While Daniel Arsham has crafted himself into a household name for his mythical multidisciplinary works – specifically his eroded architectural “relics” – many are unfamiliar with the artist’s photography; maybe it’s because he’s kept it rather lowkey, only just now unveiling the inaugural display of his vast range of photography pieces. Phases marks Arsham’s first-ever photography exhibit, now on display at New York City’s Fotografiska.
Phases also celebrates Arsham’s 20 years of practicing photography, compiling an extensive array of shots of different styles, tones and compositions; most shots appear in black-and-white, though a few stand out in more distinct blue and gray hues. Arsham wrote each photo’s title directly on the wall next to it.
Many shots of Los Angeles line the walls, with others of New York City (“Impressions Taken at The Met on a Tuesday Afternoon” and “Curiosity Photographed at the Natural History Museum a Decade Ago”) and Upstate New York (“Forever a Barn in Upstate NY on a February Morning”) in large frames on the ground.
Arsham’s notable self-portrait seen in the gallery above – entitled “A Self-Portrait Taken on my Leica M in the Bathroom Mirror of my London Hotel Room” – is the centerfold of the exhibit’s final room.
Elsewhere, photos of A$AP Rocky and Virgil Abloh stand out. Rocky’s seen photographed in Arsham’s New York City studio whereas Virgil is at work at his studio in Milan.
A few of Arsham’s sculptures are scattered about Phases, including “The Hour Glass” – a metal glass crystal sculpture – as well as the lifesize “Hollow Figure.”
Daniel Arsham’s Phases is open now at Fotografiska and will remain open until June 14, 2024.
