New Exhibition with Chadwick Tyler, Niall O'Brien opens October 13 in Downtown Orlando
On October 13th, bridddge gallery will present VELVET FINGERS, a new exhibition featuring renowned photographers Chadwick Tyler and Niall O’Brien.
VELVET FINGERS visually demonstrates these renowned photographers remarkable ability to capture the beauty of otherwise transient and fleeting moments. Photographic prints will be displayed in unconventional exhibition environments and interactive sets designed by Markus Rowntree. The opening reception will take place from 6-10 PM at 318 West Colonial Drive, Downtown Orlando.
Photo: Chadwick Tyler
Chadwick Tyler is an American multi-faceted photographer: occupying a prominent position in both fashion and street photography. As a fashion photographer, he has shot for luxury designer labels Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and Balenciaga, among others. In 2015, Tyler photographed international star Lady Gaga for V Magazine’s 99th-anniversary issue cover. As a street photographer, his work has gained a notable reputation for its candor and immediacy. Tyler directly captures his subjects—who are frequently from the small-town South—depicting them exactly as they are while concurrently disclosing something more, beyond what is initially apparent. The most recent series by the photographer is the compelling “God’s People,” which focuses entirely on the Southern United States. Whether working with high-fashion models or Floridian patrons of the strawberry festival in Plant City, he applies the same atmospheric aesthetic to his subjects: ethereal, urgent, and honest.
Photo: Chadwick Tyler
Niall O’Brien is an Irish artist whose output consists of everything pictorial: he is a photographer and filmmaker, creating singular short films such as “Angel Falls” (2021) and has had multiple solo and group photography exhibits. In 2019, prior to the death of famous Louis Vuitton fashion designer and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, O’Brien was included in his curated group exhibition “Coming of Age.” This show, which was re-released in 2022 after Abloh’s passing, featured work from various note-worthy photographers themed on the “formative years of boyhood.”
Photo: Niall O'Brien
Much of O’Brien’s early photography centers on global subcultures, such as the series “Good Rats” (2010), which documents adolescent punks in London. In an interview, O’Brien characterized this work as an “honest sociology project” that emerged from a need to “recapture” his youth. Other, more recent series, such as “405” (2022) and “Blue Crawfish” (2017), emphasize community with a similar uncompromising sociological perspective. O’Brien’s ability to genuinely connect with his subjects and embed himself in their communities gives him unique access to the inner happenings of their lives, imbuing his work with a certain emotiveness and distinct sense of reality.
The synthesis of O’Brien and Tyler makes VELVET FINGERS a dynamic and arresting collection.
At the exhibition’s opening, bridddge will offer limited edition artist T-shirts and archival prints in collaboration with Chadwick Tyler and Niall O’Brien, a limited amount of which can be purchased online after the opening.
Select designs can be browsed below.
Limited Edition Exhibition Tee Featuring Photography by Chadwick Tyler
bridddge Limited Edition Exhibition Tee
Limited Edition Exhibition Tee Featuring Photography by Niall O'Brien
The opening reception for VELVET FINGERS will take place from 6-10 PM at 318 West Colonial Drive, Downtown Orlando.
