Press Release:

LOS ANGELES, CA - New works from Brit photographer Martin Cox now on view in "Transmigration and The Love Boat" at METRO GALLERY in Silver Lake. The images in Cox's work examine a landscape of leisure, from glitz and shine, to rust and scrap, they evoke the marine expression of contemporary commercial culture. Cox has photographed brand new cruise ships on their debuts to rust streaked scrap yards to witness their ultimate demise and recycling. The exhibition showcases over 27 photographic works, in a variety of media.

Cox strikes a mythic nerve with this subject matter. Vessels have shaped world history and are now breaking down our world's barriers at an increasingly faster pace. He deftly shows that ships transport not only passengers and cargo, they convey fantasy and luxury, and vestiges of class. Cox's lens reveals that the most contemporary cruise liners are outfitted as art deco palaces from Hollywood's golden age; the implications grow more eloquent as they reach the end of their life cycles, to be sold for scrap and dismantled.

In new large scale color photographs shown at Metro Gallery, we view what the modern cruise line "guest" will see - from vast dining rooms, towering atria, and outdoor pools to stacks of soup bowls on the buffet. While his archaeologist's eye traces the relationship of these vessels to contemporary culture, and reconstructs a never-before-seen story, these images stand alone as beautiful achievements in photography. A row of empty theater seats dips into the ink black sea, a portal's view of a receding gold-toned corridor, an ocean of liquid blue mosaic; these and other images stand out vividly.

In a startling contrast, Cox moves beyond the ship as container of objects, as a marker of contemporary cultural preoccupations, to see the ship itself as an object with an economic life, and he follows this through to its logical conclusion. Where do ships go when they reach the end their intended purpose? The beaches of India are where much of the world's "ship recycling" is done. These images, in contrast to the to stylish backdrop to the Caribbean cruise, shows us the anatomy of the vessel itself, as these vast man made machines are torn apart, scrapped, and reduced to raw material.

Click here for review by critic and author Stuart Timmons

About Martin

Martin Cox was born in the British port of Southampton, (TITANIC's port of departure), Cox grew up around ships and his interest in ships and maritime research took off from a young age. Travels to locate specific vessels have taken him to China, India, The Phillippines, Canada, England and Hong Kong, as well as Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and California.

He was introduced to formal aspects of photography at Winchester School of Art, in England and holds an honors degree in Fine Arts from the Exeter College of Art & Design. His work has been previously exhibited in London's Soho, Wales, San Francisco and New York. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

About Metro

Metro Gallery is located at 1835 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Gallery hours: 1pm - 7pm, Tuesday through Saturday. For more information contact the gallery at (323) 663-2787 or visit www.metrogallery.org

---

. home . exhibitions . resume . bio .
. contact .