The Gallery: Coke Wisdom O'Neal

Chris and Mike O'Neal 2005 36 x 29 inches

In his most recent series of photographs it appears the artist has built a HUGE plywood cabinet (In his back yard? Where is this??) and photographed his sitters composed inside it. I can’t get enough of these. The playful scale, the compositions, the patterning in the plywood, the play of light inside the box.

Jessica Sue Layton 2005 36 x 29 inches

Misty 2005 36 x 29 inches

Untitled (25) 2005 51 x 41 inches

These came after a series of “found portraits” taken of medicine cabinets (get the connection?).

Stranger (Cranberry) 2003 24 x 14 1/2 inches

Friend of a Friend (Mario) 2004 29 x 16 inches

Coke O’Neal is represented by Mixed Greens which has a terrific website where you can see more of this work including portraits of cinematic icons -- photographs of actors he took directly off the tv-screen (hmm, people inside another kind of box…).

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Comments (11)

These remind me of that book 'The Indian in the Cupboard'.

Blah. Bad lighting.

great concept, laurie simmons meets kate and andy spade. i don't mean that in a bad way i think the elements of these pictures seem familiar and yet have never been put together this way. thanks for sharing them.

I have one of his medicine cabinet photos in my bathroom, right across from my actual medicine cabinet. looks perfect!

I find this a little gimmicky - the lighting is awful and although the concept is clever, I am not sure it's enough to carry it. However, I like the frame within a frame within a frame though - each plywood sheet, the big box itself, the box created by a shadow,etc...

I don't know from photo quality, but the box sculpture is located in the Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria/Long Island City QNS(depending on where you draw your border); if you come down on a weekend you can shoot some better lit photos of it PLUS Saturday there's a free yoga class and Sunday a free Tai Chi class (11-noon). It's a gorgeous park and a great place to sit by the river and muse.

thanks for the info margaret... i was wondering where that box was located!

Hearst knock-off (with the medicine cabinets). The large plywood box seems to be a gimmic. We're giving him the tumbs down....

I think that these work wonderfully togeather. I love,the thought of, the people in the box, then the inanimate objects in the medecine cabinets. They are very personal in a sort of creepy way. They are really great. I love them. Ashley Harris

Love it! What a clever idea to build gigantic frames to make the people look miniature. The first one of the formal couple with their dog is my favorite. I'm waiting for Coke O'Neal to wind up as huge as his art!