A new exhibition in Paris showcases the prophetic work of late photographer Dash Snow, whose Polaroid images captured the gritty essence of New York's East Village art scene at the turn of the millennium. "Dash Snow: Carrion," curated by Jeppe Ugelvig at Morán Morán gallery, presents nearly 50 Polaroid photographs that reveal the artist's unique vision of American decadence and urban decay.
Dash Snow died at just 27 years old, but not before establishing himself as a prominent figure in New York's fin de siècle art scene. Born into the wealthy de Menil family, Snow deliberately abandoned luxury to embrace street life, joining the legendary IRAK graffiti crew. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he moved through the city with the effortless style of a self-styled rebel, creating groundbreaking work across photography, collage, zine making, and sculpture.
With his Polaroid camera always in hand, Snow documented everything around him, creating mesmerizing images of New York during a transformative period he would not live to fully witness. He positioned himself as actor, collaborator, and provocateur, maintaining a balance between public figure and mystery in the tradition of Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. Snow famously posed for photographer Dave Schubert in a bathtub filled with his Polaroids, with each picture containing its own compelling story.
The exhibition takes its title from Charles Baudelaire's 1857 poem "Une Charogne" (A Carcass) and examines the intoxicating allure of decadence through Snow's unique perspective. Curator Jeppe Ugelvig explains the historical context: "This was the time of grunge, of Chloë Sevigny and films like Kids that shows this dirty, crumbling last bastion of Manhattan before it was developed and sanitized."
Snow's rise to prominence coincided with that of fellow artists Ryan McGinley and Dan Colen, with all three appearing on the cover of New York magazine in January 2007 under the headline "Warhol's Children." However, Ugelvig notes that the art world wasn't ready for their street credibility and cult fame. "That is something the art world wasn't ready for, and he remained a divisive name in his life despite the support of people like Jeffrey Deitch," the curator observes.
Even after Snow's death, the traditional art establishment struggled to grant him the recognition many believed he deserved. "Even after his passing, the art world wouldn't give Dash the legitimacy he deserved because he was too hot. His name was too resonant in other spheres," Ugelvig explains. With time, however, Snow's work can now be viewed within the broader continuum of art history while also prefiguring contemporary visual culture.
The exhibition positions Snow alongside legendary photographers like Brassaï, André Kertész, August Sander, and Eugène Atget, who mapped the visual language of modern urban life. Snow approached his Polaroid camera like a spray can, finding his spots and marking them as his territory. "It was a new age of America in decline," Ugelvig notes. "Dash's take was not a countercultural response to the middle class; it was a take on the decay of American society, the decline of great cities, and how one navigates that space."
While reviewing thousands of Polaroids from Snow's archive, Ugelvig observed how the camera became an extension of the artist's character and personality. "Since Dash's death, we've become used to this double position; and in the age of social media, artists today almost have to have a larger dominion than just making art objects," he explains. This was Snow's particular talent: creating work that was authentic, immediate, and raw – unleashing pure creative energy with reckless abandon.
The photographs feature intimate moments and bold imagery, including shots of Jade Berreau pregnant with their daughter Secret, luxuriating in the fantastical environment of their installation "Nest" (2007), and candid images of friends like a topless Ryan McGinley. "Dash had a flow of images produced running around on nights out or around the house that would often end up in a magazine," Ugelvig observes. "There was the myth of unfiltered youth culture that was similar to the Warhol economy of an earlier period in New York."
Like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who also died at 27 after revolutionizing the New York art world, Snow understood that creating personal mythology was integral to artistic success. However, this approach proved to be a double-edged sword. "My mission is to distill Dash's legacy from the social lore that held it hostage," Ugelvig states about his curatorial approach.
Snow's work appears remarkably prescient in today's social media landscape. "He anticipated a media landscape dominated by seemingly instant and authentic imagery that is nonetheless hyper-staged, hyper-stylized, and very carefully curated," the curator notes. "This is something Dash was aware of and attuned to 20 years ago – a mode of visual culture that has now become completely ubiquitous."
"Dash Snow: Carrion" runs until November 29, 2025, at Morán Morán in Paris, offering visitors a chance to experience the raw energy and prophetic vision of an artist who captured a pivotal moment in American cultural history.
