Uwishunu.com

Tweet

 

The much-anticipated Zoe Strauss photography exhibition officially opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with an all-night dance party on Saturday night DJed by Philly's own Questlove. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

Zoe Strauss: Ten Years, a photography retrospective, opened this weekend at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with a Questlove-DJed all-night dance party complete with Philly-centric snacks and drinks.

Zoe Strauss is a Philadelphia photographer with a growing international reputation. The exhibition includes about 150 prints and 54 billboards displayed throughout the city from Manayunk to West Philadelphia and from Northeast Philly to I-95 South.

The billboards are particularly poignant in that they are void of any words, not even any tying them back to the museum exhibit. Most will remain up until March 26, although a few may come down in February.

Strauss takes photos of subjects that most would probably, sadly, ignore: crack addicts, dismembered war veterans, Alzheimer’s victims, the homeless. But every photo, no matter the subject, has an undeniable beauty that forces you to take notice of them.

Bonus: the museum has created an awesome contest around the Zoe Strauss Billboard Project. Enter by “checking in” on Foursquare to any of the 54 billboards around the city. Then take a picture of the location and tweet the photo using the hashtag #zscontest. The more billboards visited, the more chances to win.

The winner, selected at random, will win the grand prize of a private tour of Zoe Strauss: Ten Years, along with lunch with the artist and curator. The winner will be announced on April 2.

Check out a shot, below, of Questlove DJing the opening party.

The exhibition is already receiving critical acclaim, including a glowing review in the New York Times. Be sure to check it out for yourself!

Zoe Strauss: Ten Years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
When: Now through April 22
Where: 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: Free with museum admission
More info: www.philamuseum.org

Questlove of The Roots was the surprise DJ for Saturday's opening party at the museum. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)