Weegee and Juan Medina exhibition at HOST in London

‘While we were sleeping’, a double exhibition by Weegee and Juan Medina, opened this morning at the HOST gallery in London. Here is a short introduction to both shows:

12 April – 5 May 2006
WEEGEE
Photographs 1935 – 1960

Arthur Fellig acquired the name Weegee early on in his career as a news photographer, a reference to the Ouija board and his uncanny ability to arrive quickly at crime scenes – sometimes, even before the police. His pictures reveal the stories of New York: its streets, its bars and tenements, its crimes, tragedies and entertainments.
His photographs helped to shape urban America’s consciousness of itself, his images defining both the myth and reality of the city. Today Weegee is credited with ushering in the age of tabloid culture, while at the same time being revered for elevating the sordid side of human life to that of high art.

12 April – 5 May 2006
JUAN MEDINA
Cruel Sea

Juan Medina, a Reuters photographer based in the Canary Islands, has been documenting the arrival of African migrants to the island of Fuerteventura since 1999 – a phenomenon he describes as ‘one of the most horrific, cruel and important immigration movements of our time’.
His pictures tell the desperate story of human tragedy unfolding on the islands’ shores. Working at night
and in the cold light of morning his striking and unflinching photographs uncover the unseen life and death struggle of immigrants as they attempt the perilous journey to a better life in Europe.

Gallery information:

HOST
1 Honduras Street, London EC1Y 0TH
020 7253 2770
www.hostgallery.co.uk
Nearest tubes Barbican and Old Street. Buses 55 and 243.
Opening times Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, by appointment at other times.
Easter weekend: special opening Saturday 15th April, closed Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Entrance free.

by David Arnott at 2006-04-12 08:05:49 UTC (ed. Mar 12 2008 ) London , United Kingdom | Bookmark | | Report spam→