CCNY | D.F. photographs from Mexico City by Jerry Vezzuso

March 3 – April 30, 2011

Opening reception: Thursday, March 3, 6 - 8pm
There will be a special screening of videos from Lindsey Castillo, Fryd Frydendahl, and Daniela Kiehnle as part of the opening reception.

Closing reception: Friday, April 29, 6 - 8pm
A special screening of Jerry Vezzuso’s video projects will accompany the closing reception.

The Camera Club of New York (CCNY) is pleased to present D.F., a solo exhibition of the recent photographs of Mexico City (commonly referred to as Distrito Federal in Mexico), by New York photographer Gerald Vezzuso. Working in a classic 35mm documentary street photography mode, Vezzuso focuses primarily on three aspects of urban life—people at work, lovers in displays of affection, and street dogs, or perros callejeros. Vezzuso creates a finely observed and nuanced portrait of the daily rhythms of this dynamic metropolis.

Vezzuso, legendary as a master teacher in photography programs in New York, has been making trips to Mexico for the last three years, getting to know the capital city while teaching in an academic exchange program. In presenting this new body of work, he experiments with aspects of presentation, printing his images at mural-scale on non-traditional papers and creating zines to make the work more accessible and immediate.

A native of Brooklyn, Vezzuso finds much to identify with in the dense and lively street scenes of Mexico City. As he roams through plazas, parks, markets, and obscure side streets, taking the pulse of the city, he is also attuned to DF’s uniqueness– the way in which the ancient and the contemporary mingle in a spirit of nonchalant cohabitation.

In his videos of the last decade, Vezzuso created abstracted portraits of people he knows well, contextualizing them in cinematic layers of atmosphere and sound. Now in his still photographs, his curiosity extends to strangers, whose lives are observed with a sense of intimacy and respect.

Vezzuso teaches photography in New York City at the School of Visual Arts, Columbia Teachers College, and the International Center of Photography, as well as at the Academia de Artes Visuales in Mexico City. He is also on the Fellowship Committee of the Tierney Fellowship, which supports emerging photographers graduating from photo programs in the New York area, as well as in Mexico, India, South Africa, and China.

The curator of D.F. is Lindsey Castillo, a photographer and former student of Vezzuso’s, and Coordinator of the Conversations Series at CCNY. She also makes experimental films and last year helped organize CCNY’s first Zine and Self-Published Photo Book Fair.

Gallery hours: Monday – Saturday 12 - 6 pm

Special thanks to the Tierney Family Foundation for their generous support of D.F.

CCNY‘s guest–curated exhibitions are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

CCNY is celebrating over 125 years serving the photographic and art community through this and upcoming exhibitions, lectures, and special events. For more information, contact John Stanley at info@cameraclubny.org or by phone at 212–260–9927.