Fstop Gallery will host “PORTRAITS in INK 3: Heavy Metal,” featuring work by photographer Steve Rockstein. The exhibition opens at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. The exhibition is anchored by several three-dimensional pieces, printed on aluminum and steel, culled from the two-year project by the nationally recognized, former Daily News staff photographer.
“The project began with a modest goal,” said Rockstein. “I wanted to bring the 20th Century photo-studio esthetic into this century by creating intimate portraits of tattooed subjects that allowed their body-art to expand, explain and confound what we think we see in that person.”
The first show from the series, in March 2012, drew more than 200 art-lovers on opening night and caused quite a stir in the community. “It was a great night with great buzz,” Rockstein said. “We opened some eyes and turned some heads. No one expected the riveting intimacy these images conveyed.”
Somewhere in the process a new concept emerged. Rockstein calls it 2D Squared, and he premiered a prototype last June. “For 2D Squared, I photographed my subjects from all four sides, made life-size prints and mounted them on a cube. I created a photo you could walk around, like sculpture,” he said. “The prototype was printed on canvas and proved to be a nightmare to mount. These new pieces are printed on large aluminum sheets and bolted onto a steel frame. Hence the name Heavy Metal.”
“All my subjects came to me through word-of-mouth. They are all regular people with real jobs, families and responsibilities. And they all have a story to tell with their ink.”
“PORTRAITS in INK 3: Heavy Metal” will be on display at Fstop through April 13. All prints and installations are for sale. After that, Rockstein plans to bring the show to New York.
“I’ve had real interest from some galleries in NYC. My fingers are crossed!” Rockstein’s work has been exhibited, collected and published worldwide. Fstop Gallery, in historic Tillett’s Garden, is the only gallery dedicated exclusively to photography on St. Thomas.
For more information about the show, call Fstop Gallery at 626-0666 or e-mail: steve@photoUSVI.com
