Austin Young threw in his degree in Art in Paris for a career as an artist in New York -- a decision that seems to be working out fairly well, judging by his humorous, astute and exuberant portfolio and website. For those impressed by these sorts for things (myself included), he has shot - amongst others - Debbie Harry, Sandra Bernhard, David Arquette, Oliver Stone, Orbital, himself, Marc Almond, Dame Edna and (a personal favourite) Blackalicious. And what a demonstrative portrait it is, capturing the trajectory of their diffidence set against diminishing neon lights; more specifically capturing their diffidence to the neon lights of the 'Rap' world. An apposite statement if anything.

Austin Young | Layer 2

Young has been featured in one of THREE.OH's favourite magazines, *surface, a fact made abundantly clear by his avante-garde take on fashion-styled images. His playful arrangement of shapes and lines, his inventive compositions - (witness Michael Jackson in the bathroom with an eighties party girl) - all reposition models in their totality, both as aesthetic and conversational elements of a setting.

To paraphrase, Tom left painting in San Francisco and Paris, and took his love of symbolism and portraiture into the photographic world, crafting captivating and lucid images for Interview magazine, Detour, Spin, Rolling Stone, Vogue and of course *surface. He is currently collaborating with Barry Pett - (who may or may not exist) - on a documentary feature about Hadda Brooks, Queen of Boogie, or was that Brooklyn...

It promises not to be One Day In September. And most likely well worth watching.

www.austinyoung.com
artmagic@earthlink.net