Marc Hom’s Outdoor Photo Exhibition is Not a Traditional Retrospective

Black and white photo of a park with numerous large, vertical frames displaying intense, expressive portraits of people. In the background, there are trees and a body of water. Two individuals walk among the frames.

Many photographers will tell you that the hobby is all about getting outside but gallery exhibits are generally associated with indoor spaces. Not so for Marc Hom’s retrospective Re-Framed.

Hom has erected dozens of 11-foot-high studio portraits around Otsego Lake at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The Danish photographer has taken striking portraits of some of the world’s most recognized faces.

Black and white portrait of a person with long hair and tattoos, resting their head on their hand, looking directly at the camera. They are wearing a metallic outfit and an arm cuff, with an intense and expressive gaze.
Miley Cyrus, singer-songwriter, New York City. UV Pigments on coated fabric.
Black and white profile photo of a person wearing a hooded jacket, facing left. The person has a matchstick in their mouth and appears focused, with a neutral expression and a closely-cropped hairstyle.
Woody Harrelson, actor, Boston, USA, 2020. UV Pigments on coated fabric

A walk around the lake will allow viewers to take in splendid portraits of actress Anne Hathaway, singer Miley Cyrus, director Quentin Tarantino, among many others.

“I always loved the idea of being able to see art in all different kinds of situations,” says Hom in a press release.

“It’s one thing in the spring. It’s a different thing in the snow. It’s different in the rain, in the summer, in shadow, and in sun. So why don’t we try to combine the controlled environment of a so-called ordinary exhibition with the big open fields—a world completely uncontrolled?”

Each frame weighs 600 pounds but visitors can effortly spin the photographs thanks to some clever engineering.

A man in a suit holds a drink in one hand and a bunny in the other. He is standing indoors near a wall with various items and a shelf with bottles. The man has a serious expression as he gazes at the camera.
Brian Cranston, actor, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2021. Chromogenic print.
A black and white profile photo of a woman wearing a large, wide-brimmed hat. She has dark, styled hair and is looking to the right with a serene expression. The lighting highlights her facial features, giving the image a classic, timeless feel.
Angelina Jolie, actress, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2008. Silver gelatin print

The unusual photo exhibit is on view until September 25 and while there are 28 prints outside, there is also a more conventional exhibit of Hom’s work inside the Fenimore Art Museum where photography lovers can see portraits of David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, and Bryan Cranston.

“From the moment I saw Marc Hom’s beautiful photographic work and became aware that he lived close by the museum, I wanted to showcase his photographs in our galleries,” says Fenimore Art Museum President and CEO Dr. Paul S. D’Ambrosio.

“Marc’s exhibition moves photography into new realms, coaxing us to follow along and giving us more freedom to explore the stunning images in our own ways. Fenimore is proud to share this groundbreaking new venture.”

Black and white photograph of a person with tattoos and piercings, wearing a plaid shirt, multiple bracelets, and a ring. They are smoking and exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, which is curling in front of their face. The background is a gradient shade.
Wiz Khalifa, Electric Lady Studios, New York City, USA, 2014. UV Pigments on coated fabric

Re-Framed celebrates 20 years of Hom’s career and is also being accompanied by a book of the same name containing 160 pages of his celebrity portraits while also offering an insight into how the outdoor exhibition was installed via documentary photos.

“It’s the beauty of the unexpected that awaits you in this book,” Hom tells Creative Boom. “My portraits are reframed yet again on the printed page.”

But if Cooperstown is too far for some then the exhibition is touted to go on a worldwide tour with Hom’s native Denmark slated as the next destination.

Hom’s book, Re-Framed, is being sold by teNeues.


Image credits: Photographs by Marc Hom.

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