Ginzburg Captures Life from Paris to NYC

By artefuse On 10/23/2012 · Leave a Comment · In New York

A Paris Street Scene photo by Olga Ginzburg

Chic Women in Fur on the LES photo by Olga Ginzburg

The beauty and simplicity of a black and white photograph is classic and transcends time. This has never been more apparent that in the work of New York based photographer and artist, Olga Ginzburg. AF came to her opening reception at Something in Mind on Mulberry Street. Although the venue is not a gallery but a specialty women’s boutique, it proved to be the perfect fit. The recently renovated store has spanking fresh bare walls and what else could warm it up? Art to the rescue.

Waiters Ready to Sing Happy Birthday photo by Olga Ginzburg

Something in Mind on Mulberry Street

With her work rescuing the bare banality of a spare white wall, Ginzburg finds crackling life with her lens trained on the everyday scenes of New York and Paris. Her work hearkens back to the golden age of 1940’s or 50’s street photography by the likes of Willy Ronis who made the everyday moments eternally magical. Simple scenes of the mundane take on a special enchanting life when the right image is captured at the exact second when the shutter clicks.

Olga Ginzburg, artist/photographer

Ginzburg uses a Canon F1 SLR camera then takes on the processing then printing of her images. The ease of a cool guy on his break checking phone messages, the fur clad chic women in front of an LES coffee shop, a group of waiters approaching while huddled around a birthday cake ready to break into “Happy Birthday to You!”, and the Parisian pedestrian scene seem forever locked in time. Such is the skill of Ginzburg who always thought of herself as an artist but couldn’t draw but instead picked up a camera to express her unique vision. This whole journey was inspired from the legendary Helen Levitt’s reason on being a photographer. It was quite frank and humorous which are two qualities that recur in the pictures taken by Ginzburg. In her very own words, “Nothing is more moving to me than the grace and absurdity of the every day.”

A great mix of art and fashion on opening reception night

Something in Mind – where art and fashion meet

A creative and talented artist like Olga Ginzburg is but one of many that will be featured by Something in Mind. Art is part of an enriched lifestyle. Without it, then you can equate it pretty much to a spare and blank white wall. The compulsion is to warm it up and avoid the antiseptic cold feeling. In her photography, Ginzburg managed to transcend the simplicity of the black and white images into something lively and full of color.