models in a studio, their bodies are toned with gold paint and are clad in latex and rope, confections of the artist's own making, designed to emphasize the body's erotic zones. The results are sensuous, delicate, provocative, aggressive, and abstract. Charlotte Cotton, Assistant Curator of Photographs at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, describes Booth's work in the introduction of his book Corpus (Edition Stemmle, 1999), "His emotionally intense nudes are boldly sexualized, while retaining a refined sensuality that is rare in photography, film and video today."

For this series "Projections," Booth projects light onto the bodies of his models that are covered in stretched latex. Using the oval shape as his final form, it is symbolic of femininity and female sexuality. The exhibition will also feature an installation of 50 "peepholes" made from glass, and copper, then fused; to reveal images to the viewer. There will also be a short film by Booth, shown in his modern interpretation of a late 1800's Mutoscope - a peepshow device that included a viewing aperture which people could peer into to watch the action.

A self taught photographer, Booth's nude studies are the work of both artist and artisan. Each photograph is printed, toned, and "distressed" by hand. So while the image and printing method is modern, the final result is reminiscent of the photographs of the mid to late nineteenth century. The finished print is then framed by sealing it in glass with copper and solder.

Alvin Booth was born in Hull, England. After leaving school, he worked for many years as a talented hairdresser and using photography to document his designs. In the 1980's, he began photographing exclusively, and moved to New York in 1989. Booth spent many years creating a broad body of personal work, exploring his vision and developing his style. His photographs have been exhibited extensively in the U.S. and Europe. His work was published in the book Corpus (Edition Stemmle, 1999), which was awarded the Kodak Photo Book press award in 1999. He currently lives and works in New York.