Light: On the South Side, an exhibition opening today at Blue Sky Gallery, features vintage gelatin silver prints taken by the late American photographer Michael Abramson. The black-and-white photographs, made in the 1970s, showcase Black nightclubs throughout Chicago’s South Side, where, as a white photographer, Abramson was an anomaly.
The series, which celebrates the exuberance of the scene and the flashy attire of the moment, led Abramson to win a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1978, launching his career as a photojournalist. The project also resulted in the monograph, Light: On the South Side, published by Numero Group in 2009, which included a Grammy-nominated album featuring Chicago blues musicians.
Light: On the South Side
By Michael Abramson
Blue Sky Gallery
Portland, Oregon
August 2 – September 2, 2018
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