Preview the exhibition here

RSVP to Isabel Babcock, Tel: 212-604-9074 x102
isabel@powerHouseBooks.com

Exhibition sponsored by Lush Life, Frank151, and Scion
Prints courtesy of DigiZone
Catering courtesy of The Pump Energy Food
Drinks courtesy of Red Stripe
Signage by Alice Mizrachi

Exhibition continues through November 11

Ricky Powell’s Artist Statement
I like listening to the oldies station WCBS 101.1 FM (Oh SSIT! They just played the eight-minute version of “Keep on Truckin’” by Eddie Kendricks!) as well as “classic” rock. It’s a great time capsule for remembering how things used to be. Whenever I hear certain songs from the seventies, I go into a zone and can tell you exactly what year or summer it came out.

I think that’s what I like about pictures. They preserve precious moments forever. I’ve been into photographs ever since my mother started bringing home sports magazines. I’d tear out my favorite pictures and put them up in my room. I used to love those Sports Illustrated posters. I obtained one of Walt “Clyde” Frazier from 1970 a couple of years ago and it serves as as shrine in my rustic museum.

Growing up, I couldn’t stand books without photos. I always preferred nonfiction because I liked knowing what really went down, who was down with who, who was doinking who. I got inspired by peoples’ experiences.

I decided to take pictures on a serious level in the spring of ’85. I liked photographing street life and nightclubs and I figured that there’d always be pictures to take, so maybe it could be a path to a career. It was fun—but it felt important at the same time. Even if I was out partying I had my camera because I liked taking pictures on the hang-out tip (sometimes that’s when you get the best shit).

The first photo I published was of FUTURA 2000 and Keith Haring hangin’ at some opening in June of ’85. It was in The East Village Eye, for the party people section in the back. It was only about two by two inches but my photo credit lookdeded dope! I was like, “Oh Sssit! Even a lazy bum like me can do something worthwhile.”

In the spring of ’86 these chicks who worked for Lynn Goldsmith came up to me at The World, while I was wandering around the old rustic ballroom taking pictures of people dancing, and asked if I’d be interested in shooting for a photo agency called LGI. That night I got a crash course in the art of the hustle (in the photography world). Lynn was a big time celebrity/music photographer and her reputation for being, hmmm, shall we say, strong-minded and insistent preceded her. I used to run errands for her to different mags and would catch the brunt of photo editors’ ire (I think she got loud with almost all of them). I thought it was funny; I had to fight to contain myself from snickering.

Oh man! Sometimes she made me use her bike—with the flower basket. Arrrgh! It was embarrassing. I once took a spill on it on 7th Avenue and 39th Street in front of one of my old students (I was a substitute teacher in Manhattan from ’87 to ’91). Talk about paying your dues. Lynn sent me out on some good assignments, but that paparazzo shit wasn’t for me. I worked for her til ’89 and it was a great experience. I owe a lot to her.

Nowadays my main focus is street photography. I kinda’ figure my purpose is to document ordinary and unordinary things/people/scenes. So I carry my camera when I run errands, add a little commentary, and make Rickfordizms. Enjoy my take. Peace yo.
—Ricky Powell, New York City, 2005

*

For two decades, Ricky Powell has prowled the streets of his native New York, toured the world with hip hop’s biggest acts, and full-on crashed celebrity-studded parties on both coasts. Equipped with only his wits and an instamatic camera, Powell elbowed his way into the center of the scene with no shame. “It’s for public access,” Powell could be heard, pleading for an interview with a pizza shop owner on his cult cable TV show, “Rappin’ with the Rickster.”

Powell knows access is everything, and he delivers. In Public Access: Ricky Powell Photographs 1985–2005, Powell presents the actors, musicians, performers, and artists that inspired him, including Method Man, Doize Green, Bill Adler, Slick Rick, Run DMC, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Eric B. and Rakim, Keith Haring, Public Enemy, Sophia Coppola, and LL Cool J, as well as everyday people Powell spotted on the street. Also presented in Public Access are Powell’s never-before-published collaborations with top artists and graffiti writers including Lee Quinones, Ron English, Alice Mizrachi, Jesse Fischler, George Sewell, Kostas, Michell Tarantelli, DAZE, DR. REVOLT, SSUR, JEST, and DALEK.

“Through the tests of time and devotion to street arts, my man has endured it all. A true New Yorker and a legend way ahead of his time, Ricky ‘A’ Powell is destined for the Hall of Fame. He’s a true ‘living legend.’ Respect That!!!!!”
—Ryan Sikorski, Lush Life
Exhibitions

colette, Paris
August 29–October 1, 2005
Exhibition sponsored by adidas

The powerHouse Gallery, New York
October 14–November 12, 2005

Milk Bar, San Francisco
December 9–26, 2005

Lab 101 Gallery, Los Angeles
January 13–February 13, 2005

United States exhibitions sponsored by Lush Life, Frank 151, Scion, and DigiZone

Ricky Powell, a native New Yorker, graduated from Hunter College with a BS in physical education. His work has been published in The New York Times, the New York Post, the Daily News, The Village Voice, Time, Newsweek, VIBE, The Source, Rolling Stone, Spin, Details, Paper, Mass Appeal, Word Up!, Ego Trip, and Grand Royal, to name a few. Powell’s clients have included Cannon, MTV, NBC, the Apollo Theater, Capitol Records, and Weiden + Kennedy, among others. His work has been exhibited at the Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery, New York and Upper Playground, San Francisco and was featured in “500 of the Greatest Rock and Roll Photos,” presented by Kodak. Powell is the author of Frozade Moments (Eyejammie.com, 2005), Oh Snap!: The Rap Photography of Ricky Powell (St. Martin’s, 1998) and The Rickford Files: Classic New York Photographs (St. Martin’s, 1999). He lives and works in New York.

Miss Rosen Editions, a division of powerHouse Cultural Entertainment, is a new imprint launching in Fall 2005 spotlighting contemporary urban culture and lifestyle. Publisher Sara Rosen, Publicity Director of powerHouse Books since 2000, was Project Manager of Autograf: New York City’s Graffiti Writers, the runaway best-selling art book which inspired an episode of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” which Miss Rosen helped to produce, as well as countless letters to the editor of The New York Times City section.

Lush Life was founded by Ryan Sikorski in 2002. Based in New York City, Lush Life is a streetwear company based on reality, not egos. “We all have vices in life and instead of putting them down, we big up them,” says Sikorski, “Whether it’s sexual, drug-related, gamblin’ or just plain old getting retarded, you only have one life to live so live it!!!!” Lush Life is available at Union, New York and Los Angeles; Rival, New York; Huff, San Francisco; Situationormal, Los Angeles; Concepts, Boston; Twenty04, Vancouver; Fat Beats, Amsterdam; Ships, Japan; and www.digitalgravel.com.

“Ryan Sikorski epitomizes the term, ‘Lush Life,’” comments Ricky Powell. “He’s the ‘Cool Hand Luke’ of hip hop and the consummate team player. I am honored he is sponsoring my exhibition tour.”

DigiZone was founded by Shazi, an accomplished business owner who has worked in the photo services industry for the past 25 years. Shazi services top fashion designers, photographers, advertising agencies, such as, Ralph Lauren, Bruce Weber, and Ogilvy & Mather, amongst others. Shazi has since founded four photo businesses, STATION, DIGIZONE, PRINTZONE, CHROMOZONE. Each business has a different location & each business is specialized. STATION offers a unique boutique style service with one on one personal expertise, specializing in high-end retouching with state-of-the-art technology. PRINTZONE specializes in color film developing and custom c-printing. These services are all conventional. DIGIZONE specializes in all premium digital scan reproductions, in large format prints. CHROMOZONE specializes in chrome film processing (E6), B&W process & custom printing.

The Pump Energy Food “Food that tastes great, feels great, and makes you look great!" Five locations in Manhattan. One amazing book. http://www.ThePumpEnergyFood.com.


High-res scans to your specification are available upon request; scanning from the book is strictly prohibited. Mandatory credit line: from PUBLIC ACCESS: RICKY POWELL PHOTOGRAPHS 1985–2005, Courtesy of The powerHouse Gallery.


For more information, please contact Sara Rosen, Publicity Director
powerHouse Books, 68 Charlton Street, New York, NY 10014
Tel: 212-604-9074 x105, Fax: 212-366-5247, email: sara@powerHouseBooks.com