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American Elm, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

Photograph
2012 (made)
Artist/Maker
Epstein, Mitch (artist)
Place of origin
new york (made)

This photograph is from the series New York Arbor, which shows idiosyncratic trees in New York City. The photographs challenge the perception of trees as decorative additions within the city space, instead depicting them centre stage. Epstein shows how trees have surprisingly survived amid a rapidly changing human environment, even as they are cornered by urban development. This elm seems simultaneously restricted, protected and embraced by its concrete support.

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read About the Known & Strange display A photograph has the power to transform the familiar into the unfamiliar,  and to make the ordinary extraordinary.  Since its invention, photography has changed the way we see the world by inviting us to interpret reality in our own way.  Its creative capacity to blur fact with fiction is ...

Object details

Category
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
Titles
  • American Elm, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn (assigned by artist)
  • New York Arbor (series title)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin silver print
Photographic Paper
Gelatin Silver
Brief description
Photograph by Mitch Epstein, 'American Elm, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn', from the series 'New York Arbor', 2012, gelatin silver print
Physical description
Photograph of an elm tree located beside a road. The tree leans against a concrete support. There are housing apartments in the background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 1016mm
  • Width: 762mm
Gallery label
Known and Strange: Photographs from the Collection (2021-2022)
Photography Centre, Gallery 101

Mitch Epstein (born 1952)

American Elm, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn from the series New York Arbor
2012

In search of trees, Mitch Epstein wandered the streets of New York City. This leaning elm, simultaneously restricted and protected by its concrete support, is a symbol of nature in an otherwise urban landscape. Epstein opens our eyes to the trees rooted in New York and their often-hidden presence in the city. His practice deals with looking and seeing, exploring the way that nature – its adaptability and endurance – can go almost unnoticed in a big city.

Gelatin silver print
Purchase funded by Mark Storey and Carey Adina Karmel in memory of George Sassower
Museum no. E.620-2019
Credit line
Purchase funded by Mark Storey and Carey Adina Karmel in memory of George Sassower
Summary
This photograph is from the series New York Arbor, which shows idiosyncratic trees in New York City. The photographs challenge the perception of trees as decorative additions within the city space, instead depicting them centre stage. Epstein shows how trees have surprisingly survived amid a rapidly changing human environment, even as they are cornered by urban development. This elm seems simultaneously restricted, protected and embraced by its concrete support.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.620-2019

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Record createdApril 23, 2019
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1489791/american-elm-eastern-parkway-brooklyn-photograph-epstein-mitch/
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