Gregory Crewdson "Under the Pink" Solo Exhibition

"Under the Pink" series, photographic image detail, 149x227 cm, 2007. Gregory Crewdson's "Under the Pink" solo exhibition is on display at Daniel Templon Gallery from February 28 to April 25. Gregory Crewdson is one of America's most representative and influential contemporary photographers; his images are like films, and his films are like images. Like the renowned Canadian artist Jeff Wall, he employs a comprehensive cinematic production approach, deploying large teams (set designers, makeup artists, technical engineers, etc.) and equipment (lighting rigs, set decorations) for scene photography. The artist acts as a director, controlling everything and the camera shutter. However, his photographic art differs from the narrative nature of cinema; it conveys the narrative, mystery, and imaginative space of all events within a single image that has no beginning or end.

Gregory Crewdson's psychological and physiological absurdity stems from American film traditions, ranging from the master of suspense Hitchcock, through Lynch, to today's sci-fi giant Spielberg. His "Under the Pink" series draws inspiration from magical sci-fi movies and TV series, reflecting the dark dreams and unease of contemporary American life. It presents the tense psychology and spiritual pressure of modern people, or inexplicable family situations, such as the arrival of late night. In the comfortable world of home scenes, characters act in bizarre ways: a husband in pajamas sits on a sofa chair staring intently off-camera (as if watching TV), while a woman stands under subtle kitchen lighting behind him, appearing to do something. A pregnant woman stands before a garage, seemingly waiting for something to arrive, or a woman bathes with a worried expression, a bottle of medicine placed on the washstand, with another figure reflected in the bathroom mirror.

It resembles an empty supermarket parking lot in a modern cityscape, where a distant figure pulls down their pants to defecate, or in a lush green landscape painting, a couple is having sex. Against perfect formal structures and filled with bizarre lighting, these extraordinary scenes reveal extreme psychological atmosphere, suspense, unease, and tension. The artist explains: "All these creations come from their inherent world; I am a set upon which I project my own psychological disaster."