A
very enjoyable body of pictures that covers all aspects of the closing and
demolition of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The pictures are clear and straightforward.
Hilger uses close-ups of fungus on a old carpet, interiors of an empty concert
room, exteriors of ivy in front of the hotel, people playing soccer while the
skeleton of the half demolished hotel hovers in the background, even vintage
8x10s documenting the famous people who visited the hotel. The show covers
everything you could ask for in a photography show documenting a place. There is
even a wonderful shot from a building overlooking a fair taking place on the hotel’s
unused grounds. To keep the work from coming of too straight forward, the exhibition
has some rather nice installation elements, like a large photograph of an
abandoned, carpeted corner of the hotel resting on the floor in a corner of the
gallery. Combine that detail with the shelf of gold-covered books about the
history of the hotel and the choice to paint the whole gallery black with strong
spotlights on the photographs, and you have the feeling that you are wandering
the hotel’s abandon halls. An overall sound and well-done show.
Already
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