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US when there is nothing to do: Luca Arena’s authentic images of a New York heatwave

For his latest series, US when there is nothing to do, Italian photographer Luca Arena took to the streets of New York during a scorching summer when residents take refuge in offices, shops and air-conditioned homes.

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All images courtesy of Luca Arena. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of Luca Arena. Via Creative Boom submission.

Inspired by the paintings by Edward Hopper, David Hockney and Mark Rothko, as well as photographs by Luigi Ghirri and Josef Hoflehner, the result is a set of authentic imagery documenting people alone in the city. Isolated from the crowd, they walk around the city or visit public pools to cool down whilst maintaining a safe distance from others.

“With the right commitment it is possible to distinguish New Yorkers from tourists, but above all to represent the city, its places and hidden neighbourhoods, so as to be able to perceive the energy of cement,” says Luca.

“We try to get closer to the ground, to the clay fields and the well-kept green parks while the skyscrapers grow and touch the sky. From the windows of the attics, they scan the horizon, from the sidewalk they look upwards and never meet.”

Luca travels the world for his photography, having previously explored Iceland and Tenerife. He likes to capture the lines and geometries of buildings and windows in his photographs and, despite being colour-blind, is very attached to the theme of colour and how it relates to the environment.

Discover more of Luca’s work at luca-arena.it.

Man in white shirt and dark trousers standing beside three water fountains beneath blue NYC H2O text on concrete wall
Crowds of swimmers cool off in a bright turquoise public pool with the Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan skyline visible beyond the tree-lined waterfront
Back view of a person with black hair styled in buns, wearing a white halter top at a crowded New York street festival during summer heat
Manhattan skyline with tall buildings rising above a vast golden wheat field under a cloudy sky
An adult and two young children wearing matching orange patterned clothing walk hand-in-hand down a sunlit urban alleyway flanked by grey buildings and orange barriers
Children play in shallow water beside a sculptural palm tree on a crowded beach during summer
Woman in a purple floral shirt sitting outdoors during a New York heatwave, holding a blue rope, from Luca Arena's series US when there is nothing to do
People cool off at a public pool during a New York heatwave, with visitors in the water and around the poolside on a sunny day
Baseball player swinging at a pitch on a dusty field, viewed through a chain-link fence with trees and other players in the background
A black and white dog on a lead looks up at the camera whilst standing next to a person wearing a striped top on a New York street
Queensboro Bridge spanning across green fields with bare trees framing the view under an overcast sky
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