REVIEW: RYAN McGINLEY AT THE WHITNEY

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Photographer "http://www.phhfineart.com/MainFrame.htm">Ryan McGinley documents the
everyday moments of his youth in the Lower East Side of New York just as we
would expect a 25 year-old to capture them: sprited, alive, and fucked up. 
Ryan’s sparks of genius are most apparent in the way he’s able to make the
common moments in his life (e.g. laughing, sleeping, puking, and cumming)
incredibly captivating while at the same time never glamorizing them with his
camera.  The wirey bodies of his friends and lovers are most often caught in
motion, gazing at the camera as if it were a true and close companion.

/>Our favorite two works in the frustratingly brief collection at the Whitney
are the carefree “Lizzy”  - a jumping redhead who’s caught mid-flight with
stencil images of Saturn, spacemen, and graffitti behind her, and the final
photograph in the group which captures Dash, a street artist, bombing on the
shadowy ledges of a New York rooftop. The shot captures the essence of
McGinley’s surroundings, integrating both the thrill and the danger of a late
night outing .

Being captured by McGinley’s lens is clearly the only
form of constrainment these kids know. 

A terrific show that should
have been more comprehensive.
—Hoodie

ps. A small paperback
book published by Index
Books has even more gems then the gallery exhibit.

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