BOOGIE at Outsiders Newcastle

Outsiders Newcastle
Thursday 26th May
'Demons', the latest project from Serbian-born photographer Boogie.

The event takes place at 77 Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, from 6 'til 9pm.

For ʻDemonsʼ, Boogie has used antique photography techniques to conjure forth a diabolical aspect from each of his modern-day subjects. The everyday people in his portraits – be they young, old, slick or shambolic – appear possessed by infernal dark forces.

“I used a wet plate collodion process,” says Boogie. “It was amazing to feel like an alchemist, mixing chemicals and pouring plates in my tiny dirty basement. Thereʼs dust and dirt everywhere and temperature varies, so the results are unpredictable. After doing the first few plates, I realised that something about this process captures peoplesʼ darker side. So I named the series ʻDemonsʼ. Every picture was taken in Belgrade in late autumn and winter. It was grey and gloomy, the photo exposures were long, and you could see people going crazy trying to keep still and staring in the lens.”

Boogie defined his photographic style documenting the Yugoslavian Civil War of the early 90s and its dramatic impact on the people of the Balkans. He went on to become an aficionado of some the worldʼs most disagreeable neighbourhoods, immortalising neo-Nazis in Belgrade, gang members and drug addicts in New York public housing projects, and prostitutes in Sao Paolo. Published in a series of periodicals such as Rolling Stone and Time magazine, the utterly uncompromising work is no holiday in other peopleʼs misery: instead Boogie offers a dispassionate view of highly provocative subject matter. He has drawn plaudits for remaining evocative whilst veering away from voyeurism, and studiously ignoring political correctness. This project is the first to evolve from an interest in historical camera work. Boogie moved to New York City in 1998 and now lives and works in Brooklyn. His published monographs include Itʼs All Good (powerHouse Books 2006), Boogie (powerHouse Books 2007), Sao Paolo (Upper Playground, 2008) and Belgrade Belongs To Me (powerHouse Books 2009). Recently he has held solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, Milan, Tokyo and Istanbul.

The Outsiders | 77 Quayside | Newcastle upon Tyne | NE1 3DE | +44 (0)191 221 2560