Image: Coney Island USA
Coney Island USA will open 'James Hamilton Uncropped: The Exhibition' in the Freak Bar Gallery on Friday, August 7, with the show remaining on view through October 11. The presentation is described by the organization as a career-spanning selection of work by photographer James Hamilton, whose decades of photojournalism included assignments for the Village Voice and other publications.
The exhibition announcement frames Hamilton as a photographer whose subjects ranged widely across culture and public life. According to Coney Island USA, he made images of hundreds of figures over the course of his career, including pop culture celebrities, actors, musicians and politicians. The exhibition text also emphasizes Hamilton’s recurring connection to Coney Island, which it says was one of his first and best loves and a place he returned to repeatedly over the years.
Coney Island USA says the exhibition will showcase the breadth of Hamilton’s work and cites a line from Variety asking whether he is “the greatest New York Photographer Ever.” The organization’s website identifies Hamilton as a photojournalist who was born in 1946 and lives in New York City, and notes that he has worked for publications including 'Crawdaddy!', 'The Herald', 'Harper’s Bazaar', 'The Village Voice' and 'The New York Observer'.
The exhibition also reflects Hamilton’s long-running association with the neighborhood beyond his editorial photography. Coney Island USA says he documented both the gangs and amusements of Coney Island in the 1970s, and that he even climbed onto the Cyclone tracks to photograph the coaster in motion. The exhibition is being installed in the Freak Bar Gallery at 1208 Surf Avenue in Brooklyn.
Opening night is set for Friday, August 7 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm. As part of the evening, Coney Island USA will present a free screening at 8:00pm of the 2024 documentary 'Uncropped', which focuses on Hamilton’s photography career. The film will be shown in the Sideshows by the Seashore Theater, followed by an interview and question-and-answer session with Hamilton.
The event listing says the conversation will be moderated by writer Mark Jacobson, described in the announcement as a long-time Hamilton confederate. The screening is also described as featuring appearances by Thurston Moore and Wes Anderson, with the page noting that 'Uncropped' was praised by The New York Times as “great and memorable.”
Coney Island USA’s event page presents the exhibition and screening as part of its current programming in Brooklyn’s seaside entertainment district, where the organization also runs the Freak Bar, the Coney Island Museum and the Circus Sideshow. 'James Hamilton Uncropped: The Exhibition' remains on view in the Freak Bar Gallery until October 11.
