Americana in focus: The subtle genius of Joel Sternfeld
- Text by Paden Vaughan
- Photography by Joel Sternfeld
We all have an image of America in our heads; whether it’s one of excessive consumption or a vast untamed wilderness, there are as many sides to the United States as there are people inhabiting its lands. At this particularly divisive time, we lament upon the land of the free and what it means to be an American in the modern era. Looking past Hollywood and the idyllic image that is exported to us, we can see the real side of the U.S., one that forgoes the glitz in favour of guts.
Kansas City, Kansas, May 1983 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
Wet ‘n Wild Aquatic Theme Park, Orlando, Florida, September 1980 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy
Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
This exploration into the ‘real’ America is the subject of veteran photographer Joel Sternfeld’s first solo UK exhibition in 15 years, Colour Photographs 1977-1988, set to be displayed at Beetles + Huxley in London this month.
With 30 vintage dye transfer and chromogenic prints, the free exhibition pulls work from Sternfeld’s extensive portfolio, focusing on images from one of his most famous works American Prospects, first displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, before being published under the same name back in 1987.
Agoura, California, February 1988 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
Grafton, West Virginia, February, 1983 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
The exhibition’s 30 prints, including some previously unseen ones, were taken during Sternfeld’s 11 years of travelling through the country with an 8 x 10 inch camera, highlighting the intriguing character of the U.S. and the people that call it home.
USS Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, September 1980 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
Red Rock State Campground (Boy), Gallup, New Mexico, September 1982 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
Highly regarded as one of the most influential pieces of American photography from this period, American Prospects looks at the land of the free with a subtle and ironic sense of humour, shining a unique light onto the socio-economic challenges faced in many of the country’s less prosperous regions.
Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica, California, May 1979 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
Ketchum, Idaho, October 1980 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
You can see Sternfeld’s ironic prepositions seep through in McLean, Virginia, December 1978, which shows a firefighter buying pumpkins while a house burns in the background. Although it looks bad, this was in fact a training exercise, and is a great example of Sternfeld’s exploration into the debate of photographic truth.
Exhausted Renegade Elephant, Woodland, Washington, June 1979 © Joel Sternfeld courtesy
Luhring Augustine Gallery and Beetles + Huxley Gallery
In these unstable and problematic times for the United States, Sternfeld’s photography helps us to gauge some of the historical factors that continue to influence the country today, with a stark honesty that is seldom found when we think about the home of the brave.
Joel Sternfeld: Colour Photographs 1977 – 1988 is open at Beetles + Huxley from 26 January to 18 February 2016.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists
We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme
Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.
Written by: Zahra Onsori
Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?
Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.
Written by: Emma Garland
How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography
The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.
Written by: Miss Rosen
The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The British intimacy of ‘the afters’
Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.
Written by: Ella Glossop