Out of Mind

“Shawn Mortensen sees it first. He appreciates the exceptional before it is recognized by the others. He is a ‘first responder’ in the emergencies of culture.”—Glenn O’Brien

Over the last fifteen years, Shawn Mortensen has photographed cutting-edge culture-makers while also revealing the gritty reality of urban street life and the world’s political climate. Truly with his finger on the pulse, Mortensen took photographs of the in crowd before they were the in crowd. His subjects range from celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Marcello Mastroianni, and Tupac Shakur to contemporary artists like Raymond Pettibon, Brice Marden, and Francesco Clemente. Yet these portraits are juxtaposed with haunting photo essays on the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico; the ghettoes of Jamaica; and the landscape of Mongolia—often with startling results.

Irreverent, sexy, and avant-garde, Out of Mind places Shawn Mortensen alongside the most important contemporary photographers.