Pete Maresco @ Collective Tattoo & Gallery

Pete Maresco photograph.

Pete Maresco, like most photographers, wears many hats. Go to his website [Link]and you will see he does Weddings, portraits, head shots, events, products, real estate and fine art. It is the latter that is on display at Collective Tattoo and Gallery at 601 Central Ave., St Pete. [Link]. His street photography, which he calls on his website "The Unkempt", is his labor of love. From this show and his website, it is obvious he travels far and wide to pursue his visions of the street.

[None of the images were labeled when I was there, therefore no titles]

Pete Maresco photograph

In these pictures we see some distinct landmarks that tell us where the pictures were taken, and some classic street photography memes, like the blurred bus in this image. Unlike many photographs in this genre, we don't see many wide-angle close-ups of people. When they're visible, they're in cars, partially visible, or relatively small in the frame.

Pete Maresco photograph

Pete Maresco photograph.

Note the signifiers of place in these images. Maresco emphasizes them often, but not always. On the right, we see one example of this. Here Maresco has chosen graffitti as his subject. This could be in any major Western city in the world.

Pete Maresco photograph.

Maresco has a few pictures of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, or the tourist souvenirs of it. Here we see it far away, over Paris rooftoops, but even though small, it is a familiar and highly recognizable form.

These photographs are not the usual "classic" split-second decisive moment street photos, but more contemplative, of in-between moments. 

Collection Tattoo and Gallery.

View, gallery interior.

Congratulations to Collection and Pete Maresco for a good show.


--- Luis