Taken at twilight and dawn, Saville’s photographs bring us deep into the urban landscape when busy city streets are emptied of people, except for the occasional ghosted figure or the shadow of the artist herself. The darkened city is Saville’s stage set where dramatic lighting and architectural components form otherworldly places and spaces.
This series of photographs began when Saville was drawn to main streets like Madison Avenue, New York City, where economic turmoil had produced gaps in the urban façade. Gradually, however, she added fringe areas to the project and became aware of a rhythm of transition in storefronts and empty lots that seemed to be part of an urban cycle of growth and decay. She also came to appreciate how a scene first perceived as vacant had its own secret plenitude: a lively visual conversation among tools, abandoned objects, and reflections.
Starting out in New York City, Saville traveled across the U.S. to capture urban scenes in New England, the Midwest, and the West.
Lynn Saville, Dark City
September 9 to October 29, 2016
Galerie Baudoin Lebon
8, rue Charles-François Dupuis
75003 Paris
France