On the Street: 1980 to 1990 Amy Arbus
On the Street: 1980 to 1990 Amy Arbus
Between 1980 and 1990, over five hundred of photographer Amy Arbus's impromptu and edgy portraits of New Yorkers appeared in the Village Voice's monthly fashion feature, "On the Street." The column's missive was to document the city's most adventurous trendsetters as they lived their lives. But Arbus's photographs tell much more than a style story. Taken as a whole, they reflect an era of contradictions, a time in America when urban individualism and raw creativity were courageously fighting for breathing room and holding their own in a culture ruled by wealthy conservatism and Republican politics.