NYC Artist Photographs His Neighbours & Puts The Images On Exhibition… Without Their Permission

How would you react if you found out your neighbour was taking pictures of you without your permission? Chances are you’d absolutely freak out (and you’d be right to do so).

Residents in Manhattan are currently having their own freak out after they discovered that a neighbour at a nearby building has been taking pictures of them, exhibiting them and selling them!

New York City artist Arne Svenson has admitted that he’s been secretly photographing his neighbours that live in the luxury 475 Greenwich Street apartment block in TriBeCa and selling the images to buyers. However, the artist is claiming that he hasn’t done anything wrong.

One of the pictures in Svenson's exhibition

According to Svenson, his pictures does not show anyone’s face which respects their privacy. It’s worth noting that while this is true, his pictures DO show residents cleaning their apartments, taking naps, embracing loved ones and carrying their children to bed.

Svenson’s pictures are currently on display at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York and prints are available to buy for the eye-watering price of $7,500 and upwards.

Understandably the residents of the Greenwich Street building are absolutely furious and are concerned about the safety of their young children.

“A grown man should not be able to photograph kids in their rooms with a telephoto lens,” said one resident, speaking to the New York Post.

“You can argue artistic license all you want, but that’s really the issue here. I’m sorry, but I’m really bothered by this,” the resident added.

According to reports, a number of the building’s residents are considering taking legal action against the artist but Svenson remains unapologetic for his art.

Arne Svenson maintains that he has done absolutely nothing wrong

“For my subjects, there is no question of privacy. They are performing behind a transparet scrim on a stage of their own creation with the curtain raised high. The neighbours don’t know they are being photographed; I carefully shoot from the shadows of my home into theirs,” said Svenson.

“I am not unlike the birder, quietly waiting for hours, watching for the flutter of a hand or a movement of a curtain as an indication that there is life within,” he added.

Apparently Sevenson was inspired to undertake this project after a friend gave him a bird watching telephoto lens for his camera.