INFO

BIOGRAPHY

Gus Powell was born in New York City in 1974 and attended Oberlin College where he majored in comparative religion. In 2003 he was selected to be in PDNs 30 under 30 issue and also published his first monograph, The Company of Strangers (J&L Books). His work has been exhibited internationally, including a solo show at The Museum of The City of New York and group exhibitions at The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and FOAM, NL.

His photographs have been published in Aperture, Harpers, Vogue, M le mag – Le Monde, Wired, Fortune, W, and he has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine for a decade. He is a member of the street photographers’ collective In-Public and is faculty in the MFA Photography, Video and Related Media Department at the School of Visual Arts, NY.

His work is included in the books Bystander: A World History of Street Photography and Street Photography Now. Powell’s second monograph, titled The Lonely Ones (J&L Books, 2015) was celebrated as one of the best photography books of the year, and was reprinted as a trilingual edition in 2017. Powell is currently at work on a book tilted Family Car Trouble (TBW Books, 2019) and his ongoing street work series titled Mise en Scène. He is represented by Sasha Wolf Projects (NY), Lee Marks Fine Art (IN), and Micamera (Milano).

CURRICULUM VITAE

Solo Exhibitions

Based On A True Story, Leica Gallery, Washington, DC, May, 2019.
Bring Them Homes: Photographs of Resilience, Citi Gallery, Miami, FL, March, 2019.
Bring Them Homes: Photographs of Resilience, Citi Gallery, LIC, NY, November, 2018.
Gus Powell Photographer, Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC, March, 2018.
Public Art Challenge, Art House, Gary, IN, February, 2018.
The Lonely Ones, Ron Herman, Kobe, Japan, January, 2018.
Public Art Challenge, Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York, NY, November, 2017. The Lonely Ones, Ron Herman, Kyoto, Japan, July, 2017.
The Lonely Ones, Ron Herman, Tokyo, Japan, May, 2017.
The Lonely Ones, Micamera, Milan, Italy, March, 2016.
The Lonely Ones, Sasha Wolf Gallery, New York, NY, January, 2016.
The Lonely Ones, Galerie Ghezelbash & Motte Masselink, Paris, France, November, 2015.
Manhattan Noon, Museum of the City of New York, NY, December., 2007 - April 2008.
The Company of Strangers, French Trotters, Paris, France, December, 2005.
Town & Country, Norfolk, CT Public Library, September, 2003.

Select Group Exhibitions

Der Greif Variety Show, Aperture Gallery, New York, NY, March, 2019.
Take A Seat, Lee Marks Gallery, Shelbyville, IN, November, 2018.
Bystander: A History of Street Photography, Leica Gallery, SF, CA, July, 2018.
Flower Show, Lee Marks Gallery @ AIPAD, New York, NY, April, 2018.
9/11 Memorial & Museum, New York, NY, permanent collection, 2014.  
InPublic, TCDC, The Emporium, Bangkok, Thailand, February, 2013.
Street Shots NYC, South Street Seaport Museum, NY, January, 2013.
Occupy Wall Street: Camera & Subject, South Street Seaport Museum, NY, July, 2012.
LUNCH HOUR, New York Public Library, NY, June, 2012.
InPublic, Derby Museum, Format Photography Festival, Derby, March, 2011.
Street Photography Now, Uno Art Space, Stuttgart, April, 2011.
Street Photography Now, Galerie Lichblick, Cologne, December, 2010.
Street Photography Now, Mois de La Photo - OFF, Paris, November, 2010.
Street Photography Now, Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff, Wales, Fall, 2010.
iN PUBLiC @ 10, Photofusion Gallery, London, Summer, 2010.
New York Perspectives, 25CPW, New York, NY, May 2010.
FotoGrafia Festival Internazionale di Roma, Italy, May - August, 2009.
New York Perspectives, Stadsarchive Amsterdam, NL, May - September 2009.
States Of Mind, TH Inside, Copenhagen, December, 2008.
States Of Mind, TH Inside, Brussels, November, 2008.
Various Photographs: Curated by Tim Barber, NY Photo Festival, Brooklyn, NY, 2008.
Tiny Vices, Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City, Mexico, July, 2007.
The End Is Nigh, Higher Pictures, New York, NY, April, 2007.
J&L Books, Marcia Wood Gallery, Atlanta, GA, January, 2007.
Tiny Vices, Studio Bee, Tokyo, Japan, December, 2006.
Here: Remembering 9/11, WTC Installation, New York, NY, December, 2006.
Timescapes, Museum of the City of New York, NY, permanent installation.
Here Is New York, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, Summer 2006.
Still Life & Stilled Lives, Ariel Meyerowitz Gallery, New York, NY, February, 2005.
Wild Flowers, Ariel Meyerowitz Gallery, New York, NY, Summer 2004.
Summer Life, Alice Austen House, Staten Island, NY, August, 2003.
Common Ground, McMullen Museum, Boston College, June, 2003.
Sylvan, Ariel Meyerowitz Gallery, New York, NY, April, 2003.
Made in New York, Jen Bekman Gallery, New York, NY, June, 2003.
2002 Armory Photography Show, New York, NY, October, 2002.
Life In The City, Museum of Modern Art, New York, Winter/Spring 2002.
The Sidewalk Never Ends, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, Fall 2001 - Spring 2002.
Here Is New York, 116 Prince Street, New York, NY, September, 2001.
Straight Arrows, Ariel Meyerowitz Gallery, New York, NY, February, 2001.
Modern Madness, C.S. Ledbetter Gallery, New York, NY, November, 2000.
Honest Lie, Saltbox Gallery, New York, NY, August, 1999.
The Gestures of The Eye, Fisher Hall, Oberlin, Ohio, May, 1997.

Awards

National Magazine Award 2013 for Feature Photography, New York Magazine.
Featured in American Photography No. 22, 2005.
Featured in Print magazine’s “New Visual Artists” issue, April, 2004.
Selected for Photo District News “30 Emerging Photographers Issue,” March, 2003.
Awarded Cultural Specialist Grant from U.S. Dept. of Cultural Affairs 2002.

Select Publications

FAMILY CAR TROUBLE, monograph by Gus Powell, TBW Books, 2019.
The Lonely Ones (trilingual 2nd edition), monograph by Gus Powell, Mutty/Lazy Dog, 2017.
The Lonely Ones, monograph by Gus Powell, J&L Books, 2015.
Aperture No. 217, Portfolio: The Lonely Ones, intro by Heidi Julavits, Winter 2014
A Public Space No. 16, Portfolio : Negative Space, Summer 2012.
Street Photography Now, Howarth & McLaren, Thames & Hudson, 2010.
10: 10 Years of In-Public, NTP, 2010.
La Gioia, Zoneattive Edizioni, Italy, 2009.
A Field Guide To The North American Family, G.B. Halberg, MBP, 2007.
Paper Placemats ATL, J&L Books, 2007.
Paper Placemats, J L Books, 2004.
The Company of Strangers, monograph by Gus Powell, J&L Books, 2003.
Here Is New York, Scalo, 2002. Includes seven photographs.
Bystander: A History of Street Photography, by Westerbeck/Meyerowitz, Bulfinch 2001.
DoubleTake magazine, “Lunch Pictures” Summer 2001, photographs and text.

Select Reviews

Aperture No. 217, “The Lonely Ones by Gus Powell” by Heidi Julavits, Winter 2014.
Zing (China), “Lunch Pictures” by Stella Qian, Spring 2010.
Foam: Sidewalk (NL), “Gus Powell’s No York” by Tim Davis, Summer, 2005.
Afterimage, “Books Reviewed” by Bruno Chalifour, Fall 2004.
Photograph, “New Photobooks” by Vince Aletti, Nov/Dec, 2003.
Photo-Eye Booklist, “Book Review” by Darius Himes, Fall 2003.
Marmalade (UK), “Finding Beauty in The Company of Strangers” by Myles Quinn, 2003.
Kodak ProPass, Emerging Artist Series, online profile, posted Summer 2003.
The New York Times, “Snapshots Of Sept. 11” by Roberta Smith, October 8, 2001.
The New Yorker, “Straight Arrows” by Sophie Fels, February 5, 2001.

Other

Photographs are in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Museum of the City of New York, and FOAM fotografiemuseum, NL.