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A Second Home by Henrik Krogius
November 30, 2004 - January 30, 2005
For well over 50 years I have tried to be a wandering eye in
the great city where I live, attempting to photograph people,
streets and buildings with as little interference as if I were
not there at all. Traveling the subway has been a considerable
part of my city experience, and I have brought the same photographic
approach to my "second home" underground, working quickly
and unobtrusively to preserve moments of what it was like.
In the introduction to my book, New York, You're a Wonderful
Town! (Arcade, 2003), I note that the photographs amount to bits
of total recall that reveal more than I was conscious of seeing
when I made them, and that they stand in contrast to the vagueness
of my memories. When I see the results of what I was aiming for
with my camera I am sometimes disappointed, but always to a degree
surprised.
Born in Finland, Henrik Krogius came to New York in 1939 at the
age of ten and has lived mainly in Brooklyn ever since. For 27
years he was a writer and producer for NBC News and Channel 4,
breaking in as a writer with Gabe Pressman and for many years
producing the 11 PM WNBC - TV news program. He also worked for
the Huntley-Brinkley Report and later for Tom Brokaw.
Throughout his career, Krogius carried a 35-mm camera, recording
the city and people around him during work breaks. His early interest
in photography had been encouraged at Columbia University's Graduate
School of Journalism, which awarded him a Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship.
His travels around the globe produced a prize-winning photograph
- the prize was another trip around the world!
Under the Surface by Stephen Schuster
November 30, 2004 - January 30, 2005
If you're really in love with your city you seek out its darkest
secrets and immerse yourself in its subtle moments. Under the
Surface is about exploring these forbidden areas of underground
track and stone that have intrigued me since I was old enough
to ride the subway. The images are about danger and secrecy, about
getting hundred-year-old dirt on you while hiding from the express
train. The photographs expose what lurks under the surface.
People travel through these spaces every day but never have the
chance to truly examine them. For years the tunnels were there
for daring urbanites and graffiti writers to explore at their
own risk. These photographs aim to capture a timeless New York
City. The New York that we once knew is slowly facing away. Street
graffiti is gone, commercial businesses are establishing more
of a presence in the urban landscape and photographing in the
transit system has now become illegal. The photographs document
New York City's true underground. They will stand as evidence
of the energy and mystery that the city once had.
Under the Surface started off as a photo essay documenting graffiti
writers who wrote in subway tunnels. It turned into an investigation
and documentation of New York's purest spaces. This project freezes
time and captures what lurks under the surface.
A New York native, Stephen Schuster currently lives in Brooklyn
and is launching a career as a professional photographer and artist.
Stephen is in his early twenties and tries to find time to make
art and be inspired while working a couple part-time jobs.
 stephenkschuster@aol.com
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