Austin McManus
Partner In Crime - Hadley
Edition Size: 30
20 x 14 Inches Archival Pigment Prints on 310gsm Fine Art Paper
$ 50.00
"I took the original photograph that inspired the Partner in Crime series under a bridge near Yosemite National Park in California. There were layers of civilian graffiti on the wall and we decided to add some of our own. My friend Lauren had never used a spray can before and took a turn. I shot a few photos while she sprayed and I didn’t look at them for another year or so. I remember vividly how wide her smile was and how ecstatic she was after doing it.
When I came across the photos of her later, I noticed a certain innocence and playfulness that I have never seen with any of my photos of people tagging/painting. A lot had to do with it being her first time, along with looking like the girl-next-door. I hope the project challenges gender-based stereotypes commonly associated with vandalism, while offering an alternative perspective on the physical act of writing graffiti. That initial photo didn’t make it into the series, but it was certainly the catalyst. All the girls involved in this project were first-time vandals who did not use aliases, but in fact wrote their real names." - Austin McManus
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