Text: Oman Morí

"Hit the Lights" immerses viewers in the underground music scene of New York City. This collection is the result of an extensive 8-month photographic journey undertaken by Costa Rican photographer Gerson Vargas. Through his lens, he captures the raw intensity and dynamism of Manhattan and Brooklyn's most tumultuous venues.

In this captivating documentary work, Vargas employs black-and-white contrast to create a sense of abstraction amidst a chaotic melange of bodies, dancing, and moshing. It's a visual exploration of what unfolds after 7 p.m. when the doors open, revealing the energy of performances spanning punk, shoegaze, and hardcore genres.

Vargas describes "Hit the Lights" as a celebration of tenacity, perseverance, and passion—core elements propelling the ever-evolving underground music movement, often misunderstood.

This remarkable body of work was meticulously crafted during an 8-month period, involving extensive travel, countless phone calls, emails, and numerous venue visits. Some of these venues, such as Brooklyn's Blackthorn and Amityville's Revolution, have vanished into memory. Presented as a cohesive collection of black-and-white images, "Hit the Lights" invites the audience into a dimension few have had the privilege to witness, from the anticipation of the ticket line to the electrifying front-row experience.

Gerson Vargas, a Costa Rican photographer based in New York, draws from his cinematography and visual storytelling background, having graduated from the Cinecitta Studios in Rome. His work reflects a deep understanding of composition, lighting, and the art of capturing fleeting moments. With experience as a photo editor for Costa Rica's La Republica from 2010 to 2018, Vargas showcases his proficiency in the editorial process and his ability to curate impactful visual narratives. His dedication to the craft earned him the 2016 Washington DC Photoweek Fontagro Award. More recently, he graduated from the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography.