Come ‘Inside the Chelsea Hotel’ :12th Sept – 12th Oct
Next week sees the launch of a new and exciting exhibition, ‘Inside the Chelsea Hotel’ at the Art Plural Gallery. Julia Calfee’s first exhibition in Singapore sees the artist’s long term project undertaken over a period of 4 years come to life through her stunning photographs. Documenting the history and intrigue of the Chelsea Hotel in New York and the lives of those living within this iconic building. The hotel has been home to some of the world’s most influential artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Mark Twain, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, Madonna and Ethan Hawk to name but a handful of the talented individuals to walk through it’s doors.
The hotel is seeped in 120 years of history, known primarily as a ‘centre for creative energy’, where aspiring performers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians of all kinds could live for months or years, turning up with not much more than the clothes on their back, no questions asked or job required. Enabling many to do what they loved, realize their ambitions and live the American Dream. People did not just simply pass through the hotel but lived there for perhaps up to decades on end. A magnet for creative souls, succumbing to desires and indulging in excess of all kinds was not frowned upon but welcomed. It was seen as place in which you had the freedom of expression and an escape from the financially driven capitalist society of the United States, particularly prominent in New York city.
12 Sept – 12 Oct @ Art Plural Gallery
This is what inspired Julia Calfee to undertake a long term project, becoming a part of the furniture herself, and photographing the lives of the residents and the obscurities of this unique place.
“Julia Calfee’s work is a homage to the creativity, eccentricity and talent of the souls who suffered, loved and bled for their art.” - Frédéric de Senarclens, CEO Art Plural Gallery.
Shot in black and white, the photographs give a haunting and fascinating view into the life on other side of the lens. The viewer is able to feel the raw emotion of the subjects and be transported through time to feel as though you are a fly on The Chelsea Hotel wall.
The bohemian haven now lies empty on 23rd street New York, but the memory lives on through the work of Julia Calfee. Her work has been deemed so influential that it was also made into a critically acclaimed book in 2008.
An event not to be missed ‘Inside The Chelsea Hotel’ will run from 12th September – 12th October at the Art Plural Gallery. The Art Plural Gallery situated in the cultural heart of Singapore, specializes in contemporary, modern and thought provoking art -which this exhibition promises to deliver!
Monday – Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm
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