Strange Paradise

A totally naked, nearly hairless 50-something male basks in the early-evening light of Miami Beach, his penis just as tan as his nose. The South Florida sun blazes orange and apocalyptic in a half-black sky. A speedboat lies stranded at the side of the road. Leaping fires rage on the...

By S. Pajot

March 25, 2010

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A totally naked, nearly hairless 50-something male basks in the early-evening light of Miami Beach, his penis just as tan as his nose. The South Florida sun blazes orange and apocalyptic in a half-black sky. A speedboat lies stranded at the side of the road. Leaping fires rage on the horizon. And field workers harvest ingredients for our organic baby green salads.

Those are just a few of the vaguely unsettling images from New York-based photographer Noah Sheldon's solo exhibition "Miami, Miami," showing at the Bas Fisher Invitational through May 31. But Sheldon's photo series isn't all nudity, fire, and weirdness. It also has a quieter, minimalist side, boasting clothed portraits, aerial landscape shots, and still lifes. In other words, "Miami, Miami" is a complicated study in contradictions, just like our vain and dangerous city.
March 25-May 31, 2010

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