In 1991, Aperture published Nick Waplington’s first book, Living Room, to great critical acclaim. A major exhibition followed at their 23rd Street gallery in New York, and for a number of years, the exhibition toured the world. The exhibition prints were then put into storage, and soon thereafter Waplington – having moved on to new projects – asked his gallerist, Holly Solomon, to destroy them.
In 2018, Solomon’s son Thomas contacted Waplington with surprising news: the original Living Room exhibition prints had not been destroyed and were still in his possession. Little Big Man is now presenting these historically significant vintage works, appearing in an exhibition for the first time since the early 1990s.
"The opposite of instant pictures, these photos are as lasting for a lifetime as tattoos, yet all they show are split seconds. This is because brought there in the concentration of Nick's love, life breathes through everyone." - John Berger
"The photographer's triumph is to bring order out of chaos, without betraying the chaos. Waplington presents the violence in affection, the sexuality in innocence, a chill at the electric hearth, all in a new vocabulary, without romance, all in the same room at the same time." - Richard Avedon
