June 17, 2009 – August 6, 2009

Curated by Homeira Goldstein, Chairman of the Board of ARTS Manhattan, Frozen & Fluid focuses on three of seven photographic projects by Gil Garcetti; the abstract beauty of the Walt Disney Concert Hall; the soaring spirit and beauty of the Cuban dance; the head-turning sight of women, wonderfully attired in Parisian fashion as they ride their bicycles in Paris.

In the course of his career, Gil was the District Attorney at Torrance Branch office, which he left in 1992 to serve as Los Angeles County District Attorney. Now, 17 years later, he returns to the South Bay not as a politician but as an artist.  He believes in the wonders of serendipity and the wonders of life guiding us in our lives.

Gil has explored different styles in his photography.   His first two projects focused on the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

IRON (not presented in this exhibition) captures the ironworkers, the beauty of the raw steel and the hard work that goes into a building like this to make it a reality.

FROZEN MUSIC attempts to capture the soaring spirit of the music hall when one sees the building.

DANCE IN CUBA was his effort to show Americans and others that you do not need all the material items to enjoy the wonders of life. Cubans are very poor and have few personal “things”, and yet, when they dance, you can sense their joy and their spirit for life.

WOMEN ON BICYCLE, exclusively shot on the streets of Paris, previews some of the photographs, book soon-to-be-released (October 2009), of women dressed with flair, style, posture, and color coordination that often matches the bicycles they ride. They are doing everything that we do in our cars. Bicycles are used to commute to work, run errands, meet friends for coffee, catch a movie or go to the theatre. Here is where his training and experience as a prosecutor and elected official makes him some what different than other artists. He will use his advocacy skills to work with cities throughout southern California to bring the success Paris has recently found with its focus on bicycles as an element in reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality to our cities. His photographic art is his calling card.

Garcetti states: “What I have found in my art has been numerous opportunities to take my art and use it for purposes beyond which most artists create”.