Joseph Bellows Gallery has launched an online exhibition featuring Stephen Salmieri's captivating black and white photographs of Coney Island, one of America's most iconic seaside destinations. The collection, captured between 1967 and 1972, offers an intimate glimpse into the daily life of beachgoers and amusement park regulars at what was once the nation's most celebrated coastal entertainment venue.
The exhibition highlights Salmieri's expertly crafted vintage black and white prints, created using multiple camera formats and film types during his five-year documentation project. His images feature a diverse cast of characters set against the distinctive backdrop of Coney Island's storefront booths, midway games, carnival architecture, and sandy shoreline. The photographs present both descriptive and engaging portraits that capture the essence of this unique American cultural landmark.
Reflecting on his groundbreaking work, Salmieri provided detailed insight into his creative process and motivation for the project. "The world of Coney Island has changed dramatically since I made these photographs," the artist explained in a published statement. "It was my first self-assigned project at twenty years of age, having just graduated from the School of Visual Arts. In choosing my subject I gravitated naturally to the familiar destination of my adolescent bike adventures."
The young photographer's dedication to his craft was evident in his rigorous approach to documentation. Salmieri made the hour-long journey to Coney Island year-round, carrying an impressive array of equipment including a 4x5 field camera, a 6x6 cm medium format camera, a 35mm camera, and substantial quantities of Tri-X film. This comprehensive technical setup allowed him to capture the varied moods and moments of the seaside community throughout different seasons.
A pivotal moment in Salmieri's career came in 1969 when CAMERA magazine discovered his work at his first exhibition at the Underground Gallery. In his characteristic humility, the photographer admitted his initial naivety about the significance of his chosen subject matter. "I did not realize that Coney Island was also the choice territory for such luminaries as Robert Frank, Lisette Model, Leon Levinstein, and Weegee," he recalled. "It wasn't until the magazine published these photographs as part of their seminal Coney Island issue in 1971 that I realized I had become part of a vaunted tradition."
Salmieri's Coney Island work has gained significant recognition within the photography community and has been featured in major exhibitions, including "Forever Coney: Photographs from the Brooklyn Museum Collection." The artist describes these early images as "spare and emotional first images of a forgotten community, now lost in time," which "allowed me to forge a vision at a pivotal moment in my young life."
The photographer's broader body of work has earned placement in prestigious institutional collections worldwide. His photographs are held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Brooklyn Museum, Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, Flint Institute in Michigan, the Museum of the City of New York, the Nelson-Atkins Museum, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Additionally, Salmieri has published notable books including "American Grilles" (1978, Hartcourt-Brace) and "Cadillac: An American Icon" (1985, Rizzoli), further establishing his reputation as a significant documenter of American culture. The online exhibition is accessible through Joseph Bellows Gallery, located at 7661 Girard Avenue in La Jolla, California.
