life: MADE IN POLAROID ART SHOW x 50 ARTISTS|50 GL10 PRINTERS|50 WORKS OF ART x FEAT. VASHTIE x MILK GALLERY

Posted on September 7, 2011 • Posted by vashtie — 5 Comments ↓

I had the very distinct honor of participating in the MADE IN POLAROID where 50 ARTISTS (such as; STEVEN KLEIN, JAMES FRANCO, MARIPOL, NATE LOWEMAN, and more…) were asked to created a single piece of work using the POLAROID GL10 PRINTER and ZINK PRINT PAPER. The sky was the limit, which somehow made the task harder. Not to mention, the line up had me shaking in my Polo Cookie Boots.

There were so many ideas running through my brain…

I knew that my piece needed to be an homage to ANDY WARHOL. His life and work has inspired me in my own journey, but also he forged the way with Art and Polaroid. I also wanted my piece to preserve the fleeting New York City that I love so much. With every day that passes, another New York City establishment is replaced by an ATM Lobby or some horrible corporate chain store – I wanted to preserve the elements that make New York City so magical.

I settled quickly on a quote from Andy Warhol.

“THE IDEA OF WAITING FOR SOMETHING MAKES IT MORE EXCITING”.

It was perfect.

For one, it embodied my personal reluctance to the digital age and instant gratification. It also represented my life before New York. Waiting to move to the Rotten Apple was as unbearable as it was exciting. Thinking of all the galleries, musical performances, interesting characters and education I would gain from moving a couple hours south kept me up at night. The quote was also intertwined in the essence of the Polaroid invention. It was a camera that revolutionized photography. No longer would you have to wait to develop film. In a short amount of time, your image would be at your fingertips.

Even now, with the onset of instant gratification, the GL10 evokes the original energy of the Polaroid Film Camera. Although, it’s just a printer for existing digital images – you still have to wait for the image to print it’s way out and you also have the excitement of how the image will look when it’s in your hands.

Each letter is taken from a New York City brand, institution, signage, or artist. Deliberately chosen so that a New Yorker or lover of all things New York could identify each piece. You may notice an S from SUPREME, an E from a SACER/DASH SNOW tag, a K for KATZ, a D from RUSS & DAUGHTERS, etc…