‘Larry’s work was an epiphany. It gave me permission to take my own work seriously and to publish a book of my own life […] He paved the way for all the autobiographical photography that followed.’
Demonstrating the visceral force of youth culture, Teenage Lust is one of the most powerful ensembles of images from Larry Clark’s profound and provocative visual practice. His photographs focus longingly on the wayward lives of adolescents, revealing Clark’s unique capacity to evoke the thrill of sexual discovery and the sensuality of flesh. Notorious for its brutal rawness, the present lot daringly blurs the lines between self-expression and voyeurism, honesty and exploitation.
The 1970s witnessed the seismic shift in youth culture. Disillusioned by the phenomenal losses of life from the Vietnam War and the lack of trust in the government following the Watergate Scandal, many teenagers began to further distance themselves from the traditional values of American society, embracing instead activities and interests that were becoming increasingly labeled as problematic by mainstream society, like drugs and sexual promiscuity.
Much like youth culture itself, Larry Clark’s Teenage Lust was startling when it was first released in 1981. The work followed Clark’s landmark 1971 publication Tulsa, which catapulted him into the public’s eye as a rebellious and rule-breaking figure. Tulsa centers on Clark’s immediate circle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His friends were depicted injecting illicit drugs, having sexual intercourse and taking part in violent crimes. His unapologetic, unflinching, confessional aesthetic remains potent in Teenage Lust, in which Clark focuses exclusively on the younger teenagers, some of whom are related to his previous subjects from Tulsa.
Clark spent long periods of t.mes with this group of adolescents, gaining trust. Self-described as semi-autobiographical, shocking and explicit photographs are countered by moments of touching innocence, tenderness and laughter. Interspersed in the portfolio are also personal family snapshots from Clark’s childhood, many taken by his mother who was a professional photographer specializing in mother-and-baby portraiture.
Clark took a decade to complete this entrenched-with-nostalgia portfolio. The laborious process of selecting ninety-five photographs and placing them in a sequential narrative offers a compelling metaphor for Clark’s attempt at piecing together fragments of his past.
‘Since I became a photographer I always wanted to turn back the years. Always wished I had a camera when I was a boy […] in 1972 and 1973 the kid brothers in the neighborhood took me with them in their teen lust scene. It took me back.’
Teenage Lust had a deep and lasting impact on Clark’s career. Young people and journeys of self-discovery became the center of his practice, including his now-cult 1995 film, Kids. Equally, the work’s transgressive and diaristic style paved the way for many contemporary artists such as Nan Goldin, who often cites Clark as an inspiration. By pushing the boundaries of decency and moral standards, Clark stands for freedom of expression and embodies a critical moment in history when the feasibility of the American Dream was questioned.