Studio Visit

On West Jefferson Boulevard, a four-lane thoroughfare that cuts east-west through South Central Los Angeles, the din of the city is loud as cars and trucks streak down the blocks. Anthony Hernandez's studio occupies a small storefront right on West Jefferson, in a brief commercial district sque...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAperture no. 247; pp. 17 - 19
Main Author Halpert, Juliana
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Millerton Aperture, Incorporated 01.07.2022
Subjects
Artists studios
Cities
Hernandez, Anthony
Homeless people
Landscape art
Photography
Urban planning
Los Angeles California
United States > US
Online AccessGet more information
ISSN0003-6420

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Summary:On West Jefferson Boulevard, a four-lane thoroughfare that cuts east-west through South Central Los Angeles, the din of the city is loud as cars and trucks streak down the blocks. Anthony Hernandez's studio occupies a small storefront right on West Jefferson, in a brief commercial district squeezed between the more residential, "historic" neighborhoods of Jefferson Park and West Adams. The sparse, clean space operates more like a showroom than a work area since his practice takes place out there, most often on and around streets similar to this one, preserving glimpses of LA not likely to receive historic designations anytime soon. Two of his best-known series, Landscapes for the Homeless (1988-2007) and Forever (2007-12), studied the stuff of the city's most transient populations. Hernandez fixed his eye on cardboard shelters and strung-up bed sheets, initials carved into tree trunks and piles of cigarette butts strewn in the dirt. Rarely, if ever, do these images feature any human subjects. It's clear that the inhabitants of these sites are more ephemeral than the tiny traces they leave behind. Visions of brightly colored walls, renovated storefronts, old housing developments, expansive graffiti, and people--yes, people--are pictured through a tight, black mesh pattern, seemingly right on the image's surface.
ISSN:0003-6420