David Drebin: Smoke and Mirrors
Internationally acclaimed photographer David Drebin’s new exhibition Smoke and Mirrors, presents a collection of the photographer’s signature works that delve into female sexuality.
Throughout his career, Drebin has refined his reputation as a photographer that captures the subtle, intimate details of his subjects, who are often women. His muses and femmes fatales – or dangerous women, as he calls them – can often be seen in his photographs in candid moments like kissing a lover in a taxi, cast as subjects in dream-like, ethereal photographs that often capture the atmosphere of New York City and other cosmopolitan centres.
His subjects are usually obscured and kept partially anonymous, a decision which Drebin says adds an enigmatic aspect to his work. “The mystery of a woman’s true identity can be so elusive to the imagination of both men and women alike,” he tells fluoro.
A graduate of the Parsons School for Design, Drebin’s career began in commercial photography and quickly shifted into the world of contemporary fine arts. The New York-based photographer has worked with brands such as Mercedes Benz, American Express, Adidas and MTV, and has contributed to top publications which includeVanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine and Rolling Stone.
He often employs repoussoir, a technique in which the photographer includes a partial view of houses, buildings, curtains or door panels to purposefully augment the sense of depth. His work in recent years has evolved into other art forms, including lightboxes, neon installations, etching on crystal starfire glass, and photo sculpture, which sees him apply high-definition 3D photography to his subjects.
Drebin says that his expansion into more obscure art mediums in recent years has come from a desire to not keep himself limited to conventional photography.
“[I] wanted to branch out from being a ‘photographer’”, he says, “to being a multidisciplinary ‘artist’ showcasing multiple art forms with similar themes yet different messages.”
The inspiration for his newest exhibition Smoke and Mirrors comes from the transitory, potentially superfluous nature of art, fashion and self-obsession that is pervasive today.
“Much of today’s world is lived and imagined on social media which can be filled with ‘smoke and mirrors,’” he says. “Most recently, I have been creating images of girls taking ‘selfies’ and showcasing them in galleries worldwide. The upcoming exhibition is a compilation of works from the past decade that illuminate the concept of ‘smoke and mirrors.’”
Drebin adds that the exhibition is meant to question, and possibly elucidate, some of the ambiguous feelings that he has encountered through his life in photography and in New York.
“Sifting through the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of so many of life’s situations that are presented to us daily. A question I always ask myself is: ‘Is this real or not?’”
Moving forward, Drebin is publishing his fifth book with publisher teNeues. The book is a neon light installation art book entitled Love and Lights and is set for release in late 2017. TeNeues has also published monographs of his work including The Morning After (2010), Beautiful Disasters (2012), Chasing Paradise (2015) and Dreamscapes (2016). Drebin’s work is also currently being showcased at New York’s Market Art + Design, Shanghai Photo, Art Toronto and Art Miami.
“[I want] to encourage people whether they are artists or entrepreneurs to not only dream but to dream big and back up the dream with a plan,” Drebin says of his future goals, including plans to possibly delve into public speaking.
“We either work for our own dreams or work for someone else’s dreams.”
Drebin says that, as his career evolves and his style changes, he still has the same message behind his work: that art should connect the subject to the viewer and illuminate a shared humanity between two – possibly very different – people.
“[I want my viewers to] feel something and that they can even imagine themselves in the art,” he explains. “Art imitates life and life imitates art.”
Smoke and Mirrors will be on display at the Only Art Club in Hamburg, Germany from Friday 30 June to Sunday 10 September 2017.
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