Most Muscular
Shot over the course of 1.5 years, Brian Finke’s Most Muscular series documents the people and personalities within the world of competitive bodybuilding. Andrew Boryga of the New York Times recently stated that ”his photos reveal an emotional range one might not usually associate with bodybuilders. There is vulnerability in the eyes of those staring in the mirror before stepping onstage. There is a deft balance of humor and concentration in photographs of competitors “pumping themselves up” by cranking out dumbbell presses in the bathroom or handstand push-ups minutes before stage time. Those moments help humanize the bodybuilders in his photos.”
2-4-6-8: American Cheerleaders & Football Players
For several years artist, Brian Finke, traveled across the United States photographing high school and college level cheerleaders and football players. Spending a period of a few days to an entire week with a particular squad or team, the subjects become quite comfortable with the presence of the camera, allowing Finke to capture a variety of wonderfully candid moments, with a style that would go on to define Finke’s distinct aesthetic. In 2003, 2-4-6-8 became the photographer’s first monograph, and solo exhibition. It has since become one of his most acclaimed series to date. The work functions on a number of levels. In one sense, the images are highly ambivalent, revealing diversity in uniformity, while also underscoring aspects of extreme conformity, as manifested by the construction of individual identities in the image of the team. Addressing social behaviors, self-definition, and sexuality, the artist documents the rocky trail of adolescence. Finke has commented, “In my photos, these teens struggle between being part of a group and defining themselves.”
EXHIBITION
Most Muscular by Brian Finke
As part of tyhe group exhibition Sport Show
From August 22nd to September 19th, 2015
SVA Chelsea Gallery
601 West 26th Street
15th floor
New York
Tel: 212.592.2145
