Off the Wall

(1991-2002)

Off the Wall is a series of photo-collages based on photographs taken in 1991 on 4th Street in New York City. Images from various parts of the world are superimposed over wall advertisements.

“The last day that I lived on 4th Street in Manhattan in 1991, I took my camera for a walk and photographed both sides of one city block. The walls served as free billboards for the neighborhood, and people constantly pasted posters and signs over other messages, building up thick layers of history. In art historical terms, this type of image is referred to as pentimento. Back in Vancouver, I continued my own brand of pentimento for the next eleven years. My travels to various countries yielded images that magically became part of the series. Today 4th Street is just a street. No posters, no pentimento, just paint.” — Nomi Kaplan