Chris Skylark Comes Full Circle in ‘Swallow the Lake’
Featuring portraits of Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, and Anok Yai, the Atlanta-born photographer stuns in his debut solo exhibition.
At an abandoned office in the heart of Times Square, Chris Skylark makes his solo debut. In a showcase of 12 large-scale pieces, Skylark blurs the lines between fine arts and fashion photography, finding home in a middle ground. Curated by Ginevra de Blasio, Swallow the Lake takes its title from the 1970 collection of poems by Clarence Major. Calling on ideas of fulfillment and reflection, the artist reconciles with his past in a powerful coming of age.
This body of silkscreen prints features locals in Jamaica alongside figures like Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, and Anok Yai in a series of intimate scenes. Capturing subjects with ambitious vulnerability, Skylark confronts pop culture and the everyday image to make anew, taking pleasure in the rare and raw. The most concealed piece in the exhibition is a photographic negative of the artist himself—almost easy to miss or difficult to make out. Rather, he lives and breathes through the images of others, shining a light on the authenticity of self-portraiture.
“What really is the narrative between all these pictures is that they all have this enduring gaze that almost looks past the viewer,” de Blasio tells HypeArt. “It is a very strong one that resonates through every figure and maintains the essence of the artist, directing and stealing a precise moment in time.”
At the intersection of fashion, music, and art, Skylark’s work is self-defining. Under the advice of Daniel Caesar, he left his studies in biology to embark on photography with full focus. Over the last several years, the Atlanta-born rising star has paved a path for himself, paying homage to his past while looking ahead with a glimmering hope.
Swallow the Lake is now on view until October 4, 2024 at Times Square Studios.
Times Square Studios
14th Floor,
1500 Broadway,
New York, NY 10036
