Danziger Gallery (Los Angeles) is pleased to present “The Neighbors” by Arne Svenson.  Following in the honored photographic tradition of Walker Evans’ “Subway Series” and Harry Callahan’s “Women Lost in Thought” the primary element these series have in common is that the subjects of the photographs are unaware of being photographed.  While this is a common occurrence in photography, it asks moral and ethical questions of the photographer, the viewer, and the curator and requires decisions on what to photograph, what to view, and what to show. 

First and foremost, in Svenson's practice is to seek out the inner life, the essence, of his subjects, whether they be human or inanimate. He uses his camera as a reporter uses text, to create a narrative that facilitates the understanding of things that are hidden or obscured.

Eleven years ago, using a telephoto lens Svenson began photographing scenes of everyday life as seen through windows of the newly constructed building across the street from where he had lived in Lower Manhattan for 30 years. He was intrigued not only by the implied stories within the frame of the glass but also by the play of light upon the subjects, the shadows, the framing of the structure. There is nothing salacious or prurient in his pictures and no-one can be identified as he respectfully avoided showing people’s faces or identities.  Instead, he recorded the turn of the head, the graceful arc of a hand, the human form obscured by drapes. Svenson did not photograph the people as specific, identifiable individuals, but as representations of humankind.  The strength of the imagery lies in the very universality of the common moments captured in what we see as the anonymous figures of The Neighbors.

First shown ten years ago, Svenson’s photographs created an international tabloid frenzy as the subjects of his pictures not only protested that the images were an invasion of privacy but took Svenson to court twice in an effort to block Svenson’s right to exhibit “The Neighbors”.  In a victory for First Amendment and artists’ rights the plaintiffs lost their initial case and subsequent appeal, but their supporters continued to harass Svenson in every way possible.

Nevertheless, the work was defended, applauded, and acquired by major museums and collectors and widely recognized for its originality and (ironically) its sensitivity.  When it was first shown in 2013 by the gallerist Julie Saul, I felt it was one of the strongest contemporary bodies of work I had seen and encouraged Julie to put it front and center at the prestigious Paris Photo exposition.  With Julie’s passing, it is my privilege to now represent and share the work.