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Dean Sameshima review
Soft Opening, LondonDeadpan 90s photographs of seemingly ordinary buildings only hint at the queer bacchanalia within – and stand as a record of lost and beloved safe spaces
TL;DR
- Dean Sameshima's "Wonderland" series photographs queer sex clubs and bathhouses in 1990s Los Angeles.
- The images are formally shot in daylight, revealing unremarkable buildings that concealed illegal safe spaces for the queer community.
- Titles provide details about the interiors, contrasting with the exteriors and hinting at voyeuristic desires.
- The series reflects precarity and wistfulness due to the AIDS pandemic and the potential disappearance of these spaces.
- Photographs of cruising spots in public parks are also included, documented unsensationally in daylight.
- Sameshima's approach is subtle, focusing on the significance of communal spaces as islands of freedom and autonomy.
- His work contrasts with Catherine Opie's more overt documentation, finding power in the unseen and subtle details.