In capturing the revelations of Venice Beach, Dotan Saguy has created a body of work with unexpected, enthusiastic surprise. His fascination for the colorful, tattooed, costumed community is palpable. His compassionate photographs unabashedly praise the rarity of the unique originals who populate the sands of Venice. With an almost obsessive compulsion, Saguy strives to create perfection using separation and geometry resulting in harmonious scenes of rich detail. His use of layering allows us an insight into the chaos he organizes so beautifully within the confines of the frame.
Unfortunately, Venice Beach sits on the edge of a knife: gentrification and corporate greed threaten to squash the way of life that has defined Venice for decades. Saguy has documented what could be a lost society should the faces you see here be forced to acculturate. Allow yourself to be mesmerized – as Dotan Saguy has been – by this way of life, before it fades away.
