This Is A Photograph Of The Gowanus Canal

Photographer Steven Hirsch has an awesome set of images that make the toxic mess of the Gowanus Canal look downright beautiful. While you could wander over to the water’s edge and see it live anytime, you may prefer the relative safety of his upcoming exhibition, which opens next month at Lilac Gallery, 144 5th Avenue, Floor 2, in the Flatiron District.

More than 25 photos just as crazy as this one will be on display, showing the layers of contaminants that still pollute the Superfund site, which the Brooklyn-born and current East Village artist was drawn to after witnessing a oil eruption there in 2010, according to Citylab.

“I would sit there on the side of the canal, and what looked like a giant painting by Monet would be there in front of me hovering on the surface of the water,” he says of the project on the gallery’s site.

You can check out the show at its opening reception on November 2 from 7-9pm.

Photo by Steven Hirsch