Tanyth Berkeley

OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, March 15, 2007, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Tanyth Berkeley’s second solo exhibition with Bellwether showcases three new major series of photographs: “The Fugitive”, signature portraits of transgender women amidst idyllic backdrops; “The Frequency”, an installation of snapshots taken in Times Square at night that lines the gallery's corridor; and “The Muse”, individual portraits of those figures that have long and often inspired the artist. Additionally, Berkeley will exhibit a new video, "By Day," as well as an installation consisting of photographs of urban murals, "As Above So Below, For Brad Will."

Tanyth Berkeley’s new photographs celebrate the beautiful and rare in their depictions of a cross-section of individuals. Representing the collective desires, struggles and physical manifestations of transgender women, street performers, albinos, nude models, and other standouts from the mainstream, the works describe the independence of Berkeley’s subjects and the fallout from patriarchal order. Throughout the exhibition the works consistently meditate upon the particular empathic relationship between artist and muse that distinguishes Berkeley’s work.

In four distinctive portraits of transgender women in the front gallery, Berkeley returns to the style of her series "Orchidaceae" (2004), casting society’s fugitive figures in luminous, natural, day-lit portraits. Vivid accents of feminine splendor—lip liner, flowers, and pink hues—adorn each one, pronouncing their unique and powerful beauty.

In contrast to the formal portraits in the front and back galleries, nearly two hundred snapshots depicting anonymous folk striding through Times Square on steamy nights form a long line through the gallery corridor. Such figures inhabit the frequency of mainstream everyday life, articulating the tension between anonymity and individuality. In a new video, "By Day", Berkeley documents the triumphant exhibitionism of disco-driven roller skaters in Central Park. The piece underscores the sensation of what it’s like to be noticed—a sentiment that runs throughout the show. Drawn to the processes by which stars are made and seen, Berkeley hones in on, in her words, “the joy and horror in watching the futility and absurdity of the human desire to leave ones mark, express oneself”.

Finally, in the photo-installation "As Above So Below, for Brad Will", Berkeley surveys faded murals from throughout New York. Photographed from the ground, looking up, Berkeley arranges the pictures into an inverted pyramidal array, resulting in a dizzying effect for the viewer. Berkeley explains: “what matters are the images, the writings on the wall and the desire from which they stem, visions of a kinder, gentler, more natural world that is slowly deteriorating.” Contemplating a community without hierarchy, the work represents an activist alternative to an urban, psychological condition dictated by oppressively rigid surroundings. Berkeley pictures society as characterized by sadness, but also hope.

-Stephen Hilger

Tanyth Berkeley was born in Hollywood, California, and currently lives and works in New York. She received her MFA in photography from Columbia University in 2004 and holds a BA from CCNY in photography and creative writing. Her work will be included in “New Photography” at the Museum of Modern Art, New York this fall.

Tanyth Berkeley
The Muse, The Fugitive, & The Frequency