YONKERS, NY.- Jordan Matters stunning photographs appear at
Hudson River Museum Fall 2015 in the exhibition Dancers Among Us.
The first solo museum exhibition for Matter in the United States, it contains over 30 images photographs from his acclaimed book Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday; new images from his upcoming book Tiny Dancers Among Us, and new photographs of dancers in our region. The exhibition, which fills three galleries, contains videos shot during Matters photo shoots First is a video montage of the dancers leaping; in another gallery, a video shows his dynamic working process; and, finally the 12-minute video Finding Serendipity, which chronicles the search by Matter and the dancers for the perfect place for the perfect pose.
Matter photographs dancers off stage and in unexpected places no computer manipulation allowed. The world is his studio its streets, libraries, playing fields, coffee shops, and highways. For Matter, the heart of dance is best captured outside in bustling city streets or juxtaposed with rural nature.
Starting his career a portrait photographer, Matter soon turned his interest to dance as he watched his childrens joy at play an exuberance he wanted to carry over in photographs of adults. As he wrote in his book, Dancers Among Us: "Dancers are.... trained to capture passion with their bodies. They often create a fantasy world or offer us a deeper look into familiar stetting." Some of his most mind-boggling images, which Diane Sawyer (ABC World News) called breathtaking photos to free your imagination.
Matters photographs fall into three themes: Soaring, Stretching and Serendipity. In Soaring, from the Hudson River to city park fountains, Matter uses the visual and close proximate link of the leaping dancer and moving water. In Stretching, the dancers dramatic poses of strength and stillness evoke a more contemplative mood. It occurred to Matter early on that the heart of dance might best be captured outside of performance. The last section highlights his locationsfrom bustling city streets to more serene riverbanks and park fountains, where the dancers revel in the beauties of nature and which enable Matter to take advantage of the special qualities of light and motion.
Dancers Among Us: Photographs by Jordan Matter is organized by the Hudson River Museum.