Tierney Fellowship Exhibition: Twilight Children by Chris Berntsen

A street-side portrait in San Francisco
Frances Before Twilight, San Francisco, 2014.

The Department of Photography & Imaging presents Twilight Children, an exhibition of photographs by alum Chris Berntsen, recipient of the Department's 2014 Tierney Fellowship. Berntsen writes, "Twilight Children is centered within queer communities in the United States. The images, often taken in everyday moments are fragments of intimacy, desire, and collaboration. The exhibition brings together images of people and places that share a spirit of self-exploration and understanding of temporality. These are the children, the beings that define themselves and the in-between boundaries of time, space, gender, and sexuality in an era situated on the precipice of a linear past and an uncertain future."

Read more about the project on Berntsen’s website, www.chrisberntsen.com


Chris Berntsen is the 10th recipient of the Department’s Tierney Fellowship. The Tierney Fellowship, established by The Tierney Family Foundation in 2003, is awarded to a Photography & Imaging alum who has shown excellence in the field of photography and graduated within the past seven years. The primary goal of the Fellowship is to find aspiring artists who will be tomorrow’s leaders and assist them in overcoming challenges that photographers face at the start of their careers.

Chris Berntsen is a photographer whose work is inspired by the lives of those around him and by the need to share in the creation of images that reflect that experience. He graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Photography and Imaging in 2008. His work has been mostly exhibited as time-based projection performances within the United States. He lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Opening Reception: Thursday, December 3, 2015; 6-8p.m.

Twilight Children will be on view at 721 Broadway December 3, 2015 – January 16, 2016 in the Gulf + Western Gallery (main floor, rear of lobby). Hours are from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The exhibition is open to the public and admission is free. A photo ID is required when entering the buildings. For further information, email tischphoto@nyu.edu, or call 212.998.1930.

The Department of Photography & Imaging is an intensive four-year BFA program centered on the making and understanding of images. It is a diverse department embracing multiple perspectives. The students work in virtually all modes of analog, digital, and multimedia photo-based image making, exploring photo-based imagery as personal and cultural expression. For further information, visit www.photo.tisch.nyu.edu.