Thursday evening, July 9th Photographer Tyler Shields spoiled NYC with the opening of his latest solo exhibit “Duality” at the infamous Guy Hepner Art Gallery located at 521 W 26th St. New York, NY. For those who are unfamiliar with Tyler Shields, he is an American photographer, screenwriter, director, and former inline skater.
What he’s most know for is his highly provocative photography including all things violence and danger. Tyler is, “Considered the Andy Warhol of his generation, Shields has produced images that play with notions of the gaze, power structures, hyper-realism, iconoclastic tendencies, and cinematographic practice”. Fun fact that will most definitely impress your friends at happy hour or first date over a glass of wine. Tyler had a solo show at Sotheby’s in London and LA and is the youngest artist and ONLY LIVING artist whose art has been Auctioned in Sotheby’s. Move over Warhol… Numerous auctions later Sotheby’s deemed him “the Andy Warhol of his Generation”. Don’t walk, RUN to purchase his pieces, as he only produces three of each print!
My love for Tylers’ art started in 2017 when I was introduced through a friend and his contractor, Mike Miller Principal of Centaur Interiors, and Founder of Apollo Digital Art based out of Chicago. I remember walking into Mike’s beautiful studio where Tyler had a show the night prior and just missed meeting him back then. As the doors opened the first piece I saw was Tyler’s infamous piece called “Bunny” which he produced in 2015. Instantly was drawn to this mysterious woman wearing a bunny mask/ears and holding a lit cigarette. I always tell people you don’t know if she is happy, mad, sad, or did she just murder someone, or just have the most intimate, passionate sex with a one-night stand. It was very me…JK but I had to have it!
I walked into the next room and as a lover of all things fashion, style, and luxury brands I fell in love with two more of his iconic Chanel pieces that were staged side-by-side. “ Chanel Acid” and “Chanel Champagne”. I started to realize this was becoming an expensive afternoon haha.
Needless to say, I couldn’t be more excited to have the new Tyler pieces I purchased at Guy Hepner arrive to turn my two-bedroom city apartment into a Tyler Shields Art Gallery!
In my opinion, we live in such a fast-paced world where it is so easy to just go, go, go and forget that feeling emotion and genuine happiness is SO important. Tylers’ art forces you to feel the emotion and stop to smell the roses.
