ROBERT POLIDORI

A wide-ranging collection of images by renowned photographer Robert Polidori is showcased to great effect in this Stern Portfolio. Haunting cityscapes of Shanghai and Brasilia are included, along with photographs that reveal the social life beneath the patina of Havana's old quarter and imbue the city with its distinctive identity. Also included are Polidori's disturbing yet stunning pictures from the abandoned region around Chernobyl 15 years after the nuclear plant was destroyed there. By contrast, the chapter on Versailles highlights the restoration of faded aristocratic elegance.On the surface, this Canadian-born, New York-based photographer's subjects are buildings but his real interest is habitat. He focuses his camera on the remnants and traces of the living he finds left in backrooms, in solitary corridors, and worn on naked facades to set up surprising contrasts and unique perspectives. In doing so, he succeeds in capturing the true essence of a place and, in his masterful compositions the inner lives of people and their memories spring to life and unfold before our eyes.