Four on the Floor

VINTAGE CAR PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT

@ CHERRY STREET PIER IN PHILADELPHIA, PA

SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 4TH, 2020

PHOTOGRAPHERS: MARTIN BUDAY, STANLEY COLLINS, COLBY DEAL, KAIT DEANGELIS, LEAH FRANCES, JUAN FUENTES, CHRIS GODLEY, AMURRI LAUREN, AND WILLIAM SPLAWN

CURATORS + FELLOW PHOTOGRAPHERS: KATIE TACKMAN - GRAVY STUDIO + GALLERY, MATT HURST - SEDAN ZINE, AND SHELDON ABBA - PHILADELPHIA CAR SHOW

Exhibiton Round Up with Matt Hurst

As you may imagine, 2020 was not a particularly ideal year for art exhibitions in many ways. The pandemic and subsequent social distancing guidelines made it all but impossible to experience art in a traditional gallery setting; thankfully, Gravy Studio was fortunate enough to team up with Cherry Street Pier to safely and socially distantly showcase the work of nine photographers whose images often feature vintage automobiles. Four on the Floor took place within Cherry Street Pier’s spacious and open air venue from Sept 23rd to Oct 4th.

While a traditional opening was not in the cards for social distancing reasons, a virtual opening and artist discussion took place on Sept 24th featuring several of the participating artists. The exhibition was also an opportunity for artists to create new relationships, even without being able to meet in person. As Kait DeAngeles puts it, “Leah [Frances] is a huge inspiration to me! I try not to focus on other’s photography because I want to maintain my own style. However, I believe we all have a lil’ combination of inspiration in us. She’s a part of mine.”

Amurri Lauren recalls, “The show was amazing. It’s always great to see fellow artists showcase their work in a warm environment.” Bill Splawn concurrs stating, “I really liked the location of it. Also the fact that you could watch it live. Loved the subject on cars! A lot of great photographers were in this. I was glad to be a part of it!”

On his experience as part of the show, Christopher Godley reflects, “I’m so very grateful to have been invited to share my work along with the other artists. I always enjoy taking in other perspectives and being able to view the same kind of content through someone else’s lens.” When it comes to his own lens, Christopher typically uses it to create a narrative about the cars and the stories they may have to tell. As Chris puts it, “Who drove it? What roads has it traveled? What kind of memories were made behind its wheel?

Similarly, the work of Stanley J. Collins carefully considers the relationship between the automobile in his frames and the surrounding neighborhood, as well as their historical context. As Collins writes about the 1950’s Dodge he found while driving around Montgomery County, “In large part, the development of Montgomery County was the result of the GI Bill... While the bill was incredibly helpful for many soldiers, it was also racially exclusionary, omitting many of the Black soldiers that fought in the war. The GI Bill, in conjunction with racist housing policies instituted on the local and federal level, helped shape the housing segregation and wealth inequality we see today, some 70 years later. In hindsight, looking at the photo, I couldn’t help but notice the irony: a photo taken in 2020 looked almost identical to 1950s Montgomery County, and very little has changed in the time in between.

While many of the featured artists concentrate on the relationship between the cars and the environments in which they are found, Juan Fuentes takes a more documentary approach to highlighting the lowrider community and the people that make it special. As he puts it, “It was great to see different styles and approaches to car culture. It was important for me to show some of the people that are part of it because the community aspect of the lowrider culture in Denver is what I enjoy the most.”

Despite the circumstances that 2020 has put us in, Everyone seems to share some nostalgic feelings about some aspect of car culture that made an impression on them, and there’s no better way to share that feeling with others than through photography. As Kait puts it, “I also really enjoyed that it was low-key in an authentic way. It wasn’t about how many followers you have or how well known. It was just some rad people who love cars and photography.”

Join the

Four on the Floor

Moto photo Club!

The Four on the Floor exhibition also marks the start of the Four on the Floor Moto Photo Club which will be a virtual/IRL photography group connecting artists who love photographing cars, motorcycles, people and the automotive culture that brings us all together. It will serve as a way for these enthusiasts to share work and build connections in a socially distant way until the opportunity for in-person meetups becomes viable once again.

Email us at gravy.photo@gmail.com if you would like to be highlighted on our website or IG page.

Kaitlin Deangelis

I grew up in my pops mechanic shop around old, beat up almost hopeless cars. They always told a story and that’s what I loved most- all of the messiness the cars portrayed only made me feel the history and life behind them.  That is exactly what I hope to capture in my film: nostalgia, life and of course a bit of rock ‘n roll. My photographs are typically shot on a janky ole Nikon Nikkormat FTN but I love the damn camera. Instagram: @35mmkait

Martin buday

These are part of an ongoing photographic survey of everyday Americana: overlooked places, objects, buildings, vehicles and signage. They are mostly vacant, emptied spaces, void of people, but reeking of human presence. Instagram: @martinbuday76/

Amurri Lauren

Amurri uses her passion for revolutionizing aesthetic elements of her native Philadelphia and cities abroad that inspire her while working with unique artists to increase her reach.  6th Ave God is a photo series created by photographer Amurri Lauren & jeweler Greg Yuna. The series re-enacts historical moments in pop culture featuring performances by entertainers and professional athletes. Instagram: @artmurri