A QUEENS AFFAIR by Kris Graves

Queens native Kris Graves has kept his eye on the neighborhoods continuously. Photographing what presents itself outside his door in Long Island City and as he walks around the neighborhoods, Graves never intended to create a record of a vanishing scene (RIP 5Pointz notwithstanding). Instead, his photos, accumulating over time, represent an additive process. As the neighborhood acquires new parks and towers, the views are what disappear. Many of the photos below, selected from Graves’ ongoing body of work, A Queens Affair, could no longer be replicated today. Their perspectives have been obstructed by new construction. And where open space or low-slung buildings remain, we can be sure someone has their redevelopment in their sights.

Kris Graves (b. 1982 New York, NY) is an artist and publisher based in New York and London. He received his BFA in Visual Arts from S.U.N.Y. Purchase College and has been published and exhibited globally.