Leica Gallery New York presents Last Night, a solo exhibition of work by photographer Landon Nordeman. Shot over the course of a decade, Last Night offers an instinctive, flash-lit look at the rituals of contemporary social performance—from inside the rarefied swirl of exclusive parties. With a visual language that embraces bold color, theatrical framing, and surreal timing, Nordeman captures the strangeness, humor, and spectacle–where socialites and superstars gather to celebrate the most beautiful things in the world… themselves.
Working up close and among his subjects, Nordeman uses his camera and flash to make unexpected photographs of subjects well-practiced in performance. The result can be both abstracting and humanizing. Drawn to the alluring interplay of fashion and flesh, shadow and color, Nordeman discovers honest moments hidden in a world of artifice. He’s far more interested in making photographs that raise questions rather than offer answers. As he puts it, he is, like Eggleston, “at war with the obvious.” His aim is not to flatter but to reveal—to find something surprising amid the performance.
A friend once described the look on his face while photographing a party as “ferocious glee.” Nordeman recognized the feeling instantly. “Something about the unresolved, comic, and at times bizarre tenor of human interaction at parties compels me to photograph. There are certain ingredients of a photograph that lead my eye around the room: gesture, color, or juxtaposition—but mostly, I follow my instincts. I have an idea of what I’m looking for, but I only know it when I see it. “
Last Night is both a record and a reflection of a world on the verge. Of what, we don’t yet know. Collapse? Transcendence? Nordeman’s work asks, are we fiddling while the world burns or laughing in the face of oblivion? And is there really a difference?
Landon Nordeman : Last Night
Until July 27, 2025
Leica Gallery Meatpacking District NYC
406 W. 13th St, New York, 10014
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10am to 6pm | Sunday, 11am to 6pm
www.leicacamerausa.com/leica-gallery-new-york/
