Body & Soul

Gregory Bojorquez

April 19th - May 17th

Opening April 19th

6- 9pm

GGLA is proud to present Body and Soul, a solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based photographer Greg Bojorquez. Mining Bojorquez’ vast archive of photos taken over many decades as a professional and street photographer, the artist’s latest exhibition in his hometown includes a range of photos, many never seen or printed before, spanning nearly three decades from 1995 to 2022. The images contained within celebrate a variety of themes, from the innocence of youth and the complexities of growing up, to relationships and love in all forms and facets, all set against the ever-shifting backdrop of LA.  

Well known for his project Eastsiders, and a monograph of the same name, Bojorquez delved deep into the communities within which he grew up in East LA. Scenes of working class neighborhoods and their residents, were also interspersed with scenes of gang life. With each photo comes a story, and as Bojorquez was thoroughly enmeshed in the fabric of the neighborhoods in which he shot, many of these photos bring to mind stories of tragedy, violence and sadness. Body and Soul as an exhibition focuses instead on images that as the artist says, “made me feel good”. Within this we see Bojorquez reaching back to images that call forth a sense of purity and innocence. Photos such as CITY TERRACE PARK, CITY TERRACE, which features two young boys sitting side by side, beaming back at the camera in little league uniforms while one enjoys a Squirt and the other a churro, glow with a sense of simple innocence and contentedness that we’d all wish to feel again. Other photographs such as ICE CREAM TRUCK KIDS, EAST LA, or DODGER FIELD TRIP, CHAVEZ RAVINE, both show the energy and goofiness of being young without a care in the world. 

Mirroring the passage of time seen in the dates of the photos taken, the progression from youth to adolescence, teenage years, and young adulthood are felt throughout Bojorquez’ photographs within Body and Soul. Couples, primarily young couples, are a theme within the show, finding safety and belonging in one another’s arms. The partners within METRO GOLD LINE KIDS, BOYLE HEIGHTS, stare back at the camera in quiet defiance, while the pair in BALL GAME DATE, CHAVEZ RAVINE, walk towards the camera in tense silence, each individual in their own world yet navigating a boisterous stadium and world in the tight grasp of one another. The photo of two older soul mates, CEREFINA GARCIA SANCHEZ & EUTIMIO FLORES MENDOZA FROM PUEBLA, MEXICO, BOYLE HEIGHTS, plays with the temporal nature of the show, while highlighting the everlasting themes of love, innocence and belonging that run through the exhibition.

Just as each image distills an intimate and unique moment within every individual’s life in the camera’s frame, the same can be said for how the artist captures Los Angeles. The places we live in are in a constant state of flux, and one of the great assets of photography is to cement these ever shifting landscapes, even if for just a moment. These are love letters to the artist’s Los Angeles, the streets and alleyways and buildings and of course the people. Yet perhaps the greatest beauty in Greg Bojorquez’s photographs for Body and Soul is their simultaneous hyper-specificity and broad relatability–a reflection of the uniqueness this is Los Angeles and a testament to the universal threads that bind us all. 

Born in 1972 in Los Angeles. Lives and works in Los Angeles.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2022 De Ja Vu All Over Again, These Days, Los Angeles, CA

2022 Hang Time, Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne, Germany

2018 Eastsiders, Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne, Germany 


2017 Frame Life, Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne
2012

.45 Point Blank, Hardhitta Gallery, Los Angeles (catalogue)


2011 Streets of L.A., Hardhitta Gallery, Cologne


Streets of L.A., Hardhitta Gallery, Berlin


2009 The Sun Rises In the East, Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024 Hip Hop - Living a Dream, Galerie Bene Taschen, Cologne, Germany 

2024 Amor Tuyo, Tlaloc Studios, Los Angeles, CA

2024 Contigo, Guerrero Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2024 30 Years of New Image Art, New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2024 Angelitos de Plata, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2021 More Heat, New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2019 Coming of Age, Presented by Vigil Abloh, Little Big Man Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017

Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles


Group show, Hardhitta Gallery, Cologne


2016 5 years – six artists, Hardhitta Gallery


2015 It’s a beautiful day, I guess, Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles


The thrill of victory the agony of defeat, New Image Art, Los Angeles


2014 Insights, Hardhitta Gallery, Los Angeles


A Story to tell, Hardhitta Gallery, Berlin


The Crazy Life, New Image Art Gallery, Santa Monica


 Photography from 1978 – 2013, Hardhitta Gallery, Cologne


2012 California Photography Now, New Image Art Gallery, Santa Monica


2006 LA WOMEN, Voice 1156 Gallery, San Diego


LA WOMEN, Lab 101 Gallery, Culver City

Selected Books & Catalogues

2022 Hollywood Bojorquez, Beyond The Streets

2022 East Siders, Little Big Man

2022 Ice Cold, TASCHEN

2017 WALLS & BRIDGES, Little Big Man 


2017 The Street is Watching - INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSE OF CONTEMPORARY ART


2013 New Erotic Photography Vol.2, TASCHEN


2012 Milk and Honey: Contemporary Art in California, Ammo Books