A Peculiar Paradise
Florida Photographs by Nathan Benn
November 8, 2018 - July 21, 2019
On assignment for National Geographic, Nathan Benn photographed across the State of Florida at the dawn of the 1980s a time made famous by Miami’s narcotics-related crime wave and influx of newcomers from the Caribbean. After nearly 40 years, Benn has revisited his Florida archives. A Peculiar Paradise exhibits nearly 100 photographs, as well as artifacts related to his 20-year career at National Geographic. His pictures feature, among other topics, Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, extreme affluence, nightlife, immigration, work cultures, tourist attractions, remarkable Floridians, Dundee’s 5th Street Gym, and the narcotics war. Come experience Benn’s images reflecting a dynamic and unique time in Florida’s history.
A former director of Magnum Photos, Nathan Benn was born and raised in Miami and currently resides in Santa Fe, NM, and New York City.
In conjunction with the exhibition, powerHouse Books will release a 200-page volume of Nathan Benn’s Florida photographs in November 2018.
Hear Nathan talk about the images he captured of the crime wave in the first video below. In the second video, he discusses capturing the iconic 5th street gym!
