Gregory Crewdson. Eveningside

Originally commissioned by Gallerie d’Italia – Turin in October 2022 as part of the museum’s Travelling Exhibitions, in the last few years the project has acquired a significant international dimension.

The most interesting aspect of the exhibition is the possibility of observing the formal and conceptual evolution of Crewdson’s work. Whereas in the first two parts of the trilogy the artist explored woody landscapes, isolated clearings and extensive post-industrial scenarios exuding solitude and mystery, the Eveningside series represents a distinct change of tack. In clear contrast with the infested, solitary and remote forests of Cathedral of the Pines and with the vast and desolate spaces of An Eclipse of Moths, the most recent series focuses the attention on the slender boundaries of everyday life, concentrating on workplaces and ordinary commercial spaces.

In Eveningside, Crewdson chooses to explore moments of suspension and contemplation in the day-to-day urban context. The handful of sparse figures that populate his images are often captured through shopfronts, reflected in the windows of a bar, or snapped whilst going about their apparently mundane everyday business. Railway bridges, doorways, porches, the canopy of an ATM, a dairy, a local market or a hardware store become the theatres of an immobile and reflective humanity. Focusing more closely on his subjects and using a strictly monochrome palette for the first time, the photographer creates a visual lexicon of remarkable density.

The linguistic process consists of a careful combination of light and shade, complemented by artificial atmospheric effects like fog, rain, smoke and mist. Presented as large digital pigment prints, the works of Eveningside have a gothic-like quality that takes its inspiration from classic cinema and film noir, transforming ordinary scenarios into genuine film sets loaded with drama.

Together, the three parts of the trilogy represent an in-depth study of visual languages. Every series is a key stage in the creative evolution of the photographer, covering a variety of topics that range from the more intimate and personal dimension to existential and collective visions. Crewdson’s work is based on a constant dialogue with the history of photography, painting and cinema, aspects that the artist deconstructs and reinvents to develop his visual narratives.