For nearly 25 years, Richard Sandler’s photography has depicted dramatic contrasts of class and race in one of the world’s most affluent cities.
Now the Bronx Documentary Center in New York will present an exhibition of works from the artist’s monograph, The Eyes of the City.
Until an extended date of March 26, 2023, visitors can delve into Sandler’s personal history of New York from 1977 to 2001, including previously unreleased footage.
Born in Queens, Sandler offers a rare glimpse into the realities of everyday life in the Big Apple.
Photos capture the tensions inherent in America’s largest city, weary commuters stuck on a noisy subway, couples finding romance in the quieter moments, and families forced to face the reality of the large homeless population to look to present to the city.
The exhibition also includes three films by the artist documenting the different experiences of a transitional period of gentrification in Times Square and the East Village from 1999 to 2006.
Sandler transitioned from photography to pure filmmaking after September 11, 2011, most recently directing Radioactive City in 2011.
The exhibit runs Thursday through Friday from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and Saturday through Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the BDC Annex, 364 E. 151st St, Bronx, NY 10455.
SUBWAY KISS (1987) – commuters in sunglasses ride a dirty New York City subway. They sit with their arms crossed or their hands crossed. A couple kissing on the platform through a cracked window. Sandler explained: “This shot was very lucky: I got on the train in the middle of the car, then I walked to the end of the car where I saw the couple kissing on the platform and the two boys with a sunglasses in the foreground. I took two photos with the doors open. Then the doors closed and to my surprise the glass broke right where the kissing couple’s faces met. I knew this was the best photo of the three photos Sometimes the photo gods throw you a bone and you snap a picture that immediately becomes a metaphor.
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL (1990) – Photo shows a busy train station at 1:49 p.m. The iconic station features silhouettes of professionals, families and shoppers heading in different directions. The light from the terminal’s tall windows obscures the busy figures below. “I’m a die-hard documentary maker and my journey has always been to feel the pulse of the city and offer something of a diagnostic in photographs.”
RR TRAIN (1982) – Motion Blue captures the moment a woman reaches out her hand over three stationary children sleeping on top of each other on the New York City subway. On one side, a woman wears a sundress by an open window. On the other side, a smartly dressed man is reading calmly. “Most people assume that the three black children are related to the black woman on the right, but that is not the reality,” Sandler said. “The slumbering children were on the train with the white woman and I first took a few pictures of that scene. Then the woman on the right got on the train, saw me taking a picture, got angry and tried to shield her face from my camera.
WEST 32ND STREET (1983) – A family walks down West 32nd Street in New York. A man holding the hands of two well-dressed children looks back as the children see a barefoot homeless man on the floor begging for loose change.
CC TRAIN (1985) – A woman stands on a train, bags in hand, with the pole in the middle. Three people around her, all seated separately, turned to Sandler as he took a picture of her.
SUBWAY NOIR (1987) – A well-dressed man sits alone on the New York subway reading a newspaper. The space around him is marked with loud and incomprehensible graffiti labels.
ARGUMENT, 5TH AVENUE (1983) – A man and woman argue on Manhattan’s famous Fifth Avenue. The woman’s face darkened as she put her hands on her hips. The man across from her opens his hands. You can’t see his face either. Passers-by pass by without noticing the scene.
NNNIES AND TYKES (1982) – Four women are photographed with strollers in Soho, New York City. Three seem to recognize the street photographer while another looks to the right. All four children seem distracted by Sandler.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
