Tom Adler
Discovered Archives and Graphic Works
June 6 - July 28, 2006
Danziger Projects is pleased to present an exhibition of surfing photographs from archives rediscovered by Tom Adler along with Adler's own graphic artworks. Adler - a noted art director, graphic designer, and publisher - achieved cult status for his limited edition books that explore the visual history of surfing and speak equally to surf aficionados, photo historians, and the fashion and visual cognoscenti.
Beginning with his first photography book "Don James: Surfing San Onofre to Point Dune: 1936-1942" published in 1997, Adler provided a compelling historical background to the exploding interest in surf culture. Chronicling a time when fewer than 200 surfers roamed the beaches of California, James evocatively captured the scene with a folding Brownie camera, perfecting his technique as he ventured from the beach to the ocean to follow the sport. Yet as compelling as James's pictures are, it was Adler's sensibility and skill as a book designer that fully brought the works to life.
Subsequent Adler publications include "Tom Blake. Surfing. 1922 – 1932.", an appreciation of another essential figure in the history of modern surfing; "Surf Life 32 – 02"; "Summer Vacations"; "Dora Lives" a tribute to the infamous renegade surfer; "Surfing Photographs from the Seventies Taken by Jeff Divine"; "Prewar Photographs Don James"; and "The Story of Bunker Spreckles" by Craig Stecyk and Art Brewer (to be published later this year by Taschen). Two of these books have been optioned by major film companies for feature release. Adler's commercial clients have included Quiksilver, Roxy, Polo Ralph Lauren RRL and Banana Republic.
Photographs from all these books will be included in this exhibition along with images from the forthcoming "Ron Church. Surf Contest." . Yet another Adler "rediscovery" Church photographed the early surf contests of the 60s when the sport was truly amateur and the top prizes were silk-screened T-shirts. (Church went on to become a noted underwater photographer and cinematographer for Jacques Cousteau.)
Linking all these books are Adler's dynamic use of bold typefaces and a pitch perfect sense of design, selection, and sequencing of photographs. Focusing on these elements, Adler has created his own artworks pairing images from various projects he has art directed and adding letterpress type – another trademark Adler touch. This exhibition combines these new works with individual prints by the photographers Adler has published to celebrate the sense and sensibility of one of the key visual influencers of today.
(Photographers represented in "paired images" include: Don James, Tom Blake, Grant Rohloff, Joe Quigg, Sonny Miller, C.R. Stecyk, John Severson, Steve Wilkings, Ron Stoner, Art Brewer, Dewey Nicks, Greg MacGilivray, Jim Driver, Jeff Hornbaker and LeRoy Grannis.)
For more information please contact the gallery at 212 629 6778 or at info@danzigerprojects.com