Xavier Nuez: Alleys and Ruins


My determined and intense outings often lead to journeys into dangerous neighborhoods, at times resulting in trouble. I’ve run from street gangs, been accosted by crazed drug addicts, and have had guns pointed at me. If the police see me lurking in a dark alley, I am often questioned and searched.

With a family history of homelessness, I developed a need to create monuments out of these shunned spaces. Although positive, life-affirming perceptions are not usually associated with acute urban blight, I feel compelled to dignify what has been rejected.

Xavier Nuez  creates eerie and seductive images shooting only with film and only at night with some  exposures up to an hour long.  He colors the sites using gels and flashlights.