Description

The Walsh Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of black and white photographs by renowned photographer, David Freund. Taken in forty-seven states between 1978 and 1981, Freund’s images examine the culture, architecture and landscapes of the American gas station. Different from today’s convenience store where one can buy gas without encountering another human, gas stations then offered attendant service, car repair, pay phones, maps, bathrooms and a range of other services and products. Gas Stop’s photographs will evoke nostalgia for many, but its larger project is to describe a nationwide network that sustains American automobile culture, which in its way, is also a twentieth century version of an American commons. David Freund notes “This is the first time I have chosen just one of the many themes as an exhibition focus. Although culture can be visualized in many ways, this exhibition highlights men, women, girls and boys engaging with gas stations’ offerings, spaces and with each other, enlivening and propelling its American narrative.” The photographs in this exhibition are included in a larger body of work published in 2016 by Steidl Verlag as a four volume boxed set: West, Midwest, North and South, consisting of 720 pages with 574 photographs. Copies of Gas Stop will be available for purchase at the Walsh Gallery. Hours are M - F, 10:30am to 4:30pm