Bill Owens, Our house is built with the living room in the back, so in the evening we sit out front of the garage and watch the traffic go by. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, I bought the lawn in six-foot rolls. It’s easy to handle. I prepare the ground and my wife and son helped roll out the grass. In one day you have a front yard. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, We had a ball on the Fourth of July. The whole neighborhood came out for the parade. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, Untitled. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, Untitled. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, I put my hair up once or twice a week. It’s the only way I can get curls in it. When it’s combed out, I’m willing to be seen in public. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, We’re really happy. Our kids are healthy, we eat good food, and we have a really nice home. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, I enjoy giving a Tupperware party in my home. It gives me a chance to talk to my friends. But really, Tupperware is a homemaker’s dream, you save time and money because your food keeps longer. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens, I enjoy cooking, dogs, cats, kids, soccer, and living here. From the series “Suburbia”, 1973. Gelatin-silver print, 7 x 9 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Robert Koch Gallery. © Bill Owens
Bill Owens
Bill Owens: Suburbia
Bill Owens’s Suburbia (1973) is a series of strange and compelling photographs that reveal the complexities of the American middle-class landscape. Utilizing a straightforward and direct photographic style, Owens documented the customs, symbols and social dynamics of various Northern California housing developments. With an eye for humor, he confirmed assumptions of its perceived banality, uniformity and careless […]
May 17 - Sep 7, 2014
Bill Owens’s Suburbia (1973) is a series of strange and compelling photographs that reveal the complexities of the American middle-class landscape. Utilizing a straightforward and direct photographic style, Owens documented the customs, symbols and social dynamics of various Northern California housing developments. With an eye for humor, he confirmed assumptions of its perceived banality, uniformity and careless comfort, but tempered them with empathetic attention to the unexpected beauty, uniqueness and anxieties that are equally part of suburban life. Accompanying quotations from the individuals in the images describe the opportunities and challenges of everyday life in their new environments. Pairing a seemingly objective visual style with subjective statements of lived experiences he pinpointed the tensions that exist at the intersection of the American dream and reality.
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