Gabriel Zimmer (b.1986) is an artist working in photography based in Brooklyn, NY. In his studio-based practice, everyday objects and materials are incorporated into personal tableaus that reflect on questions of subjectivity and uncertainty in photography. Zimmer’s work is influenced by the vernacular of commercial photography, employing artificial light and saturated color to heighten the energy of the image. These techniques lend an uncanny quality to his photographs, often complicating the perceptibility of the medium at hand. Similarly, his use of transparent materials and re-photography as content in his photographs further distort the veracity of his images. Zimmer’s photographs are an inward examination of the mind’s relationship with its external environment, probing his own psyche for meaning about place and experience in the world. He holds a BA in photography from Bard College.
Hass Avocados 2/$3, 2018
Sunkist Navel Oranges 5/$2, 2018
Imported Seedless Cucumbers (fresh) 2/$4, 2018
Produce to Enhance Your Health
The title for this series is taken from a section in supermarket paper coupons that lists everyday discounts on fruits and vegetables. Each sale item is accompanied by a photo illustration–a bunch of apples or a cut-up orange, for example. These images are often reused and reconfigured depending on the sale of the month – each new iteration of the image becoming one step removed from the original. Using this as my starting point, I began a process of rephotographing and reconstructing these images in the studio, returning the two-dimensional fruits and vegetables back to a three-dimensional space. By doing so, I am retracing the steps that brought the images to their current form and questioning the relationship between the image of the thing with the thing itself. When does an image of an object become less about the object itself and more about an idea or concept of object?
Fresh Yams US#1 $1.59/LB, 2018
Northwest Bosc or Anjou Pears $1.49/LB, 2018
Extra Large Imported Peaches or Nectarines $2.99/LB, 2018
Limes 8/$2, 2018
Macintosh Apples 99¢/LB, 2018
Golden Ripe Pineapples $3.99/EA, 2018
To view more of Gabriel Zimmer’s work please visit his website.