From an excellent interview on Shane Lavelette's blog:
"It’s a little bit of a false sense of democratization, what’s happening. I think what’s happened is that it’s gotten much, much worse. There are really just a few people now that get recognized. They’re young people that get out of grad school and there are these vultures of the commercial art market that choose these particular artists. They get the shows, they get published and everyone else is ignored."
- Mike Mandel
Monday, November 9, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Max Dolberg - Bloodwork: Sleeves
Copyright Max Dolberg
San Diego-based photographer, Max Dolberg is releasing his second book of Tattoo photography, titled Bloodwork: Sleeves and has a show that opened yesterday at Anno Domini Gallery in San Jose. If you can't make it, check out his blog, where there are shots of his very crowded opening.
California Represents in Critical Mass
The 50 finalists and 5 book award finalists were announced for this year's Critical Mass.
Big Congratulations to the California Photographers selected, some of which have been already featured** on WCST. The rest are hopefully to follow.
(Please let me know if I missed any)
Victor Cobo
Mitch Dobrowner
Ed Freeman**
Simone Lueck**
Brad Moore**
Big Congratulations to the California Photographers selected, some of which have been already featured** on WCST. The rest are hopefully to follow.
(Please let me know if I missed any)
Victor Cobo
Mitch Dobrowner
Ed Freeman**
Simone Lueck**
Brad Moore**
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Current Shows @ California Museum of Photography
My first reaction last year when I found out about this place was, "There's a California Museum of Photography?!"
Why, yes, there is. It's at UC Riverside, which I realize is a bit out of town, but why not head out to Joshua Tree for the weekend and use this to break up the drive halfway through?
Their shows always look interesting and two that are on right now particularly caught my eye:
Smoke and Mirrors: The Magic of the Autochrome
September 26, 2009 - January 02, 2010
Olindo O. Ceccarini
Pictures from potatoes? Before mass produced subtractive color film became available in the 1930’s, the Autochrome was the favorite color method of professional photographers and amateur artists. First sold in 1907, and invented by the Lumière brothers, simultaneous inventors of the moving picture with Edison, the Autochrome process used miniscule grains of potato starch dyed red, blue, and green to create a chromatic screen through which to capture color with an ease never before possible. Often compared with the works of Impressionist painters, the starch grains lend a vague and painterly aspect to the images. The result is a one of a kind glass plate of striking beauty and muted, smoky color. UCR/California Museum of Photography collection contains several examples of these early twentieth century images taken by Californian photographers, such as Will Connell of Los Angeles and W. Edwin Gledhill of Santa Barbara. Smoke and Mirrors invites viewers to experience these lovely and haunting images of a time before color.
OPEN SOURCE: Lisa Oppenheim
September 26, 2009 - January 02, 2010
Lisa Oppenheim
For the project Killed Negatives: After Walker Evans, the artist accessed Walker Evans' Depression-era negatives, now part of the Farm Security Administration photographic archive in the Library of Congress. From 1935 to 1943, the FSA hired artists to photograph the effects of the Great Depression and publicize government-sponsored initiatives that changed land use and purported to improve the living and working conditions of impoverished migrant farmers, sharecroppers, and tenants. The photographs that Evans, and fellow photographers, made were largely responsible for a visual and social consciousness of the economic conditions of that time. The FSA artists sent out on assignment would ship their film back to Washington D.C. for processing. The editing of images, led by Roy Stryker, often involved "killing" negatives that he deemed unfit to print by punching holes through them. This gesture, as evidenced by the language assigned to it, is a violent one; it is also particularly poignant as the holes often cut through the bodies of the already-vulnerable people who were documented.
Working with these "undesirable" and largely unseen negatives, Oppenheim pairs a copy of a killed Evans print with a contemporary color photograph that contains only the circle of information that she imagines might have been extracted. Her work sets up a visual dialogue between the 1930s and the present day. This is a gesture and set of concerns that seems strikingly relevant, as current economic conditions are repeatedly compared to those of the Great Depression.
Oh, and also on view is Lewis Baltz's Park City Portfolio.
Why, yes, there is. It's at UC Riverside, which I realize is a bit out of town, but why not head out to Joshua Tree for the weekend and use this to break up the drive halfway through?
Their shows always look interesting and two that are on right now particularly caught my eye:
Smoke and Mirrors: The Magic of the Autochrome
September 26, 2009 - January 02, 2010
Olindo O. Ceccarini
Pictures from potatoes? Before mass produced subtractive color film became available in the 1930’s, the Autochrome was the favorite color method of professional photographers and amateur artists. First sold in 1907, and invented by the Lumière brothers, simultaneous inventors of the moving picture with Edison, the Autochrome process used miniscule grains of potato starch dyed red, blue, and green to create a chromatic screen through which to capture color with an ease never before possible. Often compared with the works of Impressionist painters, the starch grains lend a vague and painterly aspect to the images. The result is a one of a kind glass plate of striking beauty and muted, smoky color. UCR/California Museum of Photography collection contains several examples of these early twentieth century images taken by Californian photographers, such as Will Connell of Los Angeles and W. Edwin Gledhill of Santa Barbara. Smoke and Mirrors invites viewers to experience these lovely and haunting images of a time before color.
OPEN SOURCE: Lisa Oppenheim
September 26, 2009 - January 02, 2010
Lisa Oppenheim
For the project Killed Negatives: After Walker Evans, the artist accessed Walker Evans' Depression-era negatives, now part of the Farm Security Administration photographic archive in the Library of Congress. From 1935 to 1943, the FSA hired artists to photograph the effects of the Great Depression and publicize government-sponsored initiatives that changed land use and purported to improve the living and working conditions of impoverished migrant farmers, sharecroppers, and tenants. The photographs that Evans, and fellow photographers, made were largely responsible for a visual and social consciousness of the economic conditions of that time. The FSA artists sent out on assignment would ship their film back to Washington D.C. for processing. The editing of images, led by Roy Stryker, often involved "killing" negatives that he deemed unfit to print by punching holes through them. This gesture, as evidenced by the language assigned to it, is a violent one; it is also particularly poignant as the holes often cut through the bodies of the already-vulnerable people who were documented.
Working with these "undesirable" and largely unseen negatives, Oppenheim pairs a copy of a killed Evans print with a contemporary color photograph that contains only the circle of information that she imagines might have been extracted. Her work sets up a visual dialogue between the 1930s and the present day. This is a gesture and set of concerns that seems strikingly relevant, as current economic conditions are repeatedly compared to those of the Great Depression.
Oh, and also on view is Lewis Baltz's Park City Portfolio.
Saturday Symposium: New Topographics
LACMA's hosting a symposium on New Topographics this Saturday from 11-4. Looks pretty fascinating:
What’s at Stake?
New Topographics: Photography and the
Man-Altered Landscape
11:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
11:30 a.m. Session 1—The Question of Curatorial Reenactment
On the occasion of the re-staging at LACMA of the 1975 exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man Altered Landscape, the morning session will address what the reenactment of exhibitions can mean within a museum setting. Participants include Douglas Crimp, Professor, Department of Art & Art History, University of Rochester and curator of the original 1977 exhibition Pictures, Philipp Kaiser, Curator, MOCA and co-curator of the forthcoming exhibition Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1977, and Britt Salvesen, Department Head and Curator of Prints and Drawings and the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and organizing curator of the touring exhibition New Topographics. The conversation will be moderated by Richard Meyer, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, USC and Director of The Contemporary Project.
1:00 p.m. Break
2:00 p.m. Session 2—Learning from New Topographics
The afternoon session will address the importance of New Topographics from the perspective of environmental impact, architecture, and urban history. The panel will question how many of the issues of the 1970s have returned in our present moment, and how they resonate in Los Angeles. Participants include Matthew Coolidge, founder and Director of the Center for Land Use Interpretation, Christopher Hawthorne, Architecture Critic, Los Angeles Times, and Norman Klein, Professor, Critical Studies Department, California Institute of the Arts and author of The History of Forgetting: Los Angeles and the Erasure of Memory. The conversation will be moderated by Edward Robinson, Associate Curator, Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography.
3:30 p.m. Special Preview Screening—excerpt from Learning from Bob and Denise
The symposium will conclude with a brief presentation by Jim Venturi, followed by the screening of a preview clip from his forthcoming documentary Learning from Bob and Denise, about his parents the architecture team Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
Tickets: $10 general admission, $7 museum members, seniors (62+), $5 student
What’s at Stake?
New Topographics: Photography and the
Man-Altered Landscape
11:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
11:30 a.m. Session 1—The Question of Curatorial Reenactment
On the occasion of the re-staging at LACMA of the 1975 exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man Altered Landscape, the morning session will address what the reenactment of exhibitions can mean within a museum setting. Participants include Douglas Crimp, Professor, Department of Art & Art History, University of Rochester and curator of the original 1977 exhibition Pictures, Philipp Kaiser, Curator, MOCA and co-curator of the forthcoming exhibition Ends of the Earth: Land Art to 1977, and Britt Salvesen, Department Head and Curator of Prints and Drawings and the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department and organizing curator of the touring exhibition New Topographics. The conversation will be moderated by Richard Meyer, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, USC and Director of The Contemporary Project.
1:00 p.m. Break
2:00 p.m. Session 2—Learning from New Topographics
The afternoon session will address the importance of New Topographics from the perspective of environmental impact, architecture, and urban history. The panel will question how many of the issues of the 1970s have returned in our present moment, and how they resonate in Los Angeles. Participants include Matthew Coolidge, founder and Director of the Center for Land Use Interpretation, Christopher Hawthorne, Architecture Critic, Los Angeles Times, and Norman Klein, Professor, Critical Studies Department, California Institute of the Arts and author of The History of Forgetting: Los Angeles and the Erasure of Memory. The conversation will be moderated by Edward Robinson, Associate Curator, Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography.
3:30 p.m. Special Preview Screening—excerpt from Learning from Bob and Denise
The symposium will conclude with a brief presentation by Jim Venturi, followed by the screening of a preview clip from his forthcoming documentary Learning from Bob and Denise, about his parents the architecture team Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.
Tickets: $10 general admission, $7 museum members, seniors (62+), $5 student
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Feature - Jesse Chehak
All three of Jesse Chehak's series are worth checking out thoroughly, including his great graphic series, Autos, but it was his Fool's Gold that really caught my attention for a feature. Jesse is originally from Tarzana and now lives in New Mexico, where he represents that state for The 50 States Project, which you should also check out. California is represented by Jeremy and Claire Weiss.
As far as I can tell, Fools Gold contains images of the western third or so of the US inspired by writings of old on the frontier.
He writes:
I have been exploring the American West on a photographic vision quest of sorts, using history and the words of those before me as a guide.
I've chosen to highlight CA shots but make sure to see the whole series.
Towards Sequoia Park, California
Hollywood, California
San Luis Obispo, California
San Bernadino, Calfornia
San Andreas Fault, California
Near Three Rivers, California
As far as I can tell, Fools Gold contains images of the western third or so of the US inspired by writings of old on the frontier.
He writes:
I have been exploring the American West on a photographic vision quest of sorts, using history and the words of those before me as a guide.
I've chosen to highlight CA shots but make sure to see the whole series.
Towards Sequoia Park, California
Hollywood, California
(Does this one remind anyone else of Jeff Wall's Outside a Nightclub minus the unecessary budget and timeframe?)
San Luis Obispo, California
San Bernadino, Calfornia
San Andreas Fault, California
Near Three Rivers, California
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Two shows - Peter Fetterman Gallery
Jean Philippe Charbonnier Bettina, La Plus Belle Vitrune, Place Vendome, Paris 1953
Two shows are going on concurrently and through March 7th 2010 at Peter Fetterman Gallery.
The first is Lillian Bassman: Women, which highlights over 50 images from this 93 year old photographer (why do most photographers seem to live into their 90's?). Most of these were taken ebtween 1940 and 1960 for Harper's Bazaar.
Continuing with the fashion theme, The Face of Fashion features work by Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, Hoyningen-Huene, William Klein, Louis Faurer, Douglas Kirkland, Barry Lategan, Eve Arnold, Georges Dambier, and Jean Phillipe Charbonnier, among others.
Peter Fetterman Gallery
2525 Michigan Avenue #A7
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Monday, October 26, 2009
Minter
In case you missed the opening or if you're just curious to get a better idea of what the Marylin Minter show up at Regen Projects is about, The Flog documented it for you here.
I was most struck by how painterly some of the pieces felt (due to a lack of focus used to nice effect) and by the strange resin she'd covered some of them with. Definitely worth checking out.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Quote of the week - Henry Wessel
Copyright Henry Wessel
In honor of the opening of New Topographics at LACMA this Sunday:
- Henry Wessel
Holy Crap! VC for JB
This one is right up my alley, having done my MBA (just one letter off from an MFA, right?) and specialized in entrepreneurship. It turns out Jen Bekman's 20x200 just received $800k in first round start-up financing. Man, I'd kill to get my hands on this business plan.
This leaves me wondering:
a) how much Jen put down and what percentage she retained - $ 200k would net her 20% of her business for example.
b) since when do people invest in art galleries, online or otherwise?
c) how could she really grow this business and what does she need the capital for, when expenses are all post-sale and her "storefront" outside of the gallery space is virtual and seems to run just fine (I'm sure the investors have good answers to this question).
d) Does this mean Hey Hot Shot entry fees will be waived in the future? :)
Speaking of HHS, the deadline is this Tuesday so get editing.
UPDATE: Todd Walker brought my attention to this NYT blog post also. Thanks!
This leaves me wondering:
a) how much Jen put down and what percentage she retained - $ 200k would net her 20% of her business for example.
b) since when do people invest in art galleries, online or otherwise?
c) how could she really grow this business and what does she need the capital for, when expenses are all post-sale and her "storefront" outside of the gallery space is virtual and seems to run just fine (I'm sure the investors have good answers to this question).
d) Does this mean Hey Hot Shot entry fees will be waived in the future? :)
Speaking of HHS, the deadline is this Tuesday so get editing.
UPDATE: Todd Walker brought my attention to this NYT blog post also. Thanks!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Saturday Openings - One more
Brewery Walk, Classes & Free Print @ Translight
To coincide with the upcoming bi-annual Brewery ArtWalk this weekend, Translight Colors is giving away a free 8x10 this Sat. & Sun. from 11am - 6pm. Just bring in your file prepped to that size at 300 dpi and they'll print one from their Epson 9800 beast, which they also rent out at a price I guarantee you beats any lab in town.
Translight is the last remaining lab where you can rent out B&W or Color darkrooms by the hour and they've also got you digitally covered with that Epson and a Nikon Super Coolscan 9000ED.
Also, they'll be hosting some super interesting classes coming up shortly at very affordable rates:
LITH PRINTING AND TONING WORKSHOP
Instructor: Francesca di Leo
Dates/Times: Sundays, Nov 8, 15, 22, & Dec 6 from 11am-2:30pm (14hrs total)
Workshop Fee: $200 + $140 lab fee
Location: Translight Photography Center
In this four week workshop, students will explore the world of Lith printing and a whole new way to express themselves artistically. Attendees will learn how to “expose for the highlights and develop for the shadows”, which is the basic principle in Lith printing. The last day of the workshop will involve toning previously printed Lith prints to really evoke a mood and bring greater depth to the image. All students who attend this class should have a basic knowledge of traditional black in white printing.
Platinum/Palladium and Cyanotype Alternative Processes Workshop
INSTRUCTOR: Norma Smith
DATE: Sat 11am-2pm, October 31 - December 12
No class 11/28
code: ALT-PP-Oct
CLASS FEE: $335.00 Plus $100 Lab Fee
This six-week workshop offers students hands-on experience in print making using both processes. Students will learn how to choose the best negative contrast, and how to coat, expose, and process his or her paper or fabric. Since both techniques are contact printing processes and require negatives the same size as the desired print, there will be a demonstration of traditional darkroom techniques for making enlarged negatives, as well as a discussion of making negatives digitally using ink jet printers. This highly experimental workshop will provide participants with a basic understanding of the platinum/palladium and cyanotype mediums and the ability to use each in order to add new spice to their images.
Translight is the last remaining lab where you can rent out B&W or Color darkrooms by the hour and they've also got you digitally covered with that Epson and a Nikon Super Coolscan 9000ED.
Also, they'll be hosting some super interesting classes coming up shortly at very affordable rates:
LITH PRINTING AND TONING WORKSHOP
Instructor: Francesca di Leo
Dates/Times: Sundays, Nov 8, 15, 22, & Dec 6 from 11am-2:30pm (14hrs total)
Workshop Fee: $200 + $140 lab fee
Location: Translight Photography Center
In this four week workshop, students will explore the world of Lith printing and a whole new way to express themselves artistically. Attendees will learn how to “expose for the highlights and develop for the shadows”, which is the basic principle in Lith printing. The last day of the workshop will involve toning previously printed Lith prints to really evoke a mood and bring greater depth to the image. All students who attend this class should have a basic knowledge of traditional black in white printing.
Platinum/Palladium and Cyanotype Alternative Processes Workshop
INSTRUCTOR: Norma Smith
DATE: Sat 11am-2pm, October 31 - December 12
No class 11/28
code: ALT-PP-Oct
CLASS FEE: $335.00 Plus $100 Lab Fee
This six-week workshop offers students hands-on experience in print making using both processes. Students will learn how to choose the best negative contrast, and how to coat, expose, and process his or her paper or fabric. Since both techniques are contact printing processes and require negatives the same size as the desired print, there will be a demonstration of traditional darkroom techniques for making enlarged negatives, as well as a discussion of making negatives digitally using ink jet printers. This highly experimental workshop will provide participants with a basic understanding of the platinum/palladium and cyanotype mediums and the ability to use each in order to add new spice to their images.
Saturday Openings Galore!
Yes, things have been a bit quiet here on the blog front due to a nasty cold I've been battling and also because not a whole lot has been going on. As I'm sure you can tell by my barage of posts today, all that seems to have changed.
This Saturday we've got two (three?) great openings in store and I'll be at both if anyone would like to say hello or make a field trip out of it. They're across the street from one another too.
First up is Marylin Minter at Regen Projects from 6-8pm.
Regen Projects and Regen Projects II
633 N Almont Drive and 9016 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Tel. (310) 276-5424
Copyright Marylin Minter
Then, head across the street to M+B Gallery from 7-9pm to see Mona Kuhn's new series, Native, which was shot in her native Brazil.
M+B
612 North Almont Drive
Los Angeles, California 90069
Tel (310) 550 0050
Copyright Mona Kuhn
Bonus: While there's no word of an opening on Kopeikin's site, they typically do have opening receptions on Saturdays so I'm quite sure you can then walk just one block down from M+B to catch the opening of Susan Anderson's High Glitz at Kopeikin.
Kopeikin Gallery
8810 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA. 90069
(310) 385-5894 tel
Copyright Susan Anderson
That's right, folks. Three openings within walking distance. It's like Chelsea in LA. Who's in?
This Saturday we've got two (three?) great openings in store and I'll be at both if anyone would like to say hello or make a field trip out of it. They're across the street from one another too.
First up is Marylin Minter at Regen Projects from 6-8pm.
Regen Projects and Regen Projects II
633 N Almont Drive and 9016 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Tel. (310) 276-5424
Copyright Marylin Minter
Then, head across the street to M+B Gallery from 7-9pm to see Mona Kuhn's new series, Native, which was shot in her native Brazil.
M+B
612 North Almont Drive
Los Angeles, California 90069
Tel (310) 550 0050
Copyright Mona Kuhn
Bonus: While there's no word of an opening on Kopeikin's site, they typically do have opening receptions on Saturdays so I'm quite sure you can then walk just one block down from M+B to catch the opening of Susan Anderson's High Glitz at Kopeikin.
Kopeikin Gallery
8810 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA. 90069
(310) 385-5894 tel
Copyright Susan Anderson
That's right, folks. Three openings within walking distance. It's like Chelsea in LA. Who's in?
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