NOT AN EXIT

NOT AN EXIT is a collection of large format analog photographs that proposes a closer examination of the nondescript interiors that we routinely pass through; doorways and hallways, spaces intended for movement but here, somehow appear impenetrable. Irving transforms dead ends into studies on the architecture—spatial and psychological—of confinement, straddling the boundary of absurdist and unsettling. Both banal and bizarre, the Kafkaesque quirks and the illusionistic geometry of these locations draw the eye deep into the picture, only to be thwarted in its progress through space. Presented as close-to-life-size Lightjet prints, the scale and repetitive compositional elements of these images evoke a methodology of clinical examination and categorization of the liminal spaces we inhabit and yet often never truly see. We are going somewhere and yet — there seems to be no way out.

The images included in this series were made on 4x5 color negative with a Toyo Field camera and shot on location internationally in Singapore, India, Austria, China, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Greece, Austria, The Netherlands, and domestically in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, California, and Washington.

© Austin Irving - Shenzhen Media Group No. 1, Shenzhen, China, 2015
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Shenzhen Media Group No. 1, Shenzhen, China, 2015

© Austin Irving - Santa Clara Road, Atascadero, California, USA, 2021
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Santa Clara Road, Atascadero, California, USA, 2021

© Austin Irving - Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2017
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Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2017

© Austin Irving - Red Hill Train Station, Singapore, 2009
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Red Hill Train Station, Singapore, 2009

© Austin Irving - Main Street, Santa Clarita, California, USA, 2021
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Main Street, Santa Clarita, California, USA, 2021

© Austin Irving - South Coast Repertory Company, Costa Mesa, California, USA, 2013
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South Coast Repertory Company, Costa Mesa, California, USA, 2013

© Austin Irving - Enumclaw, Washington, USA, 2021
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Enumclaw, Washington, USA, 2021

© Austin Irving - Citrus Grove, Glendale, California, USA, 2014
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Citrus Grove, Glendale, California, USA, 2014

© Austin Irving - 16th Street Santa Monica, California, USA, 2019
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16th Street Santa Monica, California, USA, 2019

© Austin Irving - Shenzhen Media Group No. 2, Shenzhen, China, 2015
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Shenzhen Media Group No. 2, Shenzhen, China, 2015

© Austin Irving - Central, Hong Kong, China, 2015
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Central, Hong Kong, China, 2015

© Austin Irving - Delgany Ave, Playa Del Rey, Califorina, USA, 2021
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Delgany Ave, Playa Del Rey, Califorina, USA, 2021

© Austin Irving - 5th Ave, Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2017
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5th Ave, Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2017

© Austin Irving - Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, California, USA, 2015
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Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, California, USA, 2015

© Austin Irving - Spring Street, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2013
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Spring Street, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2013

© Austin Irving - St. Patrick's Cathedral School, New York, New York, USA, 2013
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St. Patrick's Cathedral School, New York, New York, USA, 2013

© Austin Irving - Sunset District, San Francisco, California, USA, 2015
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Sunset District, San Francisco, California, USA, 2015

© Austin Irving - Tribeca, New York, New York, USA, 2022
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Tribeca, New York, New York, USA, 2022

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