Leisure.

Photographs by Bill Owens.

Fotofolio, New York, 2004. 120 pp., numerous illustrations, 10x10".

"Bill Owens captivated the photography world in the 1970s with his playful photographs of suburbia. He published three books on the series, including the classic Suburbia, with a fourth planned on leisure. Now thirty years later, this long awaited fourth volume presents a selection of unpublished photographs taken between the late 60s and early 80s. Owens touches on the abstract idea of the American dream by showing Americans in all kinds of familiar leisure activities—and occasionally in leisure suits! From the miniature golf courses to the fast food playgrounds, from backyard barbeques to foosball games, Owens’s wacky sense of humor and campy aesthetic prevails. Throughout, Owens presents suburbia, which many would characterize as the epitome of consumerism and commercial sprawl, with a refreshing spirit of optimism and friendliness, perfectly mimicking our carefree cultural outlook."

— Denise Wolff

"Owens' photographs belong to an American aesthetic tradition of art that explores the intersection of everyday life and theatricality. Like the paintings of Edward Hopper, the photographs of Walker Evans and Diane Arbus, and the short stories of John Cheever and Raymond Carver, Owens' photographs find unexpected beauty and mystery within the American vernacular. This collision between normality and strangeness transforms the American landscape into a place of wonder and anxiety."

— Gregory Crewdson, in his introduction to Leisure

Expected arrival: May

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