For four years, artist and photographer Justin Clifford Rhody would go to the Golden Gate Fields horse track in Berkley. He wasn’t there for the $1 hot dogs or even to make a proper bet, but rather to shoot photos of the anonymous people that stood at the edge of the track fence during the brief races. Quite obviously the outsider each Sunday, Rhody would snap each photo without the subject’s knowledge or consent, eventually compiling a compelling series of portraits of people from all different walks of life, nestled shoulder to shoulder in a shared space, eagerly awaiting the results.
Now, Rhody will be showing these images and launching a new poetry book, “A Horse With A Name,” which takes found-language compiled from the racing programs collected during his time spent at the horse race track, at Naming Gallery in Oakland. Rhody’s photo series, “Only Chance Is Fair,” and his new book of poetry, are part of his continued aesthetic investigation of the American West.
Don’t miss ‘Borrowed Dreams’ — a photo exhibit and book launch — December 2nd-3rd at Naming Gallery in Oakland.
