California-born, Paris-based artist Sunny Suits debuts a series of compelling photographs in her first solo show, "The Wild Heart," now on view at Daniel Reich Gallery.
Like the photo diary of an itinerant young bohemian, "The Wild Heart" invites the viewer into the East Village kitchens and Left Bank bedrooms of the photographer and her friends, where we find the inhabitants unguarded and authentic, and whose apparent isolation is tempered by a sense of intimacy that pervades the series.
Evoking the ethos of Nan Goldin, for whom she was protégé and muse, Suits has captured these intimate moments and private spaces as they present themselves to the privileged gaze of a friend. In effect, the use of the subjects' names in the titles, such as "Cedric in the bamboo, Paris" and "Ian in our bedroom, Brooklyn" heightens the personal nature of the series and provides context for recurring characters. In this generation rife with ironically banal Hipstamatic photography, the sincerity of "The Wild Heart" is refreshing. Through May 21.
Daniel Reich Gallery
537 A W. 23rd St., New York, NY
www.danielreichgallery.com
Image: Sunny Suits, "Amelie with her blue nails, Paris," 2008. Courtesy of the artist.