july 1 - Aug 21: AMAR GUPTA, “OUT OF SERVICE”

An ongoing photographic series of 4x5 inch (10x12.5cm) negative portraits of service industry workers based out of Austin, Texas.

As of March 17, the city of Austin closed all bars, venues, and dine-in restaurants in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Service industry workers and live performers alike have been stuck in limbo ever since—myself included, and it seems as if there truly is no end in sight. On April 13, the city extended these orders. Weeks later after a slight reopening process, on June 26, Governor Abbot once again shut down all bars and scaled back restaurant capacity to fifty percent. These industry workers are the lifeblood of small business in central Texas, and many, including owners, are unsure if the places they’ve worked will ever find steady footing.

This series examines several of these service industry employees, as well as the downtown businesses that are adjusting to the ever changing orders issued by the city.

The decision to create this work with large format negatives was made in order to achieve a particular transition of tones and richness in quality. These images are presented in an order which I deemed most appropriately fit.

To view more of Amar’s work, visit his website or Instagram.

To purchase any artwork, visit our “Shop” section by clicking on the link below, or contact us directly at contact@contracommon.org. 100% of profits are being donated to the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. We appreciate your support!