This past weekend I attended the Tyler Shields event where he debuted his photography series “Historical Fiction” at the Andrew Weiss Gallery in Santa Monica, California. He shared his series which showcased photos depicting real life events and illustrating the reactions of Americans during the Civil Rights era.

These historical events included the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, as well as when the Beatles called it Quits! In these photos Shields used such names as Michelle Monahan, Abigail Breslin, Nathan Fillon, Jennifer Morrison, Angell Conwell, Tiffany Hines, Holland Rodeo, and Rose McIver.

All of the pictures were well executed and some brought forth the racial issues of the past. Especially his piece on Police Brutality, which can very much mirror today’s issue on the subject). BUT the scene stealer of the whole evening was his photo showing a naked black man lynching a white supremacist in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Controversial as well as intriguing.

 

I took a look at his earlier works I’ve found much of it to be intriguing! The event brought out those involved in the series as well as spectators who admire the works of Tyler Shields. He definitely displayed very thought provoking pieces and I’m glad I was able to attend.

It got a bit congested, creating a lot of HEAT! Bad for those us in faux leather jackets! But it just goes to show the interest of the work and the person behind the lens. It was an awesome event!
If you’re interested in this series or any of Tyler Shields work check out his website at TylerShields.com

I’ll see you all on the next post!