New York: Up Close

A compact digital camera has been my constant companion for many years. I capture what attracts, repels, and intrigues me. I am particularly drawn to the in-between spaces, the signs, and symbols of human existence. Close-ups hold a special fascination for me.

My interest in art dates back to the 1970s, when I first encountered the ideas of Marcel Duchamp, the Fluxus movement, Minimal Art and Conceptual Art. Meeting the New York artist On Kawara further deepened my fascination with conceptual art. His philosophical approach to time and place continues to shape my perception of the world around me.

For this book, I have edited my images of New York and placed them in dialogue with each other. Instead of an introduction to my working process, I offer a glimpse into my diary from 1974, the year I met On Kawara.

Heinz Nigg (born 23 August 1949) is a anthropologist and community artist living in Zurich, Switzerland