“Both The End and Habana Libre are snapshots of places in time and ways of life that are either fading or being completely reinvented,” said Artist Michael Dweck. “The most obvious similarities are aesthetic – beautiful people in striking island settings. That was my initial attraction to both locales; this charmed life, the fantastical elements of seduction.”
“However, after spending a lot of time in these places with these people I found more interesting connections,” Dweck continues. “Here are two worldly paradises, both built-up in the 50’s and preserved since – for better or worse; both populated by insular groups in some kind of isolation, whether it’s self or externally imposed; both beset by threats from without and by new hierarchies from within.”
Habana Libre is an island intrigue, playing on the theme of privilege in a classless society, beauty and art in one of the last communist capitals. It is an insider’s exploration of one close knit group of well connected friends – the creative elite – living a secret, charmed life in Cuba. The elegance and intimacy of this social world and the identities of some of the players adds to the mischief, given that this is happening in Castro’s Cuba.
Dweck’s highly acclaimed The End: Montauk N.Y., portrays the old fishing community of Montauk and its surfing subculture. It is an evocation of a real-world paradise lost: of summer, youth, and erotic possibility; of community and camaraderie in a special place apart – an American version of the Arcadian vision. Blending nostalgia, fantasy, and documentation the photographs present a compelling portrait of a place in time and a way of life at once fading and being reinvented with each new season.
Michael Dweck
Habana Libre
The End: Montauk N.Y.
On view until January 28, 2012
Staley-Wise Gallery
560 Broadway, Floor 3
New York, NY 10012
