TRUE GRIT Actor Norman Reedus is best known as cable television’s most popular zombie killer. As an accomplished photographer, he layers warmth, wit and storytelling into often unsettling images.
Moonlight Arts Collective. “People have always described my photography as taking a harsh image and making it beautiful,” Reedus says. “I’ve always liked images that make you take a pause and try to figure them out.” For those interested in a deeper dive into his photography, you can explore more work at Big Bald Gallery, his online gallery which has released photography, books and more. (Reedus has donated more than $70,000 from sales of his work to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.) His most recent book of photography, Portraits From the Woods, was released last year, and features images from the set of The Walking Dead (Reedus has donated all profits to charity). His past books include 2013’s The Sun’s Coming Up...Like a Big Bald Head, and 2014’s Thanks for All
Long before he became a household name for his role as Daryl Dixon, the motorcycle-riding, crossbow-toting redneck from The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus was an artist. Not necessarily in the sense of being someone who went to art school, or considered his work art. But Reedus has always been an artist in the sense that there was never much of a boundary between his lifestyle and his personal aesthetic. (It’s well-nigh impossible to imagine Reedus in sensible khaki pants sitting in an office cubicle, working for the weekend.) You can see examples of Reedus’ eye for the gritty, edgy, beautifully macabre side of life in a new show of his photography, Portraits From the Woods, at the Surf Lodge in Montauk from August 24 through Labor Day, curated by Laurie Dolphin with Jen DiSisto from 130
Stuart S. Shapiro
BY DIMITRI EHRLICH
