STEVE DIET GOEDDE


FEMMINSTANTS

JANUARY 14 – FEBRUARY 12, 2016

OPENING RECEPTION:
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016, 6 – 9 PM

GARBOUSHIAN GALLERY is pleased to present the gallery’s inaugural solo exhibition of photographer Steve Diet Goedde in FEMMINSTANTS.

Photographer Steve Diet Goedde is known for his subtle approach to photographing the high-gloss world of erotic art in a very non-gloss, down-to-earth style. His photographs are intimate and sexual, provoking the senses and engaging the imagination. Goedde has been a fine art erotic photographer for 25 years. His attention to composition and black and white tonal quality has given him the reputation of being "The Ansel Adams of Erotica."

Self taught from an early age, Goedde fell in love with the tangible photograph. Velvety and thick, as if holding a mere instant hostage in the frame like a time capsule, the tangible photograph has enveloped his creative mind and spirit since his first touch. The sensory qualities of photography are often forgotten in today's digital age, but it is these soft and sensual relics that inspire and engage Goedde to create his one-of-a-kind works of art.

CURTIS WEAVER

PARTIAL PREVIEW IMAGES


Goedde established his photographic style in the early 1990s in Chicago where he photographed the contents of his first book "The Beauty of Fetish" (Edition Stemmle) which was released in 1998. That same year, Goedde relocated to Los Angeles where he continued to define his evolving style— later compiled in his second Edition Stemmle book "The Beauty of Fetish: Volume II" in 2001. In 2006, Slish Pix released a DVD compilation of his work entitled "Living Through Steve Diet Goedde". In 2009, Goedde has collaborated with French composer Robert Waechter on an album entitled "GoeddeConcerto" (ReadyMade Music) in which the Concert Master of the Philharmonic of Nice, France interprets 21 of Steve's photographs into 21 audible mini-concertos.

In FEMMINSTANTS, Goedde created unique works of art using a delicate Polaroid-transfer process that creates original archival photo-objects that cannot be duplicated. These small snapshots are like peepholes into the intimate personal moments of his models. They are unlike any work he has shown before. They explore the subtle side of feminine sexuality with classic style with a contemporary eye. Goedde’s new work highlights the delicate and intimate moments of confident, strong and independent women, taking their destiny and sexuality into their own hands, on their own terms. Unlike so much sexualized photography in media today, these women are not performing for you; you, as the viewer, are a friend, a lover, a confidant -- invited to be a part of this very real, modest moment.

His compositions have a modern edge, with intentional image-framing, playful poses, and creative settings. His work pushes and plays with classic boudoir style, candid snapshots, and film noir. The end results are compact unique moments with mysterious and powerful women, abstracted by his print process. As they evoke inspired narratives and reflective moments, they have the power to transport the viewer into their shoes, and feel what they feel. The photographs are inherently sensual, but it is the natural vulnerability and the candor of the models, the moments, and the photographic process that make them that way.

Slightly abstracted, subtle, and sometimes whimsical, FEMMINSTANTS looks at the eroticism of intimacy and honesty.

FEMMINSTANTS opens on Thursday, January 14, 2016 with a reception from 6:00 to 9:00pm. The exhibition will remain on view until February 12, 2016.