US Blues

Kehrer Galerie is delighted to open the group show »US Blues« that unites four different insights into very diverse microcosms in the United States of America. The series are connected by a certain melancholic view on these social structures.

Paul D’Amato’s series »here/still/now« (2004–2016) pictures Chicago’s west side, representing conditions that are found in many African-American communities in the US. The empathetic portraits are characterized not only by a very gentle use of light, but more so by condolence with poverty and the recognition of the people before the camera.

The American fairs in Pamela Littky’s works depict a social and cultural fabric that has not changed much over the past century and celebrates nostalgic American ideals. »American Fair« (2017) unites idyllic portraits of farmers and rope-and-ride spectators as well as portraits and tableaux that evoke undertones of apprehension and uncertainty.

Dotan Saguy’s photographs unabashedly praise the rarity of the unique originals who populate the sands of Venice, Los Angeles. The photographer captures a Bohemian world that is populated by artists, hippies, vendors, drug addicts, tourists, and homeless people in »Venice Beach« (2018): a paradise that already is being ousted by gentrification and corporate greed.

»Same Dream Another Time« by Jay Wolke brings a historical layer to the exhibition. The images of the gambling centers in Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City were taken in the 1980s and 90s. They come from a time during which gambling was only allowed in these three cities in the United States. The photographs deal less with the glittering world one would expect, but rather with the life of average Americans that were looking for good fortunes there – often in vain.