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"Beyond Grand Street"
Photographs by Régina
Monfort
March
5 to April 27
Grand Lobby
When I first entered the
barrio beyond Grand Street in late 1994, I carried with me a naïve
mental image of Latin New York that came from the movie West Side Story,
which I saw as a child in France. I certainly found a vibrant culture.
But I also found adolescents whose lives were -- more often than not --
disrupted by loss and hardship. These are teenagers who have had to grow
up very fast, too fast, and must learn to be tough in order to survive.
Their trust is invested in the language of Hip-Hop, which, they
understandably feel, describes their world in an authoritative voice.
The neighborhood may be the only world where
many of them can function. There, their self-created social codes
prevail, protecting their prestige, authority, and pride. Surviving --
much less succeeding -- outside these boundaries is not always an
option.
It is not the physical violence of the streets
that I have chosen to depict. These images are simple observations,
records of my encounters with young people whose lives have moved me.
Ricky is both the first person I photographed
and someone who has remained at the heart of my work. Ricky and his
family are to be credited for my initial acceptance into the
neighborhood as a photographer. Over the years my determination to work
with the boys and girls who allowed me into their lives has continued to
deepen, along with my belief in their uniqueness and in the authenticity
of our interactions. Today, more than ever, I am convinced that it is
important to tell their stories.
From Grand Street to Lindsay Park, my lens has
found hope and frustration. I have been asked, "Why are you here? Why
are you interested in our lives? What is there to see? Nothing here is
beautiful!" These photographs are my answer.
Régina Monfort
Born in France and schooled in
photography in Belgium and New York, Monfort honed her skills in the
studios of such icons as Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. Her talent for
rendering the character of her subjects in with a sense of dignity in
intimate, moving images is showcased in this exhibition.
Monfort's work has been exhibited extensively at
venues including the Soros Open Society Institute, NYC ("Moving Walls",
2001-2002); the Brooklyn Museum of Art ("New Acquisitions", 2001), The
Museum of the City of New York ("New York Now", 2000), and The Yale
University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT ("The Persistence of Photography
in American Portraiture", 2000). She attended the Brussels School of
Photography in Belgium and Hunter College in the City of New York and is
the recipient numerous awards and grants, including a New York State
Council of the Arts BACA regrant.
Links...
http://pixelpress.org/contents/regina_fs.html
This project is supported in part by
a grant from the New York Community Trust.
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Sonya and her Homegirls, 1997
(Click to enlarge)
Betty, Lindsay Park, 2000
13 year-old Jimbo with Beve
Lindsay Park, 1997
Homeboy, Ten Eyck, 2000
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