Monika Olko Gallery Presents Joey Farrell Photography in Sag Harbor

A new photography exhibition by rising multimedia artist Joey Farrell opens tonight from 6–8 p.m. at Monika Olko Gallery in Sag Harbor.

Still | Moving marks Farrell’s first solo outing since his 2018 debut exhibition Seventeen, which launched the artist into the spotlight at just 18 years old. That early exhibition earned him a place at the prestigious AIPAD Photography Show as the youngest exhibiting artist in the fair’s history, and landed him on Artsy‘s list of 10 “must-see” artists.

Now 24, Farrell returns with a body of work that builds on the promise of his early success — continuing to push the boundaries of photographic storytelling while embracing a more introspective and grounded approach. According to art curator Pamela Willoughby, who is promoting and curating the show, Farrell’s return marks a new chapter for the artist, one focused on “process over outcomes, and practice over practicality.”

“There’s a lot of drama in this show,” Willoughby says. “He’s capturing stillness and motion at the same time – surfing, water, cars – fleeting moments that hold presence. And it’s not just about the eye. It comes from his heart.”

“Photography is still by nature,” Farrell writes in his artist statement, “but I have an interest in capturing fleetingly still moments within motion, which is just a step beyond the medium’s function.”

On display are large-format archival pigment prints including “Beach Jog,” “Mecox Wave” and “Cut Blues,” as well as the image “Hopper’s FJ,” a beachside composition named for its uncanny resemblance to American realist painter Edward Hopper’s signature use of light.

Captured at Ditch Plains, a popular surf beach in Montauk, Farrell notes that the image began as a spontaneous shot of a taillight casting shadows across a dune, eventually evolving into something more cinematic.

The photographs, some as large as 5 feet wide, reflect Farrell’s “peaceful and meditative creative practice,” Willoughby says. She notes that the artist has spent the past year re-immersing himself in the photography space following a period of stepping back to support other artists, spending over 6 months producing the pieces for Still | Moving. 

“He got into a space where he felt like everything had to be perfect, it became competitive,” Willoughby says of the aftermath of his early success. “Now he’s creating for the sake of the image itself — and he’s on fire again.”

A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Farrell earned his BFA in Integrated Design in 2024. His current practice spans photography, sculpture, and 2D media.

He is currently building a large studio space to support upcoming projects in sculpture and installation, and Willoughby says more shows are already on the horizon.

Still | Moving by Joey Farrell opens Friday, August 1, from 6–8 p.m. at Monika Olko Gallery, 95 Main Street, Sag Harbor. The show will be on display for one week.

Learn more at monikaolkogallery.com, joeyfarrell.com and Still | Moving: A Photography Exhibition by Joey Farrell.