On stacks of instant film, Denver’s underground culture emerges from the darkness.
Shadows Gather has been photographing Denver’s queer, punk, goth, and club scene since 2019.
And, now, for the first time, all of her images are on display in a singular retrospective. The show, “The Archives: 2019-Now,” is on view through Oct. 31 at East Window in Boulder, a gallery specializing in art from and about historically marginalized and underrecognized communities.
Shadow loves instant cameras because they’re fast – and the images are honest.
“Instant film, there's not a filter on it. You're getting people's true selves,” she said. “The flash captures one image, and that's all you get.”
The tidy white frames also absorb memories.
“I like to see the dirt from the alley if I drop my photos that night,” Shadow said.
Many of the images also have her lipstick on the frames from nights when her hands are full and the photos end up in her mouth.
“The rawness of instant photography and film photography — analog — is truly magical because of those inconsistencies,” she said.
Shadow moved to Denver from the rural Four Corners area in 2000.
Though she wasn’t old enough to party legally, that didn’t stop her from making herself a fixture in the nightlife culture when she arrived.
“I wanted people, I wanted parties. I didn't wanna be around the cCowboys anymore,” she said. “I wanted to get off the farm, and that's what I found here in Denver.”
But Shadow also identifies as shy.
“So the best way for me to meet people is with a camera,” she said. “I get to introduce myself. I get to take their picture, spend some time with them.”
That interaction is important to her.
“It's important to me that we share a connection and I get consent,” she said, “before taking their photo.”
And the deal is always one-for-you, one-for-me.
She keeps her favorite and sticks a @shadows.gather sticker on the other image. When she gives it to her subject, she encourages them to post it to Instagram and tag her account.
She also encourages online followers to tag their friends if they recognize them in a photo.
This strategy has grown her social media account to over 10,000 followers, many of whom she considers friends.
Through her photography, Shadow said, “I found a community, I found the nightlife, and I found people who I will love and cherish forever.”
Meet the artist at “The Art of Club,” a panel discussion and performance at East Window gallery in Boulder on Saturday, Sept. 20. The exhibition, “The Archives: 2019-Now” is on view through Oct. 31, with one-of-a-kind, upcycled screen-printed merch by @horsgorl and @silkroad.printing.
