Andrew Moore (Connecticut, USA, 1957) is best known for his photographic series, usually taken over many years, which record the effect of time on the natural and built landscape. These series include work made in Cuba, Russia, Bosnia, Times Square, Detroit, The Great Plains, and most recently, the American South.
His show 2015 exhibition New Works From Dirt Meridian and Cuba take its title from the 100th meridian, the line of longitude that divides the US in two, comprising the expanses of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. These are the “fly-over states”, as they are known, vast overlooked territories, often only glimpsed from the oval window of a transcontinental flight. Moore's large-scale photographic tapestries of arid plains toiled farmland, isolated homesteads, as well as portraits of the people that live there, are a homage to the pioneer spirit, and a fast-fading way of life. Technically innovative, the images were taken with a digital camera attached to a low-flying aircraft, piloted by a local crop-duster, covering often hundreds of miles per day.
A chronicler of cities in particular, from a decaying and weed-strewn Detroit to a shiny, bombastic Abu Dhabi, Moore's oeuvre captures the urban booms and busts of our time.
On the occasion of this exhibition, the gallery worked in close collaboration with the artist to produce an edition that features images from middle America and Cuba entitled “Simple Simon School House Museum” and “Oldsmobile” which are accompanied by a signed copy of the edition titled Dirt Meridian and housed in a handmade linen portfolio.
While for his earlier exhibition titled Making History, Moore sought out disused, wrecked buildings and captures the moment that nature stakes her claim on their ravaged grandeur. The exhibition included 15 works displaying a wide-ranging in their subject matter but unified by the clarity of detail as well as narrative complexity.
Over the past 30 years, Moore has traveled for months at a time to track down these secret places that are often the sad consequences of modernization or political turmoil. His guerrilla approach has at times required the help of young, urban explorers, as well as cagey real-estate agents and business people.
Moore embraces complexity in his work. "The images have multiple narrative threads, whether they be cultural, historical, or pictorial. I leave it up to the viewer to pick up on a few of these clues. There is always something to follow and latch on to."
On the occasion of Making History, the gallery worked in close collaboration with the artist to produce an edition that includes two chromogenic prints depicting dilapidated Ukraine and Detroit and one paperback book with the eponymous title. housed in a handmade linen slipcase.
