THE POLAROID WORLD OF BLAIZE SIMON

29 Jan – 15 Feb ‘04
The Spitz, live music, gallery, bar & bistro
109 Commercial Street, Old Spitalfields Market, London E1 6BG
box office & info 020 7392 9032, press 020 7053 2046
mail@spitz.co.uk
www.spitz.co.uk

Blaize Simon creates images that whether black and white or colour, sublimely simple or heavily manipulated, have one thing in common: they began life as light coming through the lens of a Polaroid camera. The results are magnificent. This is his World.

The Polaroid World of Blaize Simon, showing at the Spitz for the first half of February, is a stunning array of his finest creations. The ground floor features his black and white work: striking, classically rooted portraits that can hold their own in a conversation about Deborah Turbeville, Sarah Moon or – even – Helmut Newton. Downstairs, the gallery-goer is plunged into a parallel, full-colour Universe: dreamlike, intense, often achingly beautiful – Blaize Simon here demonstrates a visionary peerlessness made possible by his unique way of manipulating different kinds of technology; from vintage, almost-forgotten models of Polaroid, to the most cutting edge of computing and printing techniques.

Since London-born Blaize Simon began taking photographs at the age of 15, he has travelled the world, perfecting his art. Recently he lived and worked for four years in New York, creating images reflecting ideas and feelings about Manhattan, Brooklyn and Harlem. Other successful and intimate collections portray his perception of the energies of Nigeria and Cuba. Parts of these collections are exhibited at the Babra Green Fine Art Gallery (NY) in Chelsea and the Get Real Art Gallery on Fifth Avenue. Prior to this his work has been displayed and sold in New York at the Monique Goldstorm Gallery on Broadway and The Atmosphere Gallery in Soho.

Notable for his dedication and sensitivity, Blaize Simon has a continually evolving portfolio, drawn from both commissioned commercial images and self-inspired art editorials. His portraits are endowed with an intangible quality that often causes the subject to exclaim "That is the photo that truly captures my soul!" He is an author of sorts, drafting stories with his eye and capturing marvellous tales with a snap of his Polaroid camera. He hand-prints every image, using his unique, self refined and adapted methods.

The Polaroid World of Blaize Simon is a brave and beautiful new world, situated on the frontier between classicism and technology. It begs to be explored…