Larry Clark was 16 years old in 1962 when he started doing drugs with his friends.
at Valo, a nasal inhaler sold in pharmacies that contained a huge
amount of amphetamine. After leaving Oklahoma to study
photography in New York and having served two years in Vietnam, Clark returned to
Tulsa at age 20, where he switched from amphetamines to heroin. He upsets
then traditional documentary photography by turning its camera towards
himself and his social circle, producing a revolutionary series of
raw, intimate photographs that chronicle the disintegration of
American Dream. Clark's deeply intimate images expose the untold life
of suburban American teenagers leading a transgressive lifestyle and
outlaws, hanging around second homes and committing crimes
burglaries and armed robberies to obtain drugs. A small
Many of these photographs would go on to form "Tulsa," a cornerstone of
contemporary photography. 50 years later, Larry Clark has re-immersed himself in
his archive of old prints, developing a powerful vision of his work
from 1962-1973, to produce his new book "Return", a
meticulously printed and oversized monograph, which is also shocking
today as it has always been, even at a time when addiction to
Opioids are more prevalent than ever.
