In late summer through early fall of 1976, Ryan Herz’s job was taking ID photos for the patients at the Edgewood Center, a Southern California facility for the developmental disabled. This gave him a unique opportunity to document a fragment of humanity the public at large rarely, if ever, sees. The resultant images are of patients who cover the landscape from mental retardation and severe autism to Down’s syndrome and brain damage. It is important to know that, even though some may look like adults, they are emotionally and developmentally children. These never-before-seen portraits were completed in three or four sessions. “I had just a few minutes with each person,” Herz explains. “This both forced me and freed me to be instinctual rather than manipulative.” That spontaneity coupled with the intense humanity and the unfiltered emotions of the subjects gives the photographs their power.
Viewing these beautiful and sometimes brutal black and white images, one almost feels the need to reach out to the children, not only to provide comfort but to let them know they are not forgotten or abandoned. One cannot help but see in their faces our own emotions. We look at them and wonder what they feel, what they dream of, what they aspire to. We become overwhelmed with sorrow, sympathy and an appreciation for the human spirit. Drkrm. gallery is proud to present the first public exhibition of this powerful and important body of work.
July 8th- 25th, 2010
Opening reception Thursday July 8th 7-10 pm
drkrm west gallery
729 Montana Avenue, Suite 2
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Video slideshow
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