Ethan James Green is an American photographer, filmmaker, director, and gallerist.
Early life
Green grew up in Caledonia, Michigan, where, at the age of 14, he began photographing his friends. In 2007, at age 17, he signed with Ford Models,[2] and he moved to New York City the following year.[3]
As a model, he appeared in a prominent campaign for Calvin Klein,[4] and was photographed by David Armstrong, appearing in Armstrong's 2011 book 615 Jefferson Ave.[5] He began working at Armstrong's assistant,[6] and Armstrong became his mentor.[1][7]
Work
Photography
In New York, Green continued his earlier practice of photographing his friends. He met potential subjects at clubs[8] and on Instagram,[2] including actress and model Hari Nef, stylist and Interview's fashion director Dara, models Marcs Goldberg and Stevie Triano, writer Devan Diaz, and artist and poet Ser Serpas.[7]
In 2014,[9] Green began taking portraits of his queer, transgender, and nonbinary friends, usually in the Lower East Side's Corlears Hook Park. Green is openly gay and captured friends and figures within various queer ecosystems in New York.[10] The portraits, some of which appeared on Tumblr, garnered attention, and drew comparisons to Diane Arbus.[1][2] In 2019, Aperture Foundation published the portraits as the monograph Young New York.
In the face of professional adversity in 2022, Green recalibrated his career trajectory, transforming his Chinatown-based studio into the New York Life Gallery. Initially starting as a hobby, this space—dedicated to experimental art exhibitions and the promotion of emerging and overlooked artists—rapidly integrated into his professional persona. The gallery has hosted noteworthy exhibitions, such as a live show by painter and illustrator Drake Carr and the archival showcase of the late Steven Cuffie.[12][13]
