Elena Dorfman
Pleasure Park Horse Series
April 2009-March 2010
Pleasure Park: The Horses shows these powerful and sinewy animals off the
track, in a studio setting deprived of visual cues. Although the ritual and pageantry
of the race are alluded to in the accoutrement represented, the animals are suspended
in motion, removed from the culture of commodity and winning at any cost. In a reversal
of the often clichéd portrayal of equine athleticism, sexuality, power and
performance, these racehorses are individualized, seemingly vulnerable and sometimes
unsteady. The series not only gazes at the beauty of the race horse, but also raises
questions about the ongoing fetishism of thoroughbreds and their ultimate expendability
for spectacle.
Elena Dorfman, a photographer born in Boston in 1965 and now based out of San Francisco
is represented by the Edwynn Houk Gallery. The New York Times has said of the contemporary
photographer's work, "... Dorfman casts her subjects in a regal, almost poetic
light." Her work is often characterized by the isolation of the subject from
its typical environment or context. Pleasure Park: The Horses is Dorfman's
third exhibition at Proof, following Still Lovers Series (2005) and Fandomania
Series (2006-2007).
Exhibited Works
Pleasure Park Horse #1-10, 2008. C-print mounted on aluminum with plexiglass.
Past Exhibitions
Lauren Argo
Life as Art: Live Art Installation
June 4 - 24, 2006
enclosed window space at 21c Museum Hotel’s restaurant, Proof on Main
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exhibition details