On the quiet nights of the pandemic lockdown when Broadway’s theaters went dark in 2020, photographer Mark S. Kornbluth’s hit the streets with his camera. At the urging of his mentor, Kornbluth took advantage of the empty streets and missing theater crowds to capture dozens of images of Broadway theaters. Now, those images are on display in a solo exhibition called DARK. On the evening of March 22nd, you can join Untapped New York Insiders and photographer Mark S. Kornbluth for a private viewing of his photography exhibit at Cavalier Galleries!
This private viewing with Kornbluth will take place when the gallery is closed to the public. The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders. Not an Insider yet? Become a member today to gain access to free members-only in-person and virtual experiences.
Using a large format digital camera, Kornbluth shot exterior images of famous Broadway theaters including the Ambassador, Barrymore, Booth, Eugene O’Neill, Imperial, Lunt Fontaine, Lyric, Music Box, New Victory, and Richard Rodgers theaters among others. He took multiple images of each theater and working his artistic magic in post-production, created one final image. The result of this process is a visual scene that feels almost like a memory.
Even though there is not a single person in any of Kornbluth’s photographs, the presence of humans can still be felt event. Signs from shows that were running at the time the theaters closed are still on the marquees – signs for shows such as The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Some of the bright lights stayed on.
The relationship between people and the urban environment in which they live continues to inspire Kornbluth. “My life is deeply tied to this city, Times Square, and to Broadway,” Kornbluth said in an artist statement, “It started here, and I always return to this place; I did theatre professionally, and many of my close friends still do.”
In his work, he seeks out the silent spaces where viewers are encouraged to look deeper and consider our environments in a new way. “I started with the Broadway series, now titled DARK, with the intention to dramatize the language and narrative in the signage, contrasted with the stillness of the mise-en-scene,” Kornbluth explains, “Despite the sudden and lasting emptiness that the pandemic gave rise to, I discovered a delightful tension, a sense of Broadway waiting for the promise and renewal that art invariably brings. I’m deeply curious about relationships between objects, how emotions are rooted in time and place, and how to create the power of a shared experience.”
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
