{"id":728407,"date":"2026-08-05T15:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/728407\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:38:14","slug":"bruce-gilden-describes-the-people-he-photographs-as-his-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/728407\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Gilden Describes the People He Photographs as His ‘Family’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AAmber, Kensington, Philadelphia, USA. 2023 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden <\/p>\n

Bruce Gilden is known for his confrontational street photography, using a close-up flash technique to capture striking portraits of people many would simply walk past. He\u2019s proven to be controversial, but Gilden says he had a deep empathy for his subjects. <\/p>\n

Gilden\u2019s latest exhibition, Why These?, held at Fotografiska Berlin, doesn\u2019t just question his own work; it questions the public at large: Why do these images unsettle? Why do we avoid these gazes but still cannot look away?<\/p>\n

\u201cSome photographers, I won\u2019t mention any names, who are very good photographers, they photograph similar subjects, but they\u2019re outsiders. I\u2019m an insider,\u201d Gilden says in a recent video<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I was a drug addict, I\u2019ve lived a life\u2026 I\u2019m true to myself and I stand behind my beliefs. You know, people feel that, and the outliers, they like people who are truthful. And when I take pictures, I want to take pictures of these people. I\u2019m interested, you know. Because that\u2019s my family. These are the people I identify with. This is my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AGB. West Bromwich. 2014. Peter at the bus station. \"ABonnie, Columbus, Ohio, USA. 2014 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden
\n \"ANathan, Iowa State Fair, USA. 2017 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden <\/p>\n

The exhibition in the German capital brings together 41 photographs, handpicked by Gilden. 19 iconic images from his major projects in Coney Island, Haiti, New York, and Tokyo to take the audience on a visual journey through his career. Another 22 large-scale prints showcase his bold shift to digital color in 2013, a move that adds a contemporary edge to his signature style.<\/p>\n

\"TwoUSA. Ocean City, MD. 2021. \"AUSA. Las Vegas, Nevada. 2014. Donna, a card dealer. <\/p>\n

Born in Brooklyn just after World War II, Bruce Gilden grew up in a turbulent household. As a child, he spent hours watching the \u201ctough guys\u201d on the street below, shaping his lifelong fascination with the \u201ccharacters\u201d he would later photograph. In 1968, he bought his first camera \u2014 a Miranda \u2014 and taught himself how to use it. His perspective pulls you into the grit of urban life: the daily routines, the fleeting encounters, the trips to the corner store. Through his lens, you don\u2019t just see these moments \u2014 you feel the tension, smell the cigarette smoke, and take in the raw reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father was a gangster type wearing fedoras, suits and a pinky ring and driving a Cadillac, so I relate to tough, physical guys. And I\u2019m a little bit physical myself, though less so these days. Since I started photographing I adopted Robert Capa\u2019s mantra \u2018If the photo is not good enough you were not close enough.\u2019 My talent is getting in close and making the viewer part of the scene. And the closer I get, the more dynamic the pictures. A good street picture will smell of the street,\u201d Gilden says. <\/p>\n

\"AHAITI. Port-au-Prince. Cemetery. 1988
\n \"TwoGinza, Tokyo, Japan. 1998 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden \"AnNew York City, USA. 1986 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden \"AConey Island, New York City, USA. 1982 \u00a9 Bruce Gilden <\/p>\n

Why These? runs daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Fotografiska Berlin<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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