Ryan McGinley’s “unstaged and unedited” photographs on display for the first time

The formidable early works of Ryan McGinley are now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. The exhibition titled, Ryan McGinley: The Kids Were Alright features recognisable photographs, as well as 1,500 never before exhibited polaroids.

Ryan is praised for his pioneering honest approach to photography, capturing daily antics, often of intimate moments which led him to be a prolific and commended artist. The show features self-portrait pieces, photographs of his friends and collaborators in lower manhattan during the late 1990s.

The second floor of the gallery focuses solely on Ryan’s photographs from 1998 – 2003 including his polaroids which played part in an early series which saw the photographer document almost every visitor of his home and studio over four years. “Unstated and unedited, McGinley’s use of light imbues all of the works with an intensity and profound emotional depth,” says the gallery. “They may depict a figure as brooding and contemplative or bursting with joyful exuberance. McKinley’s photos and polaroids continually elevate these everyday moments and allow them to pulsate with life.” The exhibition additionally features works by Dash Snow and Dan Colen, two of Ryan’s early and close collaborators.

The exhibition runs until 20 August 2017.