Home»Gallerys»Flesh and Stone, A Conversation - Pictures from the 15,000 Buddhas project juxtaposed against work by Scot Sothern - shown at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2017

Flesh and Stone, A Conversation

Andy - At first glance we couldn’t be further apart. Scot makes pictures of life on the streets while I’ve been photographing the sacred images of many cultures, shooting in churches, temples and museums. It seemed that putting these pictures together could only provide contrast. Instead, when we put them side by side we began to feel a strong connection, a bond that made seeing them next to each other a powerful experience.
Many of the images record the struggles of humanity whether on the faces of the thousand year old gods or tonights homeless. Over and over we were struck by the faces, the expressions, and the universality of the emotions.
As we paired the pictures it seemed they spoke with one another across cultures and time. They told us the poor, the hurt, the abused and the confused have always been with us and that artists have always looked at them. Here’s how we see it.

Scot - I began shooting these Drive-By Photographs, in 2010, from the shotgun seat of my car while friends or family drove me around to all the places in Los Angeles nobody wants to live. Looking at the pictures now, it seems a bright yellow halo should be floating atop their heads. Pairing these drive-by photographs with Andy’s wonderful religious icons somehow render my subjects saintly while his icons come alive to share the laughter and, more often, the pain

Andy Romanoff and Scot Sothern - 2017