Gregory Crewdson's Cinematographically Staged Photographs Take Over Reflex Amsterdam

American suburbia still continues to catch the eye of observant practitioners, whether they be visual artists or filmmakers. There is something serene about the atmosphere of the orderly family living in houses with backyards and the accompanying greenery, but it also has the potential for creating otherworldly stories, as seen in Stranger Things.

The photographer Gregory Crewdson depicts American suburbia in a more grounded fashion. His images are reminiscent of the alienation found in Edward Hopper’s paintings and Hitchcock’s masterful portrayal of suspense.

Crewdson’s hyperrealistic mystery scenes, situated in unidentified small-town environments deprived of exact time and space, are highly regarded worldwide. This March, Reflex Amsterdam will present the solo exhibition of Gregory Crewdson across two of their venues in the city. The visitors will have a chance to see his new body of work, Eveningside, as well as the works from the previous series Beneath the Roses and Cathedral of the Pines.

Notes On Stillness and Remorse

The series Eveningside consists of 20 digital pigment prints featuring people found in a state of self-examination and, most likely, remorse. Some figures are depicted behind the storefront windows, confronted with their mirror reflections, and others are seen performing their everyday activities in public or private spaces.

They all share the same state of mind – the peak of mental departure during which one wanders, attempting to escape at least for a second. By contrasting light and darkness and using special effects such as smoke, rain, or fog, Gregory Crewdson builds high tension evocative of film noir and 1970s psychological dramas by Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Two Earlier Series

The images of emptied foggy streets at dawn or nighttime and people confronted with their own image in their homes constitute the Beneath the Roses series from 2003 to 2008. These sites of mystery reveal Crewdson’s exploration of the American psyche and his immense capability to tell a story. The Cathedral of the Pines series Crewdson made between 2013 and 2014 is inspired by the work of Johannes Vermeer, whose retrospective at Rijksmuseum will coincide with the photographer’s upcoming solo exhibition. The atmosphere, incredibly reminiscent of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks or Brothers Coen Fargo, was built primarily with natural light—the scenes featuring interactions of portrayed subjects in or next to the forest address melancholy and isolation.

Gregory Crewdson at Reflex Amsterdam

The upcoming exhibition will undoubtedly highlight the photographer’s vision of the uncanny world and the continuity in exploring American suburbia in light of the cinematic quality of his work. Besides the mentioned series, the visitors to the gallery will also be able to acquire a recently published book Eveningside by Skira, in English, French, and Italian editions.

The exhibition Eveningside will be displayed at Reflex Amsterdam from March 11th until May 6th, 2023.

Featured image: Gregory Crewdson - Untitled, 2003-2008. Courtesy Reflex Amsterdam.