BARBARA PROBST

The twenty-two photographs in Probst’s new show record just two moments but from many different, simultaneous viewpoints. Both concern women in spare domestic interiors—one in Munich, the other in New York, each identified with the exact address, date, and time that the pictures were taken. Seen in closeup and from across the room, in color and in black-and-white, ordinary gestures (fixing one’s hair, reaching for a piece of fruit) take on a peculiar weight. Probst’s obsessive prying eyes (including views through a keyhole and parted blinds) suggest Big Brother surveillance—an end in itself. Photography this self-conscious is rarely this intriguing and unnerving. Through April 18. (Murray Guy, 453 W. 17th St. 212-463-7372.)

THE NEW YORKER
April 20, 2009