Imperial Courts 1993–2015
Imperial Courts 1993–2015
August 1, 2019
Dana Lixenberg − Buddy, 2009, from the series Imperial Courts 1993−2015
© Courtesy of the Artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam | New York
The Imperial Courts is an affordable housing project located in Watts, a troubled neighbourhood in southern Los Angeles. To most Americans, this is a place to drive past or hear about in the news. For Dutch photographer Dana Lixenberg (b. 1964), it became the subject of a two-decade-long project dedicated to the tenement’s inhabitants and their everyday lives.
In 1992, Dana Lixenberg travelled to South Central Los Angeles for a magazine story on the riots that erupted following the verdict in the Rodney King trial. Her experience inspired her to revisit the area – leading to her first encounter with the Imperial Courts housing project.
Over the next twenty-two years, Lixenberg returned to Watts countless times to accompany her subjects with her camera. The result is a collaborative portrait that captures the changing face of this underserved community.
For further information visit Fotohof Salzburg
Dana Lixenberg − Buddy, 2009, from the series Imperial Courts 1993−2015
© Courtesy of the Artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam | New York
Dana Lixenberg − Dee Dee and her son Emir, 2013, from the series Imperial Courts 1993−2015
© Courtesy of the Artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam | New York
Dana Lixenberg − Trouble, 2009, from the series Imperial Courts 1993−2015
© Courtesy of the Artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam | New York