Josh Soskin art exhibit: An Unemcumbered Life

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening of filmmaker and photographer Josh Soskin's exhibit called Untitled Underwear Project: Portraits Of An Unemcumbered Life in Los Angeles. More specifically, Venice, at Windospace. Adgrunts might be familiar with Soskins work, having made some spots for Levi's and a spec spot for the Chevy Volt that was picked up by the client and ran in Europe. Some but not all of the photos on exhibit were shot while he was making those commercials, too.
As the title of the the exhibit might infer, the majority of photos (and a short film, featuring a montage of moments that were shot during the same time) features people in their underwear, or bathing suits, or half-dressed, or dressed very little.
Far from being gratuitous or a typical portrait of vulnerability, the collection seeks to authenticate and humanize the subjects who range in age from babies to senior citizens, simply by showing them as who they are. By far the more unexpected age range were the standouts. Overall, none of the shots felt forced. Romantic and dreamy, sometimes gritty perhaps, but never staged.
The exhibit only has a short run, and ends tomorrow, March 22nd. But if you're in Venice and can step away from the grime of the beach and go a few blocks inland, it's definitely worth the trip.

WINDOSPACE is located at 361 Vernon Ave, Venice, CA 90291

If you can't make it to the show, you can visit Untitled Underwear Project to see the exhibit, the film and more.