In ‘Passerby,’ an Artist Documents Women’s Lives One Photo at a Time

A decade ago Clémence Polès Farhang began “Passerby,” an online collection of photographs and interviews with women she met in public. Expecting the project might feel outdated by 2026, she instead brought the digital archive into a physical gallery for her first solo show, “Can I Come Over and Take Your Picture?,” a three-day exhibition at Slip House in the East Village that closed on Feb.

18; an abridged version will remain on view into the spring. Her series includes more than 300 subjects from New York, London, Paris and Los Angeles, ranging from women she noticed in passing to artists such as Laurie Simmons and Shirin Neshat. Simmons said the portraits “kind of catch you by surprise,” and Neshat, photographed barefoot at her dining table beside roses and bamboo, said she liked the picture because it captured a moment.

The largest framed work at Slip House was of Lexii Foxx, and a third-floor wall displayed a collage of 182 small prints that revealed a recurrent image of women reclining on beds or couches.

United States, East Village

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