Jeff Brouws’ New Exhibition Unravels The Truth Behind The American Dream

Last Updated on 10/28/2024 by Chris Gampat

Human-built spaces have stories written in every brick building, lamp post, or even the concrete roads with speed bumps. The way our environment has changed since industrialization and is continuously transforming says a lot about us and our relationship with one another. There was a point when intricate designs adored buildings, but now, glass facades and minimalism aesthetics are taking over. To understand how our built environment plays a critical role in our very being, photographer Jeff Brouws took it upon himself to document the metamorphosis of the American landscape. And now, a new exhibition at the Robert Mann Gallery honors his vision.

The lead image and those within the article are by Jeff Brouws, courtesy of Robert Mann Gallery.

The exhibition, titled Jeff Brouws: Just About Everything, Someplace Else, looks at his iconic photographs alongside some unseen images. Robert Mann Gallery is hosting the show in a new gallery space in Chelsea while celebrating 25 years of their relationship with the artists.

I wanted the photographs to be more than photographs. 

Through this exhibition, viewers will witness how Brouws’ photographs depict the history of the place while highlighting themes of abandonment, loneliness, alienation, and technological change. Overall, the pictures illustrate the American Dream, which is not what it is supposed to be. The exhibition also includes images from his other series, such as Language in the Landscape, Approaching Nowhere, and New Topographics. The former series was inspired by Ed Ruscha, an American artist who focused on everyday objects, while the second one is reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s paintings. The last one is a project that depicts our commercial environments, which has also been recently updated.

Despite the lack of actual people in the images I do believe the photos are very populated. Cars, buildings, signage, and a certain quality of light (or the complete absence of it) stand in for a palpable human presence (Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 1999). Psychologically speaking, living in America and being an American is to experience a profound sense of alienation. Feelings of isolation colour my photographs —that’s what you’re sensing. It’s fascinating: what’s in your mind, heart and soul gets telegraphed onto the film plane and embedded in the photograph. It can’t be avoided.

Born in 1955, Brouws’ works are now in the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and The J. Paul Getty Museum, among others. It proves how the photographer created an intricate, rich, and immersive archive throughout his career, which he calls “visual anthropology.” Brouws is not only documenting our present but also preserving the elements that make up the American landscape today. Speaking about his photographs, Brouws once said: “Someone once said, ‘The first move to make in a creative act is the one of restraint.’ Perhaps, quiet, restrained landscapes match the emotional tenor of what I’m trying to impart with these images.”

Furthermore, his photographic anthology portrays the impact of financial and social elements, especially in the interior of America. For instance, in his photograph titled Highway 160/163, Kayenta, AZ, 1997, one can see just about how isolating the place is. Only upon a close look do you notice a man sitting on the floor on the right side of the frame. It certainly takes you a while to see his presence, and when you do, you wonder what he was doing there or why no one was helping him. The scene, which was sad, simply becomes even more heartbreaking. In doing so, Brouws successfully makes us question where our priority lies as a society.

The exhibit will be open from October 17 to December 6. For more details, visit Robert Mann Gallery’s website.