Walking into the tiny ClampArt Gallery in Chelsea between September 9th and October 28th, where photographer Stephen Wilkes’ latest exhibition “Day to Night” is on display, it is not uncommon to lose all sense of time yourself. A project that began in 2009, this collection of images is nothing if not a sentiment to the hard work and perfection Wilkes seeks in all his works, preferring quality over quantity in every one of his renowned projects or exhibition.
“Day to Night”, is a compilation of just eight photographs, all taken from the same perspective over the course of 10 to 15 hours, and then digitally blended together to create a single image in which both day and night is represented (Johnson). The exhibition, which is the first time these photographs are being shown together as a collective, feature images of eight bustling New York landmarks, which Wilkes calls “quintessential city portraits” – the High Line, Times Square, Park Avenue, the Flatiron Building, Washington Square Park, Gramercy Park, Central Park, and Coney Island – as they go from day to night (Johnson).
Wilkes’ inspiration came from an assignment he received from New York Magazine in 2009 to shoot the expanse of the newly built High Line park. Wanting to capture “an epic overview of the High Line that still retained intimacy and a human connection”, Wilkes rented a cherry picker and sat in it all day, capturing stills that were later compiled together and edited in Photoshop to create a gradual transition of the park as it went from day to night (Tobin). Pleased with the results, Wilkes set out to do create more images that capture day and night in a single frame. He says he chose the “iconic subject matter” he did so that his viewers would be able to see something familiar, but “in a completely different way”. He says he found the areas he photographed equally interesting during both day and night, and wanted to “capture all sides of the city”. “The concept is to change time in a single photo”, Wilkes has said about the exhibition (Johnson).
A project that took years to perfect, each of the featured photographs took months to complete. Wilkes would rent a cherry picker, just as he did with his first photograph, and sit above his subject for hours, taking pictures of the same exact spot, from the same exact perspective, as a day would come and go. Over the course of the day, Wilkes would take as many as 1000 photographs – all of the same spot – making sure to capture in his shots specific, fleeting moments that represent our days. He has said that he likes “scanning every inch of this enormous frame, using extreme wide angle perspectives but within that context, being able to read body language and gesture”. “I have the best seat in the house, I really do”, said Wilkes about his perspective, “and the best part is, no one really looks up or knows that I am up there looking down on them. I have become the ultimate voyeur” (Johnson). From those 1000 shots, Wilkes would then carefully select roughly 25 to 50 images that he felt best represent those fleeting moments he sought to capture and digitally edit them to create one brilliant photograph.
This project, a perfect example of Wilkes’ visionary technique and talent, is a sentiment to his hard work and determination as an artist. For almost two decades, Wilkes has been a prominent fixture in the world of fine art and commercial photography. With five major exhibitions and numerous honors and awards, Wilkes’ tireless dedication and love of his subject definitely pays off. Throughout his career, Wilkes has also remained loyal – in regards to both subject matter as well as his relations with galleries.
The “Day to Night” exhibition wasn’t the first of Wilkes’ collections that feature New York as their subject matter; in 1999 Wilkes completed a personal project where he photographed various rooms of the abandoned south side of Ellis Island, which not only raised $6 million for the restoration of that part of the island, but was also featured in galleries across New York, California and Chicago, and was later converted into book of photographs called Ellis Island “Ghosts of Freedom”, which was named one of Time magazines top 5 photography books (Stephen).
Wilkes also has a relationship with the ClampArt gallery that goes back years before the current exhibition he has on display. His “Ellis Island” project was once featured at the gallery, and in May 2007 and June 2008, Wilkes’ collection of photographs he took while travelling throughout old and new China – another subject matter fitting into his recurring city theme – as he portrayed the nation amidst a rapid transformation was displayed at the gallery as well (Home).
Wilkes’ work has also been featured in a number of prominent magazines including, Vanity Fair, Time, New York Magazine, and New York Times. Wilkes has also been the recipient of countless awards and honor over the year, the most notable including the Epson Creativity Award in 2004, the American Photography Award of Excellence in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and the Photo District New Award of Excellence in 2011. In addition to Wilkes’ award winning collections and triumphs in the fine art world, he is also a sought after commercial photographer, lending his creative eye to the likes of companies such as American Express, Nike, Sony, AT&T, Rolex, and many more (Stephen).
Stephen Wilkes’ “Day to Night” faultlessly captures his vision and creativity. Set against the backdrop of similarly detailed, time consuming works and residing in a familiar setting, Wilkes’ latest project fits right into his already established but ever growing portfolio. The work he puts into each one of his exhibitions is unprecedented, from travelling the world, to raising $6 million dollars, to literally spending day to night on “Day to Night”. While we can only anticipate for now what Stephen Wilkes will present to us next, when does unveil his next project, chances are we’ll know just where to find it.
