NEW YORK, NY.- Since moby moved to L.A. in 2011, he became fascinated by Hollywood Hills' hidden history, as well as an obsession with cults and the passion and extremes pursued for personal reinvention. innocents is moby's created documentary evidence of an imagined post-apocalyptic world consisting of lush large-scaled photographs depicting ominous landscapes and masked individuals in the cult of innocents for whom reinvention - spiritual, physical, psychological - is carried out in the extreme.
This is the artist's third body of photography following Destroyed and Crowds (2011) exhibited in NY, LA and throughout Europe. The work continues moby's practice of taking pictures of the normal and exposing their oddness, as well as taking the odd and presenting it as normal. With innocents, shot over the last two years on and around moby's Hollywood Hills property, the artist extends his practice of capturing what he sees to creating and directing the photographs.
moby: innocents was debuted at Project Gallery in L.A last winter, along with a cult inspired "march of the innocents" and a curated discussion with Shepard Fairey and Gary Baseman. Continuing to shoot photography of the apocalyptic world in and around LA, moby is simultaneously creating videos for an experiential audio video theater piece called hotel ambient, writing a memoir of his time in New York and the degenerate rave scene from 1989 -1999, working on his new album, and sharing his thoughts and inspiration on architecture through his Los Angeles Architecture Blog.
moby has been making music and taking photographs since he was 10 years old when he received his first Nikon camera from his uncle, a photographer for The New York Times. He has been exhibiting his photography worldwide since 2011. Originally playing classical guitar, moby then went on to play with seminal Connecticut hardcore punk group 'the Vatican commandoes' when he was 13. He started DJ'ing after leaving college, and was a fixture in the late 80's New York house and hip-hop scenes.
moby released his first single, 'go' in 1991 (listed as one of Rolling Stones best records of all time.) His records have sold over 20,000,000 copies worldwide, and he's also produced and remixed scores of other artists, including David Bowie, Metallica, The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, among others. He has played over 3,000 concerts, and has a had his music used in hundreds of films, including 'Heat', 'Any Given Sunday', 'Tomorrow Never Dies', and more. moby's latest album 'innocents' (2013), is his most collaborative project to date, featuring Wayne Coyne, Cold Specks, Damien Jurado, Mark Lanegan, and Skylar Grey. He is currently working on his next album, as well as collaborating with musician friends for concerts and a variety of projects including playing a very strange cult leader in a baffling music video with Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips. In 2007, he launched 'mobygratis', which provides free music for independent filmmakers. moby also continues to work closely with the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, human and animal rights, and a variety of local and national and global environmental projects.
