Lot 166
  • 166

Dash Snow

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Dash Snow
  • 'EAT SHIT & DIE'
  • chromogenic print
chromogenic print, signed, dated, and dedicated in ink on the reverse, framed, 2005

Provenance

Gift of the artist to photographer Shawn Mortensen, 2005

By descent to the Mortensen's estate

Condition

Although this print has not been examined out of its frame, it appears to be in generally excellent condition. On the reverse of the print, the photographer has written in ink '4 = Shawn Mortensen / Love, Dash Snow / Happy 40th Birthday * / NYC . December ? 2005.' This inscription shows through faintly to the front of the image.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Shawn Mortensen (1965-2009), to whom this photograph is inscribed, photographed the nortorious Dash Snow for an AG Jeans campaign that appeared in 2006 and 2007.  Mortensen is well-known for his images of high-profile subjects such as Tupak Shakur, Kate Moss, Keith Haring, William Eggleston, Biggie Smalls, and Snoop Dogg.

As a teenager, Snow had helped form the New York IRAK graffiti crew and operated under the tag name 'SACE.'  He first approached photography through the Polaroid, and trained his camera not only on himself but also on his circle of artist friends that included Ryan McGinley and Dan Colen, among others.  Snow's short-lived and controversial career included provocative works such as Fuck the Police, a collection of New York Post headlines covered with his own semen, and Nest, a collaborative effort staged at Deitch Projects, in which 30 volunteers and fellow artists shredded 2,000 telephone books to re-create the human-sized hamster nests Snow had been known to create in hotel rooms. 

Another print of the image offered here was included in the 2006 Whitney Biennial as part of an installation composed of a found chair, a $1 bill, a vintage record player, and a mirrored record with a 1/8-inch border of 'cocaine.'  Works by Snow are scarce at auction.