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Carlos Chavarria
Façade #16, 2014/2021
Archival pigment print, 16 x 13 inches
Edition 1/10, signed, verso
Unframed
Courtesy of the artist
Estimated value: $550
The discovery of a group of old images of various business meetings was the starting point for "Façade." They led the artist to think about how the image of power and success in the business world has been historically portrayed, the importance of appearance that has always been connected to this world, and the visual footprint that can still be perceived in financial districts. In a moment when workplaces are transforming and the financial and corporate worlds are under more scrutiny and skepticism than ever, the project explores how this culture of profit has shaped for decades our urban environments, creating a specific mental image of business in our collective subconscious through architecture or the dress code, among other elements.
The photographs in "Façade" present a world in which the individuals who inhabit it appear to have been dispossessed of any trace of identity. As a result they are treated as an undifferentiated faceless mass. By contrast, the large concrete and steel structures they are surrounded by seem as elegant in their attire and even more human in detail than they. The skyscraper and the “man in a suit”: the viewer doesn’t need to see the individual faces to know where they belong or where they are headed.
About the Artist:
Carlos Chavarria
Born and raised in Madrid, Carlos graduated from the European University of Madrid with an MA degree in photography in 2010. That same year he was selected as one of the best upcoming photographers to participate in the international award Descubrimientos PhotoEspaña for his series ¨Dreamtown.¨ Shortly thereafter he moved to the Bay Area to continue developing his career in photography, where he soon got involved in the photography community, taking part in several group shows in galleries as well as in venues in other US cities.
He participated in Rayko’s artist-in-residence program in 2014 and was chosen as one of 2016 PDN's 30 new and emerging photographers to watch. More recently his series "Façade" was shortlisted for various awards, including the Book Dummy Award (organized by Photo London and La Fabrica), the Landskrona Foto Dummy Book Award, and the Fiebre Dummy Award.
Currently, Carlos divides his time combining his personal work with editorial assignments for magazines such as The New York Times Magazine, Apartamento, The New Yorker, and WSJ Magazine, among others.
Website: carloschavarria.com
Instagram: @crls.chavarria
