JTF (just the facts): A total of 25 photographic works, framed in black and matted, and hung against white walls in the main gallery space and the hallway area. (Installation shots below.)

The following works have been included in the show:

• 6 gelatin silver prints, 2021, 2022, sized 15×15 inches, in editions of 3+2AP
• 2 gelatin silver prints, 2021, 2022, sized 10×12 inches, in editions of 5+2AP
• 10 gelatin silver prints, 2021, 2022, sized 9×9 inches, in editions of 5+2AP
• 5 sets of 2 gelatin silver prints, 2021, 2022, each sized roughly 3×4 inches, in editions of 5+2AP
• 2 sets of 4 gelatin silver prints, 2021, each sized roughly 3×4 inches, in editions of 5+2AP

A monograph of this body of work was published in 2024 by Baron Books (here). Hardcover, 21 x 27 cm, 122 pages. Includes an essay by Devan Diaz. (Cover shot below.)

Comments/Context: The choice of the word “bombshell” for the title of Ethan James Green’s second photobook monograph is particularly smart and inspired. It’s a loaded and some might say dated term, especially in the “blonde bombshell” variety, which reaches back to a particular style of Hollywood movie star glamour starting in roughly the 1940s (think Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Rita Hayworth, and perhaps a bit later extending internationally to actresses like Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, and Claudia Cardinale). Back then, a bombshell represented a very specific idealized image of seductively attractive femininity, which generally included a curvy figure and brash sex appeal.

But what might such a stereotypical term mean in today’s diverse and multicultural world, especially in a place like New York City? Surely, there is much more nuance and complexity to be found in contemporary femininity (or masculinity for that matter) than the hyper exaggerated forms of the old school heterosexual male gaze. It is this question that falls at the center of Green’s new project, which in many ways becomes a kind of active reclamation effort, broadening the definition of “bombshell” to include a much richer and wider sampler of feminine identity.

Green is photographically and socially well positioned to creatively rethink who or what a “bombshell” might actually be. His first monograph Young New York (published by Aperture in 2019 here) was filled with sensitive, trust-driven black-and-white portraits of youthful city residents, including friends, couples, clubgoers, fashion models, artists, and muses of all kinds, most queer or gender nonconforming. Shot in the quiet, outdoor environment of city parks on the Lower East Side, Green’s portraits feel collaboratively open and natural, encouraging the fabulousness of personal style and identity to come forth. In the years since, he has been busy with fashion and editorial work, applying that same incisively pared down eye to everything from celebrity portraits to fashion features.

“Bombshell” (as an idea) actually first took form as a zine published by Dashwood Books in 2021 (here). That small publication was filled with Green’s color Polaroids, in a sense, the first improvisationally creative iteration of what would become a fuller project/monograph. Bombshell (the new photobook) is filled with photographs from similarly staged setups, executed in the sensitively seen, tonally subtle black-and-white that originally put Green on the photographic map. But in contrast to the outdoor images in Young New York, these pictures are largely set inside (near the pure light of apartment windows or in more traditional studio setups), with a few extending out to urban fire escapes and rough rooftops.

In an effort to explore the subtleties of what “bombshell” might mean to his sitters, Green asked each of them to style/pose themselves in ways that embodied their own personal interpretation of the word, and as needed, the related ideas of glamour, femininity, and sexiness. And while each of Green’s subjects offers their own unique response to what it might mean to be a “bombshell”, there is certainly a bit more skin and nudity (or the implication of a reveal) in these images than in his previous work, and with the help of some talented stylists, there are some gorgeously over the top hairstyles that amplify the feeling that something electric is going on.

Green’s success with these photographs is rooted in his consistent ability to enable his sitters to be confident in themselves – it takes some guts to pose as a “bombshell” (however defined), and in image after image, his subjects embrace their own intimate glamour with a surprising degree of willing flair and panache. Molly takes a reserved and statuesque approach (with gloriously sculpted hair), while Marcs embraces a more 1960s era Mod look with artfully torn clothing. Dara irreverently swings from a crosswalk sign in a bikini, while Cruz takes on a more wary and vulnerable mood. Martine understands the seductive nature of turning away from the camera, while Sonny wears a corset and poses with a gracefully flexed arm. In each case, the personal glamour is different, but altogether authentic.

Several sitters pose for Green multiple times, taking on different personas, or riffing on versions of bombshell-ness. Gabriella first offers a come hither look (with a remarkable mass of hair), and then doubles down on that idea in a nearly nude pose that exposes herself and takes the measure of her viewer at the same time. And Hari tries on several looks and possible seductions, including being caught in a momentary twirl, smoking with her eyes closed, and twisting acrobatically on the floor.

What I admire about this project is its effort to actively redefine beauty and identity in boldly contemporary ways; we don’t need to “subvert” the dated idea of a buxom blonde bombshell so much as redirect and reclaim that swaggering allure for an entirely new age. Green does a consistently notable job of supporting and amplifying the aspirational moods of his varied sitters, making each feel (and believe in) their own special individual beauty. From picture to picture, we see people gamely embracing their genuine sexiness, and it is this quietly audacious personal risk taking that feels so authentically fresh.

Collector’s POV: The works in this show are priced at $2500, $3000, or $5000, based on size. Green’s work has little secondary market history at this point, so gallery retail likely remains the best option for those collectors interested in following up.