Artist Review #13: Simon Hoegsberg

I found Simon Hoegsburg on StumbleUpon and was especially drawn to his series entitled "Faces of New York." For this project, Hoegsburg approached 10 strangers on the streets of NYC and asked them to comment on their own face. He then photographed his subjects in a mid-shot and a close-up.

At first, I viewed the images, trying to form my own opinions of each of the characters. For these people, I would have stereotyped them 1) This guy seems like someone to avoid. He looks as though he's snarling. 2) Grandmother type, put together. 3) Artist/musician/not from the area. 4) Old school, baroque styling, out of place. When I read each of the statements, I was really surprised by what I found. 1) Was a crime victim when he first moved to NYC. Adopted a harsh expression to make sure it wouldn't happen again. 2) Used to be beautiful, trying to accept her age, political writer. 3) African, at first didn't know of his origins, wears eyeliner. 4) Attracted to the past, identifies with the women in museums, not the starved models she sees on TV.

I wonder what I would say if someone walked up to me and asked how I felt about my face. Would I comment on the features themselves or my expression? How would my life and my experiences come across to a complete stranger? I applaud Hoegsburg for attempting this project; asking to photograph people can be scary enough, but asking them intimate questions while invading their personal space is even more daring.

Link: http://www.simonhoegsberg.com/