Flight
Los Angeles, 2022
“Private jets are mainstream in 2022. In celebrated American resort des- tinations such as Aspen, they can outnumber grounded commercial aircrafts 20 to 1. Flying privately makes travel comfortable and appeals to those long of cash and short of time, but to film in a private jet and merely tell a story of luxury, has always struck me as banal and creatively stiff.
Instead, I wanted to use the tube of a private jet to tell a story of excess and bad behaviour; if jets are private, then by definition anything is permissible and the word PJ can elicit imagery of sex, drugs and rock and roll. It is not, of course, a linear relationship and most passengers on private jets are model citizens simply travelling in the most perfunctory of ways from A to B. But in the art world, I feel no need to play to percentages. I would rather have some fun and tell some stories.
My focus was the PJ journeys that get out of hand.
The real ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ – Jordan Belfort – was not shy of excess and I persuaded him that we could build a frame around some of the infamous moments from the movie and host that aggregation in a PJ. I knew that we needed an emphatic reference to the film over and above Jordan and a wolf – and the dollar bill mule girl was core to my intended vibe.
Many will remember the scene when the Wolf of Wall Street woke from a drug fueled flight to find himself tied to his seat by a number of seat belts. It was a novel storyline and wonderful black comedy. My sense was we could merge this vignette with the dollar mule girl and build from there.
Holly Graves and Josie Canseco both played their roles on the plane as well as I could have asked, especially given the amount of fun everyone was having. (Holly as the money mule and Josie as the pantomime stewardess). I recognize that it is tough to play “bad ass” when everyone else on the plane is trying not to laugh.
I hope this photograph finds itself on the walls of a few private jets; we all know it depicts a flight that none of us will ever take.”
-David Yarrow
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 92" in (142.24 cm x 233.68 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 107” in (180.34 cm x 271.78 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 61" in (93.98 cm x 154.94 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 76" in (132.08 cm x 193.04 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Well, I’m A-Standin' on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona
Winslow, Arizona – 2022
“Well, I’m a-standin’ on a corner In Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my Lord,
In a flat-bed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me
These famous lyrics from The Eagles 1972 smash hit “Take It Easy” are sung every day of every year in bars throughout America. Winslow should not be on any map, never mind in someone’s head, but then the Eagles came along and secured this unremarkable town’s fame.
For some months I had laboured over how best to tell this story. Google has changed all our lives, but I still think there is no replacement for a site vis- it. And so, with no crew or cameras, I found myself on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and just looked and looked.
The commemorative statues and the facade with the flatbed Ford offered a good backdrop to which I could add many more men standing in that corner. The sense of place could be a blurred merger of the facade and then my extras. The facade is so good; I particularly liked the couple making out through the upstairs window.
The truth is that the sassy girl in the car was just a little too good for the adoring men of Winslow. It was a fine sight to see, but that was where the story ended. Everyone was standing that day – including the girl and her unlikely passenger.
Take it easy.”
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 56” x 94" in (142.24 cm x 238.76 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 109” in (180.34 cm x 276.86 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 37” x 62" (93.98 cm x 157.48 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 77" (132.08 cm x 195.58 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Route 66
Arizona, USA – 2022
“Route 66 – The Mother Road – will al- ways be a symbol of America’s post war freedom and geographical mo- bility. It evokes imagery of roadside motels, diners and 1950s Cadillacs. America is the home of the road trip and Route 66 is its poster child.
Much of the road that ran from Santa Monica through California, Arizona, New Mexico and then north to Chicago has either disappeared or been supplanted by interstate highways, but good sections of it do remain, as do the towns that grew up servicing the needs of those on the road.
In the autumn of 2022, I scouted for shooting locations in California and Arizona that would emphatically offer a Route 66 vibe and I found it to be a challenge. So many of the motels and diners along the route are either abandoned or worse still have become rather kitsch tourist at- tractions. To find a set that was both authentic and operational seemed mutually exclusive.
But then I stumbled across the town of Holbrook – 100 miles east of Flag- staff in Arizona. There are some real gems in this small town and none more so than the Wigwam Motel that saddles up right next to Route 66.
We went to see the owner – a charming man called Clifton Lewis – and he agreed to allow us to film in the courtyard outside the reception. It was ideal for what we were looking for.
The Wigwam Motel is still operation- al and was fully occupied the night of the shoot, so some of us stayed in a properly rundown motel around the corner. My room rate was $56 which I felt was perhaps $50 too expensive. But it was all so worth it. Holbrook is as good a canvas on which to tell a Route 66 story as I know; to drive through sections of the old town is to go back 60 years.
I chose Josie Canseco as the lead on this project as I knew she could wear a glamorous 1950s vibe very well. I was right and this photograph is as good as I could have imagined when I started exploring the creative concept.
Have you slept in a Wigwam lately?”
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 56” x 74" (142.24 cm x 187.96 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 89” (180.34 cm x 226.06 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image size: 37” x 49" (93.98 cm x 124.46 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 64” (132.08 cm x 162.56 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your artwork. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
I’m Not Fxxxing Leaving (B&W)
I’m Not Fxxxing Leaving (B&W)
Los Angeles, California – 2022
“Over the last three years, we have undertaken two different homages to Martin Scorsese’s wonderful black comedy – The Wolf of Wall Street and on both occasions worked with the real wolf, Jordan Belfort. Pleasingly they have been hugely popular pieces.
In 2022, we returned to a dealing room to film the most challenging of the ideas; the “I am Not Fxxxking Leaving” scene. The concept was clear in my head, but I was wrestling with the execution, as, in a still image, it is impossible to have both the speaker and the crowd facing the camera. The idea of the back of Jordan’s head being at the front of the frame had no appeal, meanwhile excluding him from the picture altogether would weaken the narrative.
But the crowd was simple to preconceive; an energy charged orgy of 1994 brokers celebrating the defiance of their leader. I wanted explicit references to the excesses of the era and the film and this demanded a testosterone jammed dealing floor hosting flying dollars, ticker tape, rubber dolls, call girls and marching bands. I always think that it is counter intuitive to downplay parody. We even managed to sneak in a Steve Madden shoe box.
The trick with Jordan was to have him on a big TV screen facing the same way as everyone else, this way the full story could be told without valuable inches being occupied by the back of Belfort’s head. The ticker on CNBC reminds us how much the DOW has risen since those crazy days of Stratton Oakmont.
I want to thank Josh and Matt Altman and their team from The Altman Brothers for fully embracing their roles as extras. They brought exactly the energy that was needed that morning. Everyone had to play their role to perfection, otherwise the vibe was lost.”
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE - Edition of Edition size: 12 + 3 AP:
- Image Size: 47” x 102" in (119.38 cm x 259.08 cm)
- Framed Size: 62” x 117” in (157.48 x 297.18 cm)
STANDARD - Edition of 12 + 3 AP:
- Image Size: 35” x 77" in (88.9 cm x 195.58 cm)
- Framed Size: 50” x 92" in (127 cm x 233.68 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Raising Arizona
Monument Valley, Arizona – 2022
“When filming in Monument Valley in the spring of 2022, I asked our Navajo Guide whether there was a possibility to shoot from the rock structures to the south that stand high above the amphitheater of mesas and monoliths. It struck me that this position of height could offer an extraordinary back drop of what is the beating heart of Southwest America.
He said it was possible, but that we would need permits and we would also need to camp up the mountains if we wanted to shoot in low light – the 15-mile journey by powerful 4-wheel drive from Kayenta is a challenge and can take up to 3 hours. There are no roads and the vehicles must face terrain that makes most off-road Land Rover car adverts look lame.
My plan was to film cowboys at the top of the escarpment and offer a layered photograph featuring one of America’s great vistas. I have seen many pictures of Monument Valley, but never this composition. That excited me, after all, originality in a place as well documented as this, is critical. John Ford got here long before me.
We chose the most experienced West Texan cowboys we knew and they traveled west to Arizona with their lead horses. But we then encountered a massive and unexpected problem – the cowboys – who are as tough as old boots, felt the ride up the cliff face was too challenging for their horses. That offers some context as to why the end photograph here is authentic; it is a problem to get horses up to the top.
Our unlikely solution was to ask the Navajo locals to ride their mustang horses up the mountain. After-all, it’s their land and only they know the safest route to the top. Some dollars changed hands and they agreed to collaborate. The Texan cowboys meanwhile hitched a lift in the 4-wheel drive and were teased by me for not being up to the challenge.
We all camped up the top that night – 4 of my team, 3 cowboys and 5 wonderful Navajo fixers. The Navajo made a fire and cooked us a steak dinner under the stars; it made for a very special memory.”
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 46” x 103" in (116.84 cm x 261.62 cm)
- Framed Image: 61” x 118” in (154.94 cm x 299.72 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 34” x 77" in (86.36 cm x 195.58 cm)
- Framed Image: 49” x 92" in (124.46 cm x 233.68 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
Montana, USA – 2022
The cowboy is the most enduring symbol of America and cowboy culture remains integral to many US states such as Texas, Colorado and Montana. In filming our anthology to the Wild West, we have had a regular cast of half a dozen working cowboys, all of whom come from these three states.
They are all outstanding horsemen and look the part without much ancillary effort; they are actually not acting at all simply being cowboys. Ryon Marshall from Texas is our go to guy and never lets us down.
We had a load of fun the day of this shoot and the saloon girls arrived with good energy and a willingness to brave the cold. They gave their all to make this picture work. I think they may well have been tucking into the whisky before we shot.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 70” in (142.24 cm x 177.8 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 85” in (180.34 cm x 215.9 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 46” in (93.98 cm x 116.84 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 61” in (132.08 cm x 154.94 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
It Was the Whiskey Talking
Montana, USA – 2022
Whilst the Wild West was no doubt a heavily mythologized era, there can be no doubt that both the level of wanton violence and whiskey consumption were for real. They also, no doubt, played off each other and my sense is that in the colder frontier towns, the relationship was even tighter.
Scouting for sites around the Crazy Mountain Ranch in Montana, I saw some potential with this angle outside the old saloon, if I chose to compress the depth a little. It is though the wolf that makes the photograph; those eyes have an unmistakable intent. Focus is the most important verb in my kind of photography as it serves to either deliberately include or deliberately exclude. In this way, the viewer is directed without the wider contextual story being lost.
My cowboy – Ryan Marshall – does not need to do much more than stand there to add to the image; he may be way out of the focal plane, but we all know exactly the kind of character he is playing. This looks like a formidable saloon.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 79” in (142.24 cm x 200.66 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 94” in (180.34 cm x 238.76 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 52” in (93.98 cm x 132.08 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 67” in (132.08 cm x 170.18 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
Hot Chicks
Montana, USA – 2022
The VS model Josie Canseco is a regular muse for me in my wild west series; the camera loves her and she knows how I work. This photograph in the Crazy Mountain Ranch near Livingston, Montana was made by a late shaft of evening light giving Josie and the wolf a warm glow and allowing them both to pop out from the saloon behind.
Our shoot in the faux wild west frontier town would not have been possible without the support of Sam Byrne and his team at the Yellowstone Club. Under their ownership, the Crazy Mountain Ranch looks set to have an exciting future and I hope the series of photographs I took that day in February 2022 will find their way onto some walls in the wider Montana area.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 56” x 81” in (142.24 cm x 205.74 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 96” in (180.34 cm x 243.84 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 37” x 53” in (93.98 cm x 134.62 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 68” in (132.08 cm x 172.72 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Sheriff's Daughter
Montana, USA – 2022
The intricate layout for this picture was preconceived before I went to bed the previous night. I knew that as soon as the sun rose above the buildings the light would be too harsh to work and that there could be no time for compositional pondering during the shoot. The camera angle needed flat light not aggressive shadows and the weather forecast suggested that we would need to be finished no later than 8.15 am.
So, it was cold conditions when the cast began assembling at 6.15am. Josie Canseco – a girl I often use in shoots – is tough and she showed it that morning. We know each other well and we can swear at each other without offence. It was minus 20 degrees on set and she wasn’t wearing much but that is how Josie rolls. I like familiarity; to call on new talent that I did not know for a shoot like this would have been commercial suicide.
We did indeed wrap by 8.10am, just before the sun started to dart around the set. This photograph is a keeper. I can look at it for a long time without losing interest and that is always my acid test. There was so much information to include in one still frame without losing Josie’s sovereignty and we all needed to work very quickly because I was racing against the rising sun. The whole team did a great job that day.
I do think Westerns have been too male dominated, almost to the point of parody, and in my anthology to the Wild West, there is much more of a balance. We have, however, been most selective with the women we have used. They have all been blockbuster women with presence, intelligence and attitude; no more so than the Sheriff’s daughter in this image.
But I am making no major point in this image; I am having fun and telling stories. There are no lofty ambitions other than to entertain and execute well.
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 44” x 103" in (111.76 cm x 261.62 cm)
- Framed Image: 59” x 118” in (149.86 cm x 299.72 cm)
STANDARD: Edition of 12
- Image Size: 30” x 69” in (76.2 cm x 175.26 cm)
- Framed Image: 45” x 84” in (114.3 cm x 213.36 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.
The Residents
Montana, USA – 2022
I just can’t bring myself to drift from my default position of wanting wild west saloon images to be long of menace. I see no reason to introduce a mood of levity and laughter as these were bad ass days in loosely governed frontier towns marooned in the middle of nowhere. With alcohol and women came danger, perhaps it was always so. Of course, I am being postmodern and playful with the composed close ups; almost to the point of being cartoonish. But why dumb things down when we are simply telling stories.
On this set, high in the Crazy Mountains of Montana, we cast three of my favourite cowboys – Ty Mitchell and Ryan Marshall from West Texas and Mad Jack from Virginia City, Montana. Ty became an extra for Scorsese last year and I can see exactly why. The girls – Erica Lawrence from New York and Josie Canseco from LA – complemented them well.
But it is the big black wolf who steals the show and lifts the photograph. The light was negligible so there was no margin for error, but so long as I managed one sharp picture I knew the subdued lighting would add to the mood. This is a dangerous place where, during a storm induced lock in, anything could happen.
The weird thing is, everyone wants to go into that bar right now – what could possibly go wrong?
AVAILABLE SIZES:
LARGE: Edition of 12 + 3 AP
- Image Size: 56” x 84” in (142.24 cm x 213.36 cm)
- Framed Image: 71” x 99” in (180.34 cm x 251.46 cm)
STANDARD: ALL EDITIONS ALLOCATED OR SOLD. Please contact us for more details.
- Image Size: 37” x 56” in (93.98 cm x 142.24 cm)
- Framed Image: 52” x 71” in (132.08 cm x 180.34 cm)
We ship worldwide and use a multitude of providers to safely deliver your masterpiece. Domestic delivery and installation may also be available via Hilton Asmus Contemporary’s private art shuttle. Please inquire.