Vast. Gigantic. Immense. Sprawling.
There are a lot of words that have been used to describe LA. It’s probably because ‘Los Angeles’ doesn’t end at the borders of the city proper, it seems to go on forever, absorbing all of the little cities as you make your way towards the beach or the mountains. Compton, Vernon, Whittier, South Gate, Hawaiian Gardens, Long Beach. All of them are a part of the “greater Los angeles area” we see portrayed in movies and television. Not a lone city, but a never-ending place full of different cultures, small cities that seem more like neighborhoods in the bigger picture.
A spectacle of that size makes for a lot of different interpretations to be drawn, a lot of cultures to be viewed and a lot of perspectives to be observed.
That’s what I felt I was looking at when I went to Espacio 1839 to view All City, the photo exhibition from the collective known as Snapshot Galleria (members: Luis Torres, Kwasi Boyd-Bouldin and Erwin Recinos,) and Christian Arias.
The four photographers each shot a range of subject matter; neighborhoods they live in, the cities they work in or the places they pass through on the way here and there.
The images displayed range from liquor stores, sunsets, paleteros and churches to security fences, brick walls, gang graffiti and the architecture that seems to be present in the background of all the cities in Los Angeles County. These images add up to a greater representation of what LA is and what it means to each of the photographers involved.
If you were born and raised in the area there are images reminiscent of the LA that existed before the development of recent years and the neighborhoods you grew up in. If you’re one of the many immigrants to the area in recent years, go check out a focused vision of a side of LA you may not have seen before, it’s definitely worth a look for all of its charm and grit.
I can’t recommend it highly enough
P.S. Buy the zine, it’s worth it to take something away with you and be able to revisit later.
Writing by Joe Segura @JoeGoblyn
All Images by East of the Angels @eastoftheangels
