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Photograph - Ike Cole, 38 Years Old, Los Angeles, California, $25, from the series Hollywood/The Hustlers (1990-92)

Ike Cole, 38 Years Old, Los Angeles, California, $25, from the series Hollywood/The Hustlers (1990-92)

  • Object:

    Photograph

  • Place of origin:

    Los Angeles, USA (made)

  • Date:

    1990-1992 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Philip-Lorca diCorcia (maker)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    C-type print

  • Credit Line:

    Purchased with generous support from donors to the V&A's 2008 Photography Appeal and funds from the Mavis Alexander bequest

  • Museum number:

    E.766-2008

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

  • Image unavailable

DiCorcia's evocative and enigmatic photographs employ a calculated and often baroque theatricality. Using elaborate staging and dramatic lighting, he elevates everyday occurrences beyond the realm of banality, heightening our awareness of the psychology and emotion contained in real-life situations. This photograph is from a series made between 1990 and 1992 (during the height of awareness of the AIDS epidemic) in an area of Santa Monica frequented by male prostitutes and drug addicts. In this series, having selected and set up the scene in advance, diCorcia would find a man on the street and offer to pay him to appear in the photograph: the sitter’s name, place of birth and the amount paid forms the title of each photograph. However, despite the implication of this transaction and the apparently factual information supplied by each caption, diCorcia – and therefore the viewer – is never quite sure whether or not the men are prostitutes. Each carefully-planned image is a deliberate fiction, albeit one that refers to an actual encounter. The resulting images are ambiguous, uncertain and as a result imbued with tension.

Physical description

Photograph of a shirtless man standing in a supermarket parking lot.

Place of Origin

Los Angeles, USA (made)

Date

1990-1992 (made)

Artist/maker

Philip-Lorca diCorcia (maker)

Materials and Techniques

C-type print

Dimensions

Height: 76.2 cm, Length: 101.6 cm, Height: 30 in, Length: 40 in

Descriptive line

C-type photograph of a man in a parking lot

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Barnes, Martin and Kate Best (eds), 'Twilight: Photography in the Magic Hour', London and New York: Merrell, 2006, Plate 42.

Exhibition History

A History of Photography (Victoria and Albert Museum 01/04/2009-30/04/2010)
Twilight: Photography in the Magic Hour (Victoria and Albert Museum 01/01/2006-31/12/2006)

Labels and date

Exhibition Text:
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Born Hartford, Connecticut, 1953
Philip-Lorca diCorcia's Hollywood series (also known as The Hustlers) was made in an area of Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood, frequented by male prostitutes and drug addicts.
The photographs are a unique mix of documentary and fantasy. Having set up the scene for each picture, diCorcia would find a man on the street and offer to pay him to appear in the photograph. The sitter's name, place of birth and the amount paid forms each title.
The careful staging of light is central to diCorcia's aesthetic. For the Hollywood series, he put his camera on a tripod and used artificial and flash lighting to supplement the Los Angeles evening skies. This creates a twilight effect, with rich details and heightened colour, which bathes the sitters with a kind of exotic allure.
Using elaborate staging and dramatic lighting, diCorcia elevates everyday occurrences beyond the realm of banality. This photograph is from a series made in an area of Los Angeles frequented by male prostitutes and drug addicts. Having selected and set up the scene in advance, diCorcia would find a man on the street and pay him to appear in the photograph: the sitter's name, place of birth and the amount paid forms the title of each photograph. [April 2009- April 2010]

Categories

Photographs

Collection code

PDP

Qr_O169439
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