I dropped by the Westwood Gallery’s on the Bowery Thursday evening, May 16, 2024, for the opening of Loft Law: Photographs by Joshua Charow’s solo exhibition. An amazing show which is a historic documentation of New York City’s artistic past. Charow’s lens focused on the New York artists who live and work in the hidden spacious industrial building throughout Manhattan and the boroughs. Charow’s photographs capture the time capsules of New York’s art scene dating back to the late 1960’s, through the 1970s, 1980’s to today.
The gallery exhibition is curated by Westwood’s James Cavello, who selected and showcase a group of Charow’s photographs, from his “Loft Law: The Last of New York City’s Original Artist Lofts” book. The exhibition presents the portraits of New York City artists in their studios, accompanied with artworks which appear in the photos. The inclusion of the artworks in Charow’s photos highlights each artist and their art, we feel a direct connection to the artist’s portraits as you look at the photo and the artist’s artworks hanging next them. It elevates the exhibition to a presentation with historical significates.
The exhibition presents a vivid view of eleven artist’s studios, which include New York artists, Carmen Cicero, Loretta Dunkelman, Betsy Kaufman, Joseph Marioni, Carolyn Oberst, Marsha Pels, Kimiko Fujimura, Gilda Pervin, Steve Silver, Mike Sullivan, and Jeff Way.
Charow’s inspiration to document through film and still photography artists’ studios lofts, is based on finding a map about New York City’s 1982’s Loft Law, which mapped the locations of NYC loft law spaces in Soho, the primary collection of artists’ studios lofts, to Brooklyn, Dumbo, and beyond. He contacted over 75 artists, ringing doorbells to visit the artists in the studios and document their studios and art. Each artist’s studio portrait is a behind the scenes kaleidoscope that captures the past and the present history of New York artists and their live-work studios.
In 1982, New York City enacted the Loft Law to help protect the artists who revived the desolate and a banned industrial manufacturing warehouse buildings in lower Manhattan and the boroughs into a live-work studios.
The exhibition is a must see for anyone who wants a glimpse into the life of New York City’s artists and their studios through the photographic lens of Joshua Charow.
Joshua Charow is an artist, filmmaker, who became interested in the unban past, present, and future, he has explored and documented urban landscape. In addition to his documentary photography, Charow has also shot notable documentary films. Charow creates and directs an online documentary series titled LimeLight, which explores the unique lives of New Yorkers. His first feature film as Director of Photography, Untrapped, was an official selection of the 2022 Tribeca International Film Festival.
The exhibition is accompanied by the book “Loft Law: The Last of New York City’s Original Artist Lofts” by Joshua Charow, and published by Damiani Books, Italy. The book is available at the gallery during the show.
The gallery and the photographer will donate a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of photographs in the exhibition to the individuals depicted in the photograph.
The exhibition is on view from May 16 to June 29, 2024, at the Westwood Gallery, 262 Bowery, New York, NY 10012, 212 925-5700, Info@westwoodgallery.com, www.westwoodgallery.com
