Just when I thought Yossi Milo had gone the way of Danziger,
Zach Feuer and other galleries that moved to bigger, nicer spaces, only to immediately
show only decorative, marketable work. Then bam, Brodie’s pictures of train hoppers,
work that has been floating around for some time, and if I am not mistaken is represented
by M + B in Los Angeles. Despite the work not finding a home on the east coast,
it is damn solid. It features a rather intimate and substantial portrayal of
young crusty punk-looking kids train hopping. The photographs are filled with
telling details, like dudes sleeping comfortably on an incline of coal, or a
young woman in underwear with a blood stained crotch. The pictures make train
hopping seem pretty rough, but at the same time Brodie mixes in lots of sunsets
and kids hanging out of rail cars while landscapes blur by, creating a degree of
romance that surely attracts kids to such an existence. The work also has a physical
proximity to the subjects, and they seem endlessly comfortable in front of the
camera. As a viewers, we are put on the train, living the life. It is good work
that highlights at its core what photography can and should be. As much as I
enjoyed the pictures, I caught the tail end of the opening and loved the
humanity amassed at Yossi’s shiny new space, crusty train-hopping kids with
dogs laying out on the gallery floor. It was quite a sight. I liked to imagine
they all rode trains into Bushwick and were handed communal bikes to ride into
Chelsea for the opening. Good to see Yossi Milo back in the game and putting on
good photography shows.
Through Apr. 6th
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