July 24, 2012 - September 9, 2012
Artist’s reception: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

We were as green as could be, and like other Impact officers I hit the ground running with little to no knowledge of how to operate on the street. Yet we were expected to … solve family disputes, console the parents of murdered children, and entertain the neighborhood drunk.
- Antonio Bolfo

New York, NY—On July 24th, Antonio Bolfo’s photo exhibit of rookie police officers charged with patrolling a South Bronx housing project will open at The Half King. Bolfo undertook this photo project as an NYPD insider—for two years he worked in a police program called Operation Impact. With only six months of academic training, he and his confederates had to conduct manhunts, defend the helpless, and supply emotional succor to victims of violence.

On opening night, Antonio and Ed Conlon, former NYPD detective and author of Blue Blood, will moderate a slideshow and discussion of Antonio’s work.

“Antonio’s photos show domestic soldiers sent to an urban battleground with limited training and no hands-on experience,” says curator Anna Van Lenten. “By making mistakes, Impact officers learned—but not without collateral damage to their psyches and those they were meant to protect. Out of such violence and stress, Antonio has captured his fellow officers’ humanity.”

The Half King Photography Series is dedicated to showing exceptional documentary photography. In tandem with its reading series, it fosters a dialog between photographers and writers that underscores the importance of their relationship. Co-curating its photography series are James Price, photo editor at Newsweek, and Anna Van Lenten, writer and editor.

Antonio Bolfo was born and raised in New York City. He grew up drawing and painting and attended Rhode Island School of Design. For four years he did animation work on Playstation games, then left to join the police force. In 2009 he graduated from ICP’s Photojournalism program. He has published his photography widely and won many awards, most recently the 2012 Marty Forscher fellowship. He is based in New York City and represented by Reportage by Getty Images.