"when you're young, not much matters."
A look into youth culture in Larry Clark's work
Written by B. Hellington
15/06/2021
Raw, rough, real. If three words had to be chosen to describe Larry Clark’s work, these would be it. An acclaimed photographer and filmmaker, Clark is notorious for his depictions of drug use, youth subcultures, and teenage sexuality. These controversial representations of youth are what propelled him to fame, for showing intimate accounts of his subjects' lives. In fact, his work can even be considered autobiographical, drawing inspiration from his own experiences in strung out suburbia.
Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA in 1943. He cruised through life in a haze of marijuana, heroin, and sex. So it wasn’t surprising when his first “serious” photos turned out to be Tulsa, published in 1971. It’s a photo documentary about the junkies of Clark’s hometown or, in other words, an account of his everyday life with his friends.
"Once the needle goes in, it never comes out."
– Larry Clark, taken from the introduction of Tulsa (1971)
Tulsa (1971)
Girls shooting up, boys with guns wrapped around their fingers: as you flip through the pages, visions of lawless junkie culture creep out at you. With the people pictured being his friends, Clark was actually a participant in all of these activities. Unlike other photographers who forcefully embedded themselves in the shocking scenes they wanted to capture, Clark was already part of the setting itself. He knew the story he wanted to tell, so much that when the images were published it stunned the so-called respectable pillars of society. Yet it was praised in the art world for its authentic representation of marginalized youth, which would influence popular culture in the years to come.
Years later, Clark would make his real art world debut working with Harmony Korine on Kids (1995). In a nutshell, it’s a look into the cruel lives of New York City teenagers. Basically, just lots of drugs, sex, murder, STIs, and pretty much every other assumed horror that is part of teen spirit. Once again, Clark’s work pissed off a lot of people. To adults, it was a boiling pot of their worst fears for their children. But to kids, it was a gritty portrayal of the coming-of-age experience; something that had been long overdue to hit the mainstream media. Today, the film is considered to be a cult classic, still maintaining itself relevant because of how truly honest it is in illustrating the messed-up rollercoaster teenhood. There’s something captivating about rebels. Few do it by giving such respect to the youth as Clark does.
Kids (1995)
