Synopses & Reviews
From the Sunshine State is a captivating documentation of Florida through the lens of photographer Alex Webb. Rather than the stereotypical images of picture-postcard beaches and perfect Art Deco architecture, this eclectic collection of photographs reveals another side of "the sunshine state." Through his travels from Fort Pierce and Daytona Beach to Key Largo, from Suwanee and Apalachicola to Disney World, Webb's vivid and compelling images reflect an exploratory and questioning approach to his subjects, both people and places. Capturing the diverse cultures and subcultures of Florida, these photographs are at times political foray and sociological documentation, and are at times ironic, impressionistic records of the passage of human lives in society. His accompanying text describes his physical and emotional journey across Florida, giving the reader/viewer a special insight into his personal and unique vision.
Alex Webb's photography books include Crossings: Photographs from the U.S.-Mexico Border, Amazon: From the Floodplains to the Clouds, Under a Grudging Sun: Photographs from Haiti Liberé, Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds: Photographs from the Tropics, and the limited edition Dislocations. A member of Magnum Photos since 1979, he has received numerous awards and fellowships. Webb's work has been exhibited worldwide, and his images are in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the International Center for Photography. His photographs have been published in the New York Times Magazine, Life, Geo, National Geographic, Aperture, and many other magazines.
Synopsis
Renowned photographer Alex Webb captures in this volume the unique atmosphere of Florida: the high camp/fashion world of Miami Beach, the Latin American world of South Florida, and the leisure world of vacationers, but also the worlds of migrant laborers and new immigrants, of suburbanites and rural peoples. This eclectic and occasionally funny collection reveals a different side of "the Sunshine State", a side usually hidden behind picture-perfect beaches and pristine Art Deco architecture. These vivid and compelling images question the nature of our assumptions about the world of Florida. Webb's Florida seems at once so familiar and yet so strange. His ironic, impressionistic record of the passage of life sweeps the state from Fort Pierce and Daytona Beach to Key Largo, Suwanee and Apalachicola to Disney World. Among the photographs that reveal the texture of life in this beachfront state are unique juxtapositions: a Key deer walking along the road in Big Pine Key, a nightclub dancer atop a tank of sharks, a mysterious hand reaching from a grave. But images more typically associated with Florida have their place as well: beach-front parties, miniature golf courses. Webb's accompanying text complements the photographs with a description of his physical and emotional journeys in the Sunshine State.