FOIL GALLERY is pleased to announce a photo exhibition “AmerWrecka” by Eadweard R. York. Eadweard has been taking portraits of famous musicians and artists such as John Lee Hooker, Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Mike Ness (Social Distortion), Laurie Anderson, Smashing Pumpkins, and Allen Ginsberg to name a few. We are proud to present Eadweard's first exhibition held in Japan featuring street photography taken through his unique eyes.

"In a society of degenerates the artist who wants to communicate has to become degenerate too"
- Viktor Misiano

Joseph Beuys stated that, “everyone is an artist.” I believe this statement is foolish. Everyone is not an artist or a photographer, or a craftsman. There are only a handful of true artist in this world. You are born an artist. I was born an artist, and the camera is just one tool that I use to communicate in a world full of degenerates.

The photographs from this series titled "Amerwrecka" also include my "Walk-By" series, which were taken from 1982 to present. They are a historical perspective of America through my lens, a documentation of my life and what I have seen. Having grown up in the punk rock movement, I was a product of my environment. I was naturally inclined to look to document it in a way that wasn't being portrayed by ordinary photographers at the time, just as Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans had done during the Great Depression. I don’t look at my photographs in a negative way, as I find great beauty in photographing the decay and destruction of old houses, buildings, cities, people, and faces.

I'm not interested in portraying the positive image of American life that is broadcast non-stop by the Hollywood media machine, whose only real interest is to sell the world a commercial depiction of reality. I'm only interested in portraying the truth in history from the perspective of a street photographer; whether I'm shooting the inner city, the homeless, a walk-by or anything that happens to catch my eye.
- Eadweard r. York

*AmerWrecka is a coined word by combining "America" and "Wreckage".

*image (left)
Caitlin
courtesy of the artist