Shop the Pain Away

Here's an exhibition about our consumer culture minus the smug factor. That's an achievement. Brian Ulrich started taking a series of photos after the U.S. government encouraged Americans to go shopping in response to 9/11. These images on display at Julie Saul gallery capture scenes we see every day, but suddenly the familiar becomes perverse, such as the photo of a train-line of checkout cashiers at Target. Still, Ulrich holds back the Lefty Tsk-Tsk card. There's a feeling of marvel mixed with hangover headache because of the overabundance. (Images via Julie Saul gallery)