Shawn Mortensen Photography @ Babylon Falling December 18, 2008

Babylon Falling presents an exhibition of the photography of Shawn Mortensen. Describing what the exhibition will be comprised of Shawn says, "There will be a sample of images from my book OUT OF MIND & also a portfolio of images of homes in NOLA Lower 9th Ward on the 1 year mark of Hurricane Katrina. The 'sample' images will be of Pop Icons such as Zapatista Women, Kate Moss, Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, Henry Rollins, Tupac Shakur, Snoop & Dr Dre, Zapatistas, Futura & Lee Quinones, Mark Gonzales, Jamaican Rude Boys, Rage Against The Machine, Biggie, & a few OTHERS."

Mortensen will be leading an informal talk about his career as a photographer, and signing copies of his 2007 book, Out Of Mind at the opening reception on Thursday, December 18th from 6pm - 9pm. As with all hardcover new releases, Out of Mind will be 20% off the list price. There will be drinks and music as always. The event is free and is wheelchair accessible.

About Shawn Mortensen

Shawn Mortensen is a Los Angeles-based artist, photographer, and filmmaker. He has been featured in i-D, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, and Details. He has shot covers for Spin, Vibe, The Source, XXL, and the Village Voice. In addition to photographing well-known fashion and advertising campaigns as well as an eclectic list of celebrities and artists, he has shown his photographs with exhibitions at New York’s Whitney and Guggenheim Museums, The Getty Museum, and has won an MTV Video Music Award.

Mortensen has also documented his global travels in provocative photo-essays; from rare access in Chiapas, Mexico, where he captured haunting images of the Zapatista uprising, to the dancehalls and shantytowns of Kingston, Jamaica to the unspoiled landscapes of Mongolia, as well as intensive work in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria. In order to spearhead AIDS awareness, he journeyed from South Africa to Lagos, Nigeria where he collaborated with the REDHOT Organization on the critically acclaimed benefit recording project and documentary, Red Hot + RIOT.

An artist and advocate, Shawn Mortensen creates a vast range of images that evoke sensational and sometimes startling results.

About Out of Mind

Over the last fifteen years, Shawn Mortensen has photographed cutting-edge culture-makers while also revealing the gritty reality of urban street life and the world's political climate. Truly with his finger on the pulse, Mortensen took photographs of the in crowd before they were the in crowd. His subjects range from celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Marcello Mastroianni, and Tupac Shakur to contemporary artists like Raymond Pettibon, Brice Marden, and Francesco Clemente. Yet these portraits are juxtaposed with haunting photo essays on the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico; the ghettoes of Jamaica; and the landscape of Mongolia—often with startling results.

Irreverent, sexy, and avant-garde, Out of Mind places Shawn Mortensen alongside the most important contemporary photographers.

About Babylon Falling

Babylon Falling is a concept-driven independent bookstore with a focus on the spirit of Revolution. In addition to new books, we also carry similarly themed collectible toys, posters, artwork and DVDs, and our own in house clothing line featuring designs submitted by those artists who have exhibited here. The name of the store reflects the owner's Jamaican heritage, where the word Babylon is an all-purpose euphemism for both oppression and those who oppress. The phrase Babylon Falling then, is at once an affirmation and a demand.

Previous shows at Babylon Falling have included Hal Lawrence, Robert Bowen, David Choong Lee, John Felix Arnold III, Emory Douglas, Le Bijoutier, Roger Steffens & Peter Simon, David Ball, buZ blurr aka Colossus of Roads, and most recently C3.

For pictures of past events at Babylon Falling please see: www.babylonfalling.com/Events.html

Official Website: http://www.babylonfalling.com