Photographer Fabian “Farbeon” Saucedo says his photos are only as good as the subjects that are in them.
“They’re all really forthcoming,” Saucedo said as he looked at a group of pictures showing various hip-hop artists performing at different shows around the world.
Saucedo’s pictures were on display at the Gold Coast Arts Center as part of the new photo exhibit “Pho-to-graffs: Images of Hip Hop, Graffiti & Urban Culture,” which opened Sunday.
Gallery director Jude Amsel said the exhibit celebrates the “artists who document street art.”
“It is temporary and that’s why it has to be documented,” Amsel said. “Very few photographers are famous for documenting street art.”
The photo exhibit follows a show at the center in which pieces from 5-Pointz graffiti artists were on display at the center.
“So many people were intrigued by the graffiti show,” Amsel said.
Hans Von Rittern was one of the photographers who captured 5-Pointz, an abandoned building in Long Island City, Queens, that became a graffiti mecca in recent years before it was whitewashed in October.
Rittern’s pieces at the exhibit showcased a tour of the museum by its curator Jonathan “Meres One” Cohen.
“[Amsel] wanted to show some human interaction with the art,” Rittern said.
“I love how the art overwhelms you. The art overpowers and envelops you,” he said as he looked at photographs of people walking through 5-Pointz.
One piece shows a young girl in an abandoned sweat shop within the outdoor museum smiling at the camera.
“I was focusing on this piece of art,” Rittern said. “And all of a sudden I hear a giggle. She was probably someone who ran away from her mother.”
Rittern said the photograph was an example of capturing the “coincidental” moments in life.
“I like to capture that split second moment,” Rittern said.
Other photographs of 5-Pointz show a perspective of the building from the 7 train, as taken by photographer Rachel Alban.
The photographs, Alban said, were taken through the “dirty MTA train windows,” as the 7 train was in motion.
“It took some practice,” Alban said.
A photo by Beijing artist Liu Bolin, the “Invisible Man,” is also on display at the center. The photo shows Bolin painting over himself to camouflage into one of the 5-Pointz walls.
But not all of the pieces in the exhibit are of 5-Pointz.
Saucedo’s photos were taken while he was on an international tour with other hip-hop emcees and performers.
“I’ve been blessed to tour internationally since 2008,” he said.
Saucedo said he is able to capture his subjects in the perfect moment because he is constantly around them.
“I’m aware of the intricate beats there are in hip-hop culture,” he said.
The exhibit will be on display until April 27 at the Gold Coast Arts Center, located at 113 Middle Neck Road.
