For his third solo-exhibition at Ratio 3, New York-based photographer Ryan McGinley has transformed the exhibition space by wheatpasting hundreds of mostly nude studio portraits onto the walls. "YEARBOOK" is one of McGinley's largest and most colorful bodies of work so far, doing away with the usual framing devices (literally and figuratively) to present a very immersive and somewhat in-your-face exhibit that viewers are forced to engage with and explore. It takes the familiar and structured idea of yearbook photos and turns it upside. The portraiture remains as well as some of the cliché stock poses (others are not so stock), but the one element that most people obsess over is gone: the picture-day outfit. Most if not all of the models are nude, and some of the portraits show a lot more than others. MvGinley also does away with the boring backdrops and instead goes for more vibrant tones that, when seen together, really liven up the space.
A large portion of the exhibit is meant for more mature audiences, so parents may want to preview the show before taking the kids. "YEARBOOK" opened on September 6 and ends on October 19. For more information, visit the Ratio 3 exhibition page.
[via Ratio3]
