The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Acclaimed street photographer Richard Sandler exhibits at The Garage
“Madison Ave. and 32nd Street” WASHINGTON DEPOT >> It was something as simple and yet as complex as a cell phone that would change the trajectory of Richard Sandler’s career.
From 1977 to just weeks before September 11, 2001, Sandler documented the daily activity of New York City as a street photographer. His photographs captured the stark contrast between wealthy women draped in fur coats in Midtown Manhattan, while other neighborhoods were ravaged by poverty, drugs and crime.
It was around that time, directly following the events of 9/11, that the new reality of the cell phone caught on like wildfire and directly impacted how Sandler began to view the scenes on the street from behind the lens of his camera. According to Sandler, the cell phone eventually became an “obstacle” to the goal of his work.
“Cell phones changed the rules of the street,” Sandler said during an interview last week. “Mentally they’re somewhere else. They’re not really there. It doesn’t interest me. There’s nothing interesting about that.”
From that point, Sandler went on to focus his attention on another passion — documentary filmmaking. Two of his works in progress focus on American Indians, a subject which coincidentally first attracted him to the rural town of Washington.
While visiting friends in town, Sandler would frequently visit The Institute For American Indian Studies, which is based in Washington.
One thing led to another, and an opportunity recently arose for Sandler to exhibit his work in town. “There was an opportunity to do it there, and we cooked up this idea to do a show here,” he explained.
Sandler is currently exhibiting his various works at The Garage in Judy Black Park, Washington Depot through May 13. The exhibition will then travel to the Leica Gallery in Manhattan for an extended stay.
The exhibit will largely feature Sandler’s photography, which was recently published in a first-ever retrospective of his work. The book, titled “The Eyes of the City,” was released last November and quickly reached Top 10 in the photography category on Amazon.
The premise of Sandler’s book is summed up in its opening pages by author Jonathan Ames, creator of the HBO series “Bored to Death.” “Timing, skill, and talent all play an important role in creating a great photograph, but the most primary element, the photographer’s eye, is perhaps the most crucial. In “The Eyes of the City,” Richard Sandler showcases decades’ worth of work, proving his eye for street life rivals any of his generation.”
Ames continued, “Overtly, they capture a complex time when beauty mixed with decay, yet below the picture surface, they hint at unrecognized ghosts in the American psyche.”
Sandler’s critically acclaimed work was described by The Guardian as “a cyclone of faces, furs and filth. It depicts a visceral crosssection of fabulous wealth and terrible misfortune, often found in the same frame.”
Meanwhile, TIME magazine recently referred to Sandler as “the unsung street photographer 1980’s New York.”
Prints from “The Eyes of the City” will be on exhibit and available for sale at the exhibition, along with a few remaining signed copies of the book.
Excerpts from Sandler’s six documentary films shot on the streets of Manhattan and his soon to be released documentary on the Wampanoag tribe of Martha’s Vineyard can also be viewed at the exhibition.
Sandler is currently in postproduction on his latest documentary, “A.K.A Martha’s Vineyard,” which profiles the Wampanoag Tribe. His first contact with the Wampanoag occurred on a visit in 1968. He has returned to the island to visit with the tribe every year since.
According to Sandler, a startling 90 to 95 percent of the Wampanoag tribe has died off, largely due to diseases of European origin.
Sandler went on to discuss his fascination with Native American culture, particularly during the period when European settlers first came to America and conflicted with the native people already living there. “We can’t of imagine a world like that,” he said. “They only took what they needed. It was a different world.”
Sandler explained that part of the goal of his recent filmmaking work is to “shine a light on the history that is really too ugly to be taught in schools.”
“This is important information for us to know,” he said.
Sandler explained that he has spent a great deal of time researching this time period, and as a result of his extreme interest, quickly expanded his focus on the subject.
“It was really interesting to read these accounts of what New York harbor was like,” he said. “It dawned on me after reading that there is another culture that is buried under these streets. It’s kind of odd how inspiration happens.”
Additional information about Sandler’s work and exhibits can be found on his website, www.richard sandler.com.
The Judy Black Memorial Park is located in the center of Washington Depot at One Green Hill Road. Gallery hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.