PHOTO:Gregory Crewdson -An Eclipse of Moths, Part II

In his 30 years of work, the photographs of Gregory Crewdson have garnered an international following. Each series: “Twilight”, “Dream House” and “Beneath the Roses” recalls not only 19th Century American and European paintings, but also suggest a cinematic quality that was influenced by his love of vintage films. But his new exhibition transcends to a darker psychological place, exploring themes of isolation and longing (Part I).

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Gagosian Archive

Four years after the spectacular “Cathedral of the Pines” Exhibition, Gregory Crewdson’s latest series “An Eclipse of Moths” premiere in Europe at Gaallery Templon in Paris. This ensemble of sixteen panoramic photographs is the result of over two years’ work. In an America mired in a health and political crisis, with the presidential campaign in full swing, Gregory Crewdson, the undisputed master of staged photography, offers an empathetic and critical reflection on his country. Depicting outdoor scenes in a small, desolate town in post-industrial New England, the artist conceived the works as a meditation on the fragility of the world, brokenness, the yearning for redemption and the quest for transcendence. For more than 25 years, Gregory Crewdson has been creating complex, skilfully staged photographs that draw greatly on the codes of cinema. His creative process is similar to film production with all its logistical and technical complexity: storyboard, team of technicians, choice of sites, sophisticated lighting and actors’ poses. In consultation with the municipality, the artist spent months travelling around the city before finding the various places that served as sets, including a taxi depot, an abandoned factory complex, a concrete burial vaults facility, deserted backyards… Crewdson has swapped the intimate interiors that made him famous for urban landscapes that are both grandiose and disturbing. The action seems to be multiplied by several focal points and ambiguous scenes: two coffins abandoned on the road while an empty stretcher waits on the lawn; a motorist immobilized by fallen traffic lights while a man stares at a baby’s bottle; a homeless man facing a puddle of rose petals while idle youngsters hang around in front of a container. Every detail, street name or accessory casts an unexpected light on the palpable loneliness of the characters. Motionless, lost, the protagonists of these ambitious compositions evoke the moths chosen for the exhibition’s title. Gregory Crewdson explains that he chose the image of an eclipse of moths to evoke the phenomenon whereby the insects, drawn by the artificial lights of the city, cluster together and lose their bearings. A metaphor for our contemporary disorientation, these works subtly question the vulnerability of the human condition and the paradoxes of the American dream. Never didactic, they leave the viewer free to imagine the stories hidden beneath the surface and dream of other possibilities.

Photo: Gregory Crewdson, Redemption Center, 2018-2019, Digital pigment print mounted to dibond, 127 x 226 cm (unframed), 145 × 243 × 5 cm (framed), edition of 4 + 2 AP, © Gregory Crewdson, Courtesy the artist and Gallerie Daniel Templon

Info: Gallerie Daniel Templon, 28 rue du Grenier Saint-Lazare, Paris, Duration: 7/11/2020-23/1/2021, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, www.danieltemplon.com