Billions Served - Richard Renaldi

Special edition available here. In Billions Served, Richard Renaldi once again offers his large format portraiture as an invitation to slow down and see familiar sights in new light. The title, taken directly from the boastful catchphrase "Billions and billions served", at once acknowledges the economics of American fast food while simultaneously signaling that those billions of burgers have been served both to and by billions of people. Contrary to the nature of fast food environs where subtle cues direct us through choreographed movements toward ever swifter commerce & consumption, Renaldi invites the viewer to pause and actively participate in each moment. His black & white photos neutralize the riot of color otherwise drawing our eyes; color portraits place fellow patrons center stage, from out of the recesses where corporations would let them fade. The result is a new way of actively engaging these often frequented but seldom-considered scenes with a spotlight on humanity.    Richard Renaldi was born in Chicago in 1968. He received a BFA in photography from New York University in 1990. He is represented by Benrubi Gallery in New York and Robert Morat Galerie in Berlin. Billions Served is his sixth monograph. He was the recipient of a 2015 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.