Simple Facts
Photographic Compositions by Barney Kulok
Barney Kulok’s exhibition of photographs at the Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery in New York
is aptly called “Simple Facts “. The facts are indeed simple, and they lose their simplicity through the process of being photographed, only to find a new simplicity, in the best sense of the word. Kulok uses his lens like a painter’s brush, transposing his subjects into visual compositions, which are first formed in the mind’s eye, as is the case in all art.
The lens can be a reporter, but it can also be used to bring various elements together in one work. Kulok’s black-and-white prints, color prints and lightboxes tell us stories, as well as sensuously appealing to our vision. Details of city scenes dominate. Kulok shows us the beauty of ugliness, bringing the paintings of Edward Hopper to mind.
Simple Facts is worth seeing. The Facts are simple visual stories, which say a lot. Barney Kulok has found a marvelous way of relating, without uttering a word. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing and hearing more.
Herbert Kuhner, writer/translator,
Vienna/New York
