Forty Five Ten is best known as a showplace for high fashion. But it also makes a pretty sweet art gallery, as owner Brian Bolke proved recently when he hosted Dallas photographer Gray Malin for a special event honoring Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center fundraiser Art for Advocacy.
Art enthusiasts — including Lynn McBee,Lynn M. Davis, Clark Knippers, Kersten Rettig, Elaine Agather, Julie Hawes, Krystal Schlegel, Chris Culak, Abi Ferrin, Chandra North Blaylock, David Nichols and Erin Mathews — chatted eagerly with Malin, who is noted for his Prada Marfa and À La Plage, À La Piscine series.
“I got in touch with Forty Five Ten, and we brought together images from five different bodies of work,” Malin said. “I wanted to do a homecoming in the community that helped me get up and stand on my own two feet.”
Malin’s images, mixed with plenty of bubbles, tasty bites and hip beats from DJ Lucy Wrubel, made for a night that no self-respecting social butterfly would miss. Speaking of hard to miss, several of Malin’s well-known photographs adorned the store, and everything was for sale.
The most buzzed-about shots were those of the beach. Despite their popularity, Malin says his initial idea was to shoot pools. In fact, he discovered the beauty of the beach from above by accident.
According to Malin, he went from hotel to hotel in Miami, asking if he could shoot their pools; they turned him down time and time again. Not taking no for an answer, Malin decided the best way to shoot these pools was to rent a helicopter. So he did.
“As we were circling the pools, we would swing out over South Beach, and that is where I discovered the beauty of the beach from above,” Malin said. “It was really about the umbrellas and the chairs and the architectural patterns of them all.
“I got home, and the pool images were cool. But I knew that there was something special about the pictures of the beach.”
So what does the future hold for this Dallasite living out his dream in Los Angeles — and across the globe?
“I am starting a new project in Antarctica in December that I am really excited about,” he says. “We are in the process of getting ready for that. It’s an exciting new series that will allow me to go to continent number seven.”
The Art for Advocacy auction party, taking place Thursday, November 7, at F.I.G., raises funds to aid the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) in its mission to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County.
DCAC coordinates the investigation and prosecution of the most severe cases of child abuse in our community and provides national leadership on child abuse issues.
Abi Ferrin, Susie Straubmueller, Jonika Nix
