Offbeat Snapshots

On 2 December, Cologne’s Bene Taschen gallery opens its doors for the first time – with the exhibition SideWalks by New York based photographer Jeff Mermelstein. The show will be on display until 10 February 2018.

In Germany, the American photographer reached an especially broad audience when his work was featured in the comprehensive Leica retrospective Eyes Wide Open!, which was displayed in Hamburg’s Deichtorhallen (2014/2015) and at the C/O Berlin. With his series SideWalk, Mermelstein takes the viewer on an idiosyncratic journey to New York in the eighties, nineties and noughties. Along with an array of fleeting, charming and quirky snapshots, the selection also includes the iconic image Statue (Double Check by Seward Johnson), September 11, 2001.

Born in New Jersey in 1957, Mermelstein has spent most of his life in New York City. Roaming the streets with open eyes and an ever-ready camera, he has become a leading force within photojournalism and street photography. His work has been featured in publications such as LIFE, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine.

For further information visit: Galerie Bene Taschen and Jeff Mermelstein