Articles

Lilac Gallery New York hosted a solo exhibition titled “Gowanus: Off the Water’s Surface” featuring photographs by Steven Hirsch from November 12, 2014, to January 5, 2015. The collection presents striking, abstract, and psychedelic images captured at the heavily polluted Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Hirsch reveals surreal waterscapes formed by slime and debris on the water’s surface, with vibrant colors and impressionistic textures reminiscent of Monet’s paintings. Over 25 photos explore the industrial wasteland with a vivid palette that transforms pollution into otherworldly natural scenes. Read Article

“Gowanus: Off The Water’s Surface” is a photographic series by Steven Hirsch that captures the severely polluted waters of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York. The images emphasize high contrast, revealing the disturbing state of the canal’s environment while remaining authentic photographs. Hirsch’s series highlights the contrast between aesthetic beauty and environmental degradation in an urban setting. Read Article

The Gowanus Canal in New York City is known as one of the most polluted water bodies in the US and has been designated a Superfund site. Photographer Steven Hirsch captures the canal's surface, revealing vibrant, abstract patterns and colors reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s paintings. His series, “Gowanus: Off The Water’s Surface,” presents these otherworldly water formations as fine art. Hirsch's work is exhibited at New York’s Lilac Gallery through December 15, 2014, showcasing the toxic yet stunning beauty of the canal’s contaminated waters. Read Article

The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, known as one of the world’s most polluted waterways, has been captured in striking photographs by artist Steven Hirsch. His images reveal the canal's contaminated surface, showcasing vivid geometric shapes and psychedelic colors formed by pollutants. Despite the environmental damage, Hirsch found a unique, abstract beauty resembling paintings by Monet in the polluted water. The canal, a former industrial hub now designated as a Superfund site, contains hazardous chemicals like PCBs, heavy metals, and PAHs, posing health risks to local wildlife and residents. Cleanup efforts costing over $500 million are underway but will take years. Read Article

Photographer Steven Hirsch revisited the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, a notoriously polluted waterway, and captured striking images of the colorful and oily sludge floating on its surface. Initially uninterested in the canal during his youth, Hirsch was inspired by the psychedelic hues and patterns created by rising gas bubbles and slime layers, which he enhanced through contrast and saturation adjustments. Despite the health risks posed by the toxic fumes, Hirsch documented these abstract scenes over several mornings, aiming to showcase the unique aesthetic rather than make a statement about pollution. His work is exhibited at the Lilac Gallery as part of "Gowanus: Off The Water’s Surface." Read Article

The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, contaminated by decades of industrial waste and runoff. Despite its severe pollution, photographer Steven Hirsch has captured striking images that reveal an abstract and unexpected beauty within the polluted water. The canal has been granted Superfund status by the federal government, marking it for an eventual cleanup. Hirsch’s work is compiled in the photobook "Gowanus Waters," published by powerHouse Books on March 1. Read Article

Steven Hirsch’s photo series "Gowanus: Off the Water’s Surface" transforms the polluted Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn into striking images that resemble impressionist paintings or acid trip visuals. The canal, declared a superfund site in 2010 due to toxic sludge, shows vibrant colors and textures caused by light reflecting off toxic accumulation. Hirsch captured these surreal scenes despite challenging conditions, including wearing a gas mask to photograph highly polluted areas. The exhibit is currently showcased at the Lilac Gallery in Flatiron, inviting viewers to reexamine Brooklyn’s environmental landscape. Read Article

Steven Hirsch’s photographic series "Gowanus Waters," published by Powerhouse Books, captures the toxic surface of Brooklyn's heavily polluted Gowanus Canal. His close-up images transform industrial runoff and pollution, accumulated over 150 years, into mesmerizing psychedelic abstractions with vivid purples, greens, blues, and rainbow hues. Although the canal is a designated EPA Superfund Site undergoing cleanup, the photographs offer a striking visual record of the waterway’s polluted past and present, raising awareness about its environmental condition amid ongoing neighborhood development. Read Article