Kousha Navidar: This is All Of It from WNYC. I'm Kousha Navidar in for Alison Stewart. If you're in Manhattan and you're walking along West 23rd, you might walk right by one of the city's iconic buildings, the Chelsea Hotel. Mark Twain, Janis Joplin, Mick Jagger, Jack Kerouac, and Patti Smith are all artists who have either stayed briefly or lived in Chelsea Hotel at one point in their lives. Bob Dylan wrote songs there. Joni Mitchell and Jon Bon Jovi wrote songs about it, and it's where Andy Warhol filmed the movie Chelsea Girls.

Now, a new solo exhibition featuring some of Tony Notarberardino's Iconic Black and white portraits of individuals drawn to the hotel are on display at ACA galleries on 10th Avenue. It opens with a large framed photograph of the front doors of the historic hotel, and it invites us to see a cast of characters. They include performance artists, nightlife legends, vagabonds, activists, hotel staff, and a few pop culture icons the photographer encountered after moving to New York City in his mid-30s. Here's what New Yorker magazine says about the exhibit.

" There is an anthropological quality to these images, not unlike that of August Sander’s photographic series of Weimar Germans, though Notarberardino’s project is more particular in its aims, seeking to document not an imagined idea of the universal, but rather, participants in a specific era of New York City that was on the verge of ending." Wow. Tony Notarberardino, the Chelsea Hotel Portraits is now on view at ACA galleries through Sunday, April 13th, and we're thrilled to have him with us right now here in the studio. Tony, welcome to All Of It.

Tony Notarberardino: Thanks, Kousha. Thanks for having me on air.

Kousha Navidar: Absolutely. When was the first time you picked up a camera and decided to start photographing people at Chelsea Hotel?

Tony Notarberardino: Well, I moved into the hotel in 1994. By then I'd already been shooting for quite a few years. After moving in, I just came across this incredible cast of characters that will come through the doors daily, so I felt compelled to document them. Almost there was a reaction to the situation I found myself in. I set up my 8 by 10 camera in the hallway of my apartment, and began photographing this series probably in 1996.

Kousha Navidar: What was the first moment where you thought, "Oh, I got to take a picture of this person." Is there a story there?

Tony Notarberardino: I'd thought about it for a long time and kind of just worked up the courage to actually start the project. When I first moved in, I felt people just wanted to be left alone at the hotel, but then starting the project opened the whole world to me in the hotel. I started meeting people that lived there, and realizing that it was a fantastic artistic community of people that would like to share ideas. That made it easier to start the project.

Kousha Navidar: How often did people refuse to have their photos taken?

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, a lot. There's almost a project that the people who wouldn't. There's a whole other book on people that didn't want to get their photos taken, but generally, people were pretty receptive to the idea. The hard part, I guess, was shooting in my room. Telling people to come up to your hotel room at two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning it's like it's got that weird connotation about it, so you got to be careful.

Kousha Navidar: What's happening here?

Tony Notarberardino: Not everyone is going to jump on it. If you explain yourself and-- I wouldn't like to show people my work because I wanted to get a fresh sense from them or a fresh reaction. I think if I would show them my work it would influence the way they would behave in the picture. I was trying to get something completely unexpected or unaware from their reaction.

Kousha Navidar: What were you looking for when you were considering, "Oh, I want to take a picture of this person?"

Tony Notarberardino: Probably just some reality like who they were, how I found them. Some essence of what they did with their life, and pretty much tried to be as authentic as possible I guess.

Kousha Navidar: This is the first public presentation of these portraits of individuals inside the Chelsea Hotel. Why right now?

Tony Notarberardino: Good question. Well, I have been trying to have this exhibition for a long time. It's not easy to get a show in New York City as a photographer or as an artist. I guess it just was a magical series of events that led to now, which is a perfect timing because the hotel reopened about a year and a half ago after being closed for 10 years. We endured 10 years of construction. Now there's a whole new sense of energy around the hotel and it's perfect timing. ACA could see the vision in these pictures and support me with it, so I'm really grateful for that. I guess it's just the right time now.

Kousha Navidar: How did that partnership come about with ACA?

Tony Notarberardino: We've been talking about the exhibition with them for a few years. A great friend of mine, an artist, Ricky Librizzi, was living at the hotel and he had connections with the gallery and he loved my work. He was an artist in his own right. He would say to them, "Look, you've got to see this buddy of work," because he would really push that to them. That got them interested and then they saw the work. We started talking about it and we were meant to have it in 2020, and we all know what happened. That got postponed, thankfully, because the hotel was still closed then, and so the date was set for this year and that's how that came about.

Kousha Navidar: His photo is in the show, right?

Tony Notarberardino: His photo is in the show. He is holding his grandson Fulano in the picture. It's one of my favorite pictures too.

Kousha Navidar: That's actually a perfect picture to bring up because he's holding his grandson. This project, generations. It's been a long time coming that you've been taking these photos. Did you start thinking this will be something? When did you decide that it was going to be something?

Tony Notarberardino: Like I said, I just shot it because I found myself in this incredible place with all the incredible people. I kind of think I realized I was onto something when I shot people like Dee Dee Ramone, and then Arthur C. Clarke. It was never my intention to really do anything at the time. I just started shooting. Yes, I realized eventually that there was some real power, and this would be a documentation of the hotel over the last 20 or 30 years.

Kousha Navidar: When you're capturing a photo you mentioned. "Come up to my room. Let me take a picture of you." How do you think through your atmosphere and environment? Let me break down the question a little bit because obviously, we could dive into terms like exposure and f-stop, but I'm thinking more conceptually here. What are some of the conditions you need as an artist to be able to capture an image that would arrest you?

Tony Notarberardino: Well, with the process 8 by 10 it's a large format camera, so we don't shoot that many sheets of film. I find it's really important to actually pre-visualize the picture before I actually take it. When I see someone, for example, I already have a vision in mind of how that's going to look because the camera's already set up in front of my wall and it would stay there 24/7. I would bring the people in and photograph them, but I would always have in mind the kind of image I'd like.

When I was shooting I'd also see the image when it was-- I would know when the photograph would work. Then because I processed the film myself, while processing the film I could then find the exact shot. It was just a process of bringing them in and then seeing what developed really, seeing what worked.

Kousha Navidar: That was a good photographer pun, see what developed.

Tony Notarberardino: You're seeing what developed.

Kousha Navidar: Why shoot it in black and white?

Tony Notarberardino: I always love black and white. I actually studied black and white photography back in Melbourne, Australia. It was always my love. When we were school we would study the chemistry. We would study large format and making our own wet plates. It was a natural progression for me to shoot this on large format and to shoot it in black and white. I just find black and white adds a whole different value to the picture.

Kousha Navidar: Talk to me about that value, what is it? Because it is really arresting it, [unintelligible 00:09:25].

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, I just love black and white. I just think I've loved the history of photography, and the black and white pictures will always be my favorites. I always worked in the medium, so it was just a natural thing for me to do, I guess.

Kousha Navidar: What was it about your space that really did it that the backdrop of the wall in your room? What was it that drew you where you thought this is where I want to take those photos?

Tony Notarberardino: Because it was always going to be about the people, not the environment. I wanted to isolate the people. I'd seen some books about the hotel where they would be photographed in their rooms, in the hallways, and that's great. For this project, I really wanted to make it more about the people than the actual hotel. So by isolating them in that environment against the wall, I found that it will give you more focus on who these people were.

Kousha Navidar: Absolutely. We're talking to Tony Notarberardino about his exhibit titled Tony Notarberardino: Chelsea Hotel Portraits. We will be right back after this us.

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Kousha Navidar: This is All Of It from WNYC. I'm Kousha Navidar in for Alison Stewart, and we're talking to Tony Notarberardino about his Chelsea Hotel Portraits that are on view through April 13th. We have a caller who is interested in knowing if you photographed somebody specifically during your time at the Chelsea Hotel. We have Barnaby from Brooklyn. Hi, Barnaby.

Barnaby: Hi. How are you?

Kousha Navidar: Wonderful, thanks.

Barnaby: Thank you so much for the show. Tony, I'm so excited that you've done this. I am wondering if the Irish playwright and activist Brendan Behan, who once lived at the Chelsea many years ago, but a great figure. I'm wondering if he's in your show, and/or Abdullah Ibrahim, the great South African jazz composer and pianist, if they lived there or if they're in the show as well.

Tony Notarberardino: They certainly lived there, but I'm not that old enough. They were there many years before I started the project. I wish I had taken a portrait of Brendan Behan, but unfortunately no.

Kousha Navidar: Well, First, Barnaby, thank you so much for that call. The Chelsea Hotel had so many luminaries come through.

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, yes.

Kousha Navidar: A wonderful thing about your exhibit is that it is luminaries, but it is also people from all different walks of life, right?

Tony Notarberardino: Absolutely, yes. To me it was always about like cross section of people, not so much about celebrity. Because there's so many stories, the obvious stories you know about the Chelsea Hotel, but there's so much more to it than what people often talk about.

Kousha Navidar: You arrived in New York City in 1994, right?

Tony Notarberardino: Correct.

Kousha Navidar: After living in places like Paris and London. What drew you to New York City?

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, it was an instant love affair. I always dreamed of living in New York. I didn't specifically go there to shoot this project. I just found myself there and then I started the project, but I just always wanted to live in New York.

Kousha Navidar: How did you end up at the Chelsea Hotel? What was your first impression of the hotel?

Tony Notarberardino: It was a friend of mine was staying there at this time, so I went to stay with him when I first arrived. Then I met Stanley Bard, who was the manager of the hotel. Back then they had long-term rooms or overnight rooms. He offered me a room and it was great, so I ended up staying there. I thought I was only going to be there for a few months. He actually turned to me and he said, "You'll probably never leave here. You know that?" I didn't quite understand it then. As I lived there during the years, I realized that, "Yes, it was really hard to leave that place because it was such a great community of artists, and writers, and musicians that you wouldn't want to leave there.

Kousha Navidar: Well, it's funny you bring that up because you had spoken about folks talking to each other or maybe not talking to each other. What kind of relationships did long-term residents have with one another?

Tony Notarberardino: It depends. Everyone was different. Some people would like to keep to themselves. There were certainly some great people that I wanted to photograph, which actually took me a long time to get to know them and shoot them. The only way this project could really come about was living it and living there. The portrait of Stormé, for example, the legendary LGBTQ activist. I met her when I first moved in. It took me probably 10 years to photograph her and to find the right time and get to know her, and get her confidence in order to get the picture I wanted.

Kousha Navidar: Somebody else that you photographed was Rose Wood. The performance artist and self-proclaimed "transgender terrorist." In this photo she's posing somewhat nude. She's wearing part of a shirt and stocking.

Tony Notarberardino: Nicely nude.

Kousha Navidar: Nicely nude. Her chest and crotch is exposed, and she's wearing white makeup on her face and lipstick. What was the context behind this photo, and what was she like as a neighbor?

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, amazing. Rose still lives there. Rose is one of the most amazing performance artists in New York. I was honored to photograph them. They still work at The Box, which is a club in New York City. Often when they were debuting a new actor, would call me and say, "Look, would you want to come down and see it?" Then I'd always be inspired to photograph it. Because they lived at the hotel, it was easy to go back to the hotel after the show and take pictures, which would often be like 5:00 AM in the morning.

That was part of a performance piece that they had developed, which was I think Queen Victoria. The whole outfit was a lot more elaborate than what they would wear in that picture. We deconstructed it just to get the whole look of the trans look which, to me, I wanted to portray because it was so powerful and such an important part of Rose's transition and journey.

Kousha Navidar: It is a powerful photo for sure.

Tony Notarberardino: Yes. It's one of one of my favorite photos.

Kousha Navidar: We have another caller. Amanda from Manhattan. Hi, Amanda.

Amanda: Hi. Thanks for taking my call. Tony, it's so great to hear about your show, and I'm really excited about it and looking forward to seeing it. We worked together a number of years ago now. I modeled for you actually for a project in the Chelsea Hotel with a vintage designer, George-- his name is escaping me right now because I'm kind of nervous.

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, yes. Hi, Amanda.

Amanda: Yes, hi.

Tony Notarberardino: How are you? I remember now. How you doing?

Amanda: I'm well, thank you. Yes, it's great to reconnect with you and I'm so excited about your show.

Tony Notarberardino: Thank you.

Amanda: I loved working with you. I wanted to come on and say hello and congratulations. I hope we connect in person somehow.

Tony Notarberardino: Well, thanks. I hope you see the show. Enjoy it.

Kousha Navidar: Amanda, thank you so much for that call. Misconnections on All Of It today. How does it feel to hear folks resonate, not just with your work, but with the community that you've created through your work.

Tony Notarberardino: Oh, it's so great. We had such a great turnout for the opening, and all my friends came and they're so supportive of this. I can only be so thankful that I've got a great group of friends and creative amazing people, a lot of who I photographed. We've become friends over the years through my portraits. It's just great to have that support.

Kousha Navidar: Another photo is off to the side near the entrance of the gallery. There's this photograph of Grace Jones, the singer, songwriter, model, actress, in an all-white dress with her head tilted clasping her hands. This photo is titled Grace Jones, Wednesday, October 10th, 2007, 4:45 AM. Got to ask, what was Grace Jones' response when you asked to take a photograph of her at 4:45 in the morning?

Tony Notarberardino: Well, I guess you need to know the context of how that happened. 2008, Abel Ferrara moved into the hotel for the second time to work on a documentary called Chelsea Hotel on the Rocks, which I think you can still find on Netflix. At that period the hotel was being sold and transitioning, and so he probably thought it was a great chance to get in there and document the drama of what was happening. He'd been in and out of the hotel for many years and actually shot there before. The documentary involved interviews of tenants and management, but also he had reenactments of famous Chelsea Hotel myth and legends, and one of them was the Sid and Nancy story.

Grace was brought in to play the nurse that actually went with the paramedics, I guess, when Nancy was found dead to try and either-- I'm not sure if they found her dead or what is the exact story, but Rose was the nurse playing in that scene. Abel introduced me to Grace. I had to wait hours before they shot the scene until she agreed to come and do the portrait. Of course, I was so happy to see her as a nurse because you never see Grace Jones like that. I thought that would be perfect to document her.

That kind of captures the authenticity of the project because this is how I photographed the people as I found them in whatever thing they were doing at the hotel at the time because people were drawn there for so many different reasons. If you ask me how did that happen? Well, because that's what she was doing at that moment in time. That's why it was shot at 4:45 AM. Thankfully, she was so generous to come down and fantastic. It's so great to see her like that because we know Grace Jones as the crazy icon bold-like, but you never see her like that. It was a great moment to document her like that.

Kousha Navidar: We have about a minute left. How do you want people to engage with this show and the work you've put out?

Tony Notarberardino: Well, to me, it's like a really stark portraiture. It's direct and honest and I just think because a lot of the prints are life-size, standing in front of them, you're going to get this experience. I just hope people just appreciate it and enjoy it, I guess, and take away what is a documentation of the end of an era of New York and the Chelsea Hotel as we knew it then.

Kousha Navidar: Tony Notarberardino is a New York-based photographer. His iconic black and white portraits taken inside Chelsea Hotel are on display at ACA Galleries on 10th Avenue through April 13th. Tony, thanks so much for coming to the studio.

Tony Notarberardino: Thank you very much.

Kousha Navidar: Coming up on tomorrow's show, we'll talk about why IUDs are so painful to insert, and why it seems like the medical profession doesn't take women's pain seriously.