DANA FRANK

"CAPTURED IDOLS - THE VH-1 EXHIBIT "

NYC

REVIEW BY

S.P. WOODS

11-2-02
World-renowned rock and roll photographer Dana Frank’s long awaited “Captured Idols—The VH-1 Exhibit” made it’s eagerly anticipated national debut this past spring, opening May 20th for a three-month engagement at the prestigious VH1 Galleries located in New York City’s Times Square. Shown exclusively by appointment, the collection of over 35 original photographs featuring a kaleidoscope sampling of today’s most famous and infamous musical icons was lauded by both critics and industry insiders as an unqualified success. The overwhelmingly positive response from public, private, and professional sectors inspired sponsors to grant Ms. Frank’s show an unprecedented three month extension in order to meet consistently impressive attendance demands.
Hand-picked by VH-1 executives, she joins the exclusive ranks of monolithic talents including Bob Gruen and Mick Rock, becoming the youngest artist to be put on display in the gallery’s history - an honor previously restricted to the crème-de-la-crème of seasoned rock photographers carrying pedigrees of at least 20+ years’ professional experience.
However, Ms. Frank is hardly a newcomer to this scene. Her work has achieved national prominence over the last 15 years, garnering increasing recognition heralded by enthusiastic receptions from both critical and social realms. Her photos receive continued exposure in numerous world-renown publications such as Rolling Stone, Time, and Ocean Drive: As cover art gracing the record albums of several nationally and internationally distributed recording artists, generating a wave of glowing admiration and critical acclaim from industry professionals and artistic authorities alike.
With the advent of Ms. Frank’s latest collection, spectators are afforded a uniquely inspired perspective into a panoramic collage of the moods and attitudes displayed by the aristocracy of rock and roll royalty, articulately interpreted through the discerning eye of her camera lens in a profound exercise of discriminating artistry and indefinable elegance. The result is a singularly chilling, yet strangely seductive effect that transcends visual boundaries and journeys into more intimate, hauntingly personal realms.
Ms. Frank’s photographs have the inexplicable, eerily engaging ability to escape the oppressively restrictive two-dimensional limitations of the printed page and inspire a vivid shockwave of feeling that instantly commands the viewer’s attention and jealously romances the eye. Her unique style of photography enigmatically captures and translates a multifaceted emotional portrait of her subject that delivers an initial bolt of conspicuously apparent attitude with the intensity of a shotgun blast to the psyche, while simultaneously imparting myriad intricate nuances of personality with the subtle delicacy of a silent agreement reached with a single glance between two old friends.
The presentation of Ms. Frank’s latest efforts culminated in the “Captured Idols -The VH-1 Exhibit” has proven beyond all doubt that she possesses the rare ability to nurture and develop an innate talent, past the pedestrian realms of proficiency and mediocrity, surpassing the elevated definition of contemporary excellence. Excelling beyond all conceivable expectations, ultimately establishing a level of unparalleled artistic mastery where she alone sets the standard.