Yesterday, I talked with local gay photographer Alex Remington about his show tonight that benefits Lambda Legal. He explained to me why he felt he needed to help the LGBT civil rights organization and gave me some insight into what it is about art that clicks for him. But he also sent me some images of his works that will be on display tonight. Proceeds from sales will go to Lambda Legal, but mostly, he would like people to come out and not only see his art, but learn more about the group. He’s even hoping the free wine will entice a few extra people.
After the jump, read what Remington has to say and see more of his work. To attend tonight’s show, RSVP to alex@alexremington.com. The cocktail reception begins at 5 p.m. at Fashion Industry Gallery (F.I.G.), 1807 Ross Ave.
Remington was voted best new artist by the Dallas Observer last year. With only five years under his belt devoted to photography, he’s garnered that kind of attention along with some high-profile shows around town. Despite all that, he isn’t so much concerned with success as he seems to be with philanthropy. Sometimes that means helping out an organization he believes in or inviting a homeless person he befriended to his house for dinner.
Dallas Voice: What prompted this show for Lambda Legal? Remington: I love their cause and even though it’s gay rights, in a broader sense they are about human rights. More importantly, I don’t think we should wait for things to impact us before acting. A portion of all sales for the night will go to Lambda Legal, but it’s not just about sales. I really I want people to come here and be moved by art and see a humanitarian side of the show.
How do you describe your art? Surreal. I’d like people to look at an image and ask if it’s real. I like playing with long exposures at nights where colors are really saturated. It almost looks fake. I think my my homeless series is most exciting.
How did you end up doing that? Ha! At the time, I was having some relationship troubles and our therapist told us we needed to get outside of yourselves. Instead of focusing on wants and desires and problems, he told us to go do service work instead.
What did that do to you? I volunteered at the homeless shelter The Bridge. It was hard to see these people with their troubles. I befriended this man named Robbie and had him over for dinner at times. But that all led to the idea of a photo series. It was an eye opener for me.
Is there something you want people to take away from your art? To me, what’s more important than creating art is sharing it. I love people’s interpretations of my work. I’ll share my intentionality with them and they share their perspective with me and sometimes I learn something new about my own work! Art really connects people. I think you can find out a lot about people’s values and how they see life. That’s my favorite part of doing art.
he’s a hot daddy to boot, ill b there!