New York Life Gallery is pleased to present Daniel Arnold: New York Life. Attuned to moments in the city that many fail to notice, Arnold documents the personalities who rush, stumble, and idle through every sidewalk, subway, bodega, park, beach, and ferry throughout the five boroughs. From his vantage point—a camera perched on scaffolding in the rain or nestled to his torso amidst a crowd—he creates a time capsule of the city that is simultaneously unsentimental and imbued with sublime oddity.
Arnold’s photographs feature a broad cast of characters improbably brought together on the street. People who appear archetypal or stereotypical at first glance are revealed for their idiosyncrasies—exposing the uncanny nature of unassuming subjects. Through his candid lens, metropolitan scenes steeped in cliché are distilled back into the raw, bizarre, humorous, and miraculous.
In Arnold’s universe, there is no right moment, wrong moment, or perfect shot; there is only the impulse to load a new roll and take the next picture. His work is sustained by this forward motion. While each image is an index of a particular place and time, the breadth and scope of Arnold’s photographs form a composite image of city life today. In New York, Arnold has found an infinite muse.
About New York Life Gallery
Founded by Ethan James Green in 2022, New York Life Gallery’s program centers around collaborative curations with artists across all mediums. The gallery’s exhibition program is wide in scope, and includes emerging, mid-career, and overlooked artists, as well as unknown archives and 20th-century artworks. In a departure from the traditional gallery model, the space is experimental with exhibition concepts that will often function as part of the artwork. Additionally, as an artist-run space, the gallery holds a focus on programming that is community-oriented.
New York Life Gallery | 167-169 Canal Street, Floor 5
On View October 27-December 22, 2023
Opening October 27, 2023 | 6-8PM
