The Exposure Project

Au Revoir

2011-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

So, after more than five years, The Exposure Project has decided to disband to work on personal projects. Over the past year, life has accelerated, leaving an inadequate amount of time to dedicate to the project. We are really proud of what we have accomplished, but it is time to move on.

We would like to thank everyone who tuned in, supported and collaborated with us over the years. Your encouragement and readership is what made The Exposure Project so rewarding. We will always be grateful for that.

The blog will be kept up as an archive for those who still want to access it. The website, however, will be taken down in the coming weeks.

So long and see you around!

-Ben Alper & Anastasia Cazabon

Scot Sothern:New Year's Eve Dance/Party 1975-Tallahasse,FL

2010-12-30T23:26:00.000-08:00

All images ©Scott Sothern

Kim Katz:Ropes.

2010-12-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

See more of her work here. images © Kim Katz

Recent work by Justin James Reed.

2010-12-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

see more work here

All Images © Justin James Reed.

Photos from the Justice & Police Museum collection.

2010-12-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

I know nothing about these portraits but what I do gather is that they are mug shots from the 1920's .I found them here

Marianne Mueller: M-Portraits

2010-12-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

In 1999 Marianne Mueller photographed the men and women of Migros, Switzerland's largest Supermarket and largest employer.

You can see more of her work here

All images © Marianne Mueller

Alexis Vasilikos.

2010-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

see more work here

Bill Sullivan: Touch screen.

2010-12-15T20:15:00.000-08:00

See more here www.billsullivanworks.com

Photography Ads via ZOOM Magazine 1972...

2010-12-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Mark Bradford

2010-11-29T12:11:00.003-08:00

Wow, I recently went to the ICA in Boston and was blown away by Bradford’s work. His large-scale abstract paintings and collages are truly amazing to see in-person. Bradford uses a wide range of materials to construct his cartographic-like collages and installations. If you live in the Boston area… SEE THE SHOW!!

You can see more about Bradford and his work at PBS Art21

He is represented by Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in NY

Murray Ballard

2010-11-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

The subject matter in Murray Ballard’s current project, The Prospect of Immortality, an investigation into cryonics, is incredibly fascinating. Ballard’s work about the technology used in preserving the dead - for possible revival in the future, starts off with a quote from The Impossible Dream by Charles Platt

“The dream of escaping mortality has tantalized humanity for thousands of years. It occurs in all primitive cultures and modern religions… Cleary, there is a natural human yearning to transcend the limits imposed on us by our physical form.” Charles Platt, The Impossible Dream

Murray Ballard is a documentary photographer based in Brighton, UK.

You can see more of Murray Ballard’s work at http://www.murrayballard.com/

Joey Tipton

2010-11-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of having Joey Tipton visit one of my classes to speak about his work. I’ve heard Joey lecture before, so I wasn’t surprised at how interested my students became when they saw his work. Tipton’s photographs are a refreshing new look at contemporary landscape. His use of the camera shows a photographer struggling to construct his own unique visual language. Lucky for him and for us he’s able to do this in a highly intelligent and thought provoking way. His inexhaustible need to photograph, often verging on the side of insanity, comes through in the amount of film he shoots. Tipton’s photographs are usually heavily constructed without any remorse for doing so. As Tipton is often heard switching the two terms taking photographs and building photographs. He prides himself on his uncanny ability to do so.

You can see more of Joey Tipton's work at http://www.joeytipton.com

Michael Cardinali

2010-11-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

In my opinion Michael Cardinali is a photographer’s photographer. His dedication to the medium and limitless ability to see the world in new ways is inspiring. Cardinali embodies all the virtues that one would imagine a photographer to have. His diverse body of work reflects a romantic, contemplative and thoughtful way of looking at the world around him. When looking at Cardinali’s work I am reminded of Robert Frost’s poetry which was critiqued in the Anthology of Modern Poetry (Oxford University Press) where it is mentioned that behind a sometimes charmingly familiar and rural façade, Frost's poetry frequently presents pessimistic and menacing undertones which are often unrecognized.

Here is a selection of Cardinali’s work including one from his most recent project on the Arnold Arboretum where he writes, "It’s a complicated place where order and unencumbered growth exist atop one another, reflecting the way we live in a dance between different if not entirely opposite forces".

You can see more of Michael Cardinali's work at http://www.cardinaliphoto.com/

Excited To Be Aboard

2010-11-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have been a fan of the Exposure Project for a few years now, so when I was asked to join the team I was really excited to work with everyone. Since graduating from MassArt in 2009, I have been teaching a variety of photography courses both in New York and Massachusetts. Commuting hundreds of miles a week is not ideal, but for the time being…it's what has to be done. Like so many of you know, it’s not always easy making new work in this crazy schedule we call “life”. Throughout the course of this week and next, I’d like to introduce you to some of the creative people that continually inspire me to pick up my camera and head out the door in search of more pictures.

-Phil Jung

Update + New Collaborators!

2010-11-15T19:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Many of you have probably been wondering what has become of The Exposure Project. Over the last six months, we have taken a necessary hiatus to work on personal projects and to do some restructuring. We are now happy to report that we are officially back with some exciting programming lined up for the coming months. In addition, we are now working with two new collaborators, Aaron McElroy and Phil Jung. We are really excited to have them both on board and wanted to take a moment to introduce their work to you here.

© Aaron McElroy

© Phil Jung

Regular posting to the blog will resume this week. As a means of highlighting our distinct artistic interests, each of us will take up a week long posting stint. Phil Jung will kick things off this week, followed by Aaron McElroy, Anastasia Cazabon and finally Ben Alper. After this point, and in an effort to further the collaborative mission of this project, the blog content will be contributed weekly by a different guest poster. If you have any interest in being a contributor yourself, please send a CV and a sample of your writing to exposureprojectphoto@gmail.com.

We are also currently working diligently on the preparations for our fifth Exposure Project publication. Further details and submission guidelines will be announced shortly. Also stayed tuned for exciting news regarding Graphic Intersections v. 02!

Soo Kim

2010-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

After a long and much needed hiatus, I'm going to try to return to a more normal posting schedule. To kick things off again, I thought I'd share some of Soo Kim's work.

© Soo Kim

© Soo Kim

© Soo Kim

© Soo Kim

© Soo Kim

Graphic Intersections & The Portrait As Allegory at the Umbrage Gallery

2010-04-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

THE EXPOSURE PROJECT & UMBRAGE EDITIONS PRESENT:
Graphic Intersections and The Portrait As Allegory
Curated by Ben Alper & Anastasia Cazabon

© Grant Willing

Graphic Intersections & The Portrait As Allegory
May 4th - June 26th, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 6th, 6 - 8pm

Umbrage Gallery
111 Front Street, Suite 208
DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Graphic Intersections is a collaborative project loosely based on the old Surrealist and Dadaist game The Exquisite Corpse. Designed to unite disparate artists in an interconnected photographic relay of images inspired by one another, or as the Surrealists put it, to exploit “the mystique of accident”, this project strives to emphasize a system of response entirely rooted in unmediated visual reaction.

This exhibition includes photographs by Ben Alper, Anastasia Cazabon, Thomas Damgaard, Scott Eiden, Grant Ernhart, Jon Feinstein, Elizabeth Fleming, Alan George, Hee Jin Kang, Drew Kelly, Michael Marcelle, Chris Mottalini, Ed Panar, Bradley Peters, Cara Phillips, Noel Rodo-Vankeulen, Irina Rozovsky, Brea Souders, Jane Tam and Grant Willing.

© Susan Worsham

The Portrait As Allegory is an exhibition that examines the work of three artists who utilize the figure metaphorically in service of a broader discourse on the human experience. In addition to exploring the personal identities of their subjects, these portraits simultaneously become vehicles which speak to a variety of social, historical, and familial histories.

This exhibition includes photographs by Timothy Briner, Birthe Piontek and Susan Worsham.

To see more from Graphic Intersections, please visit our website. We hope to see you at the opening in May!

Lauren Edwards

2010-04-07T10:07:00.001-07:00

Our good friend Lauren Edwards recently launched her website. Show some support and check it out!

© Lauren Edwards

Daniel Schumann's Elisabeth und Wilhelm

2010-03-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Daniel Schumann's project Elisabeth und Wilhelm unites contemporary portraiture of his grandfather and images taken from family photo albums. The transition from the appropriated imagery to the more mediated photographs doesn't always feel fluid and intuitive, however, regardless this series is a compelling examination of familial heritage seen through two distinctly different photographic tacks.

From Elisabeth und Wilhelm
© Daniel Schumann

From Elisabeth und Wilhelm
© Daniel Schumann

From Elisabeth und Wilhelm
© Daniel Schumann

From Elisabeth und Wilhelm
© Daniel Schumann

From Elisabeth und Wilhelm
© Daniel Schumann

Mariah Robertson

2010-03-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Work from Mariah Robertson. See more here.

© Mariah Robertson

© Mariah Robertson

© Mariah Robertson

© Mariah Robertson

© Mariah Robertson

Seth Price

2010-03-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

A few issues ago, Blindspot featured Seth Price's series of laser-cut silhouettes. Gleaned from generic google image searches, these pieces recall Sherrie Levine's series of silhouette collages of American presidents (example here). The text below was taken from a press release for Price's recent exhibition at Friedrich Petzel:

1. A computer search for the most basic terms: 'eating', 'drinking', 'writing', 'touching', 'mother,' etc. The result might be a digital image, a "jpeg", for example. The image depicts human interaction: people kissing, someone being fed, a person laying a hand on another's shoulder. The situation is familiar, but not necessarily clear. At one point this was a photograph, now shrunken, squeezed through the eye of the needle, its information digitally compressed for easy circulation and distribution. It appears as a tiny, lapidary screen image, though we know that if enlarged it will slip away, its edges decaying as the effects of compression become evident.

2. This image is not used, in favor of the area around the image, the negative space, excess, that which lies between the figures.

3. Then, an industrial process: massive enlargement, computer-controlled cutting, woods, plastics, metal. A design process, the fabrication of a "look and feel" that had not previously existed.

© Seth Price

© Seth Price

© Seth Price

© Seth Price

© Seth Price

Asger Carlsen

2010-03-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Asger Carlsen, a Danish photographer based in New York, constructs truly bizarre, often off-putting images that strike an odd balance between candid snapshot photography and digital intervention. You can read an interview with him, conducted for Too Much Chocolate, here.

From the series Wrong
© Asger Carlsen

From the series Wrong
© Asger Carlsen

From the series Wrong
© Asger Carlsen

From the series Wrong
© Asger Carlsen

From the series Wrong
© Asger Carlsen

Indre Serpytyte's Former NKVD - MVD - MGB - KGB Buildings

2010-03-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

Indre Serpytyte's Former NKVD - MVD - MGB - KGB Buildings explores the KGB interrogation and torture buildings utilized during the Cold War. In the statement for the work, she asserts:

"In 1944 a Cold War began, a war that was brutal, inhumane. A war that has now been almost forgotten. The Western powers continued to consider the occupation of the Baltic and Eastern Countries by the Stalinist powers to be illegal despite the post war conferences that had recognized the borders of the USSR. Hidden behind the Iron Curtain, the occupation of the Soviet block continued for 50 years and destroyed the lives of millions.

It is estimated that there were at least 20 million deaths. Many believe that the real figure is closer to 60 million.

Despite not receiving any backing from the West, the partisans’ resistance fought against the Soviet regime. These partisans had to abandon both their families and homes and seek sanctuary in the forests. In numerous villages and towns, domestic dwellings were attained by KGB officers for use as control centres, interrogation, imprisonment and torture. These homely spaces were converted into places of terror. As a result the forest not only became the place of refuge but also the place of mass graves.

The most active and forceful resistance came from the Lithuanian ‘forest brothers’, which lasted for 10 years."

"24 Vilniaus street Aukstadvaris"
© Indre Serpytyte

"14 Baznycios street Lentvaris"
© Indre Serpytyte

"15 Gelvonu street - Musninkai"
© Indre Serpytyte

"6 Centrine Square - Onuskis"
© Indre Serpytyte

"3 Geliu street - Rudiskes"
© Indre Serpytyte

Curran Hatleberg

2010-03-14T16:00:00.001-07:00

Below is some work from Curran Hatleberg. You can see more here.

© Curran Hatleberg

© Curran Hatleberg

© Curran Hatleberg

© Curran Hatleberg

© Curran Hatleberg

Vernacular: #06

2010-03-11T11:15:00.001-08:00

Photographer Unknown

Yvonne Lacet

2010-03-09T22:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting on this blog in recent weeks. My days have become increasingly busier, which has subsequently made sharing new work rather difficult. Anyways, I thought I'd pass along the work of Dutch artist Yvonne Lacet.

"Virtual Relief, 2009"
© Yvonne Lacet

"Creation, 2009"
© Yvonne Lacet

"Virtual Relief, 2009"
© Yvonne Lacet

"Patterns #1, 2008"
© Yvonne Lacet

"Punched black circles, 2008"
© Yvonne Lacet

Walid Raad & The Atlas Group

2010-03-03T10:51:00.001-08:00

I've been meaning to post Walid Raad's work for some time now. Coincidentally, while recently browsing I Heart Photograph, I encountered his images again. Raad also heads up The Atlas Group Archive - "a project established in 1999 to research and document the contemporary history of Lebanon."

© Walid Raad

© Walid Raad

© Walid Raad

© Walid Raad

© Walid Raad

Matthieu Lavanchy

2010-03-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

More work from Swiss artist Matthieu Lavanchy (previously mentioned on this blog here).

© Matthieu Lavanchy

© Matthieu Lavanchy

© Matthieu Lavanchy

© Matthieu Lavanchy

© Matthieu Lavanchy

Chad Muthard's No Mistake

2010-02-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying Chad Muthard's project No Mistake quite a bit lately. The anecdotal piece of writing that accompanies the work reads:

"My brother Steven and I were walking along the train tracks by the river - four, maybe five years ago - seeing who could keep their balance the longest. One foot in front of the other, when he turned to me and said, "I bet you I could throw a stone a hundred feet." I thought to myself for an instant that such an act was of little accomplishment and replied back contemptuously with "One hundred feet exactly?" He jumped off the rail and walked over to the side of the tracks. The determination in his eyes grew with confident resolution as he chose a stone from the ballast, roughly three quarters the size of a baseball. Without a single glance back in my direction, I swear I heard him mumble under his breath, "No more, no less..."

From No Mistake
© Chad Muthard

From No Mistake
© Chad Muthard

From No Mistake
© Chad Muthard

From No Mistake
© Chad Muthard

From No Mistake
© Chad Muthard

Angela Strassheim's Evidence

2010-02-27T14:01:00.001-08:00

Angela Strassheim's project Evidence hybridizes aspects of criminology and photography into an eerie, often visually savage body of work. In the press release for her recent exhibition at Marvelli Gallery, it states:

"Long after the struggles ended in these spaces, despite the cleaning, repainting and subsequent re-habitation of the rooms, the "Blue Star" solution is capable of activating the physical memory of blood through its contact with remaining proteins on the walls. Long exposures- from ten minutes to one hour- with minimal ambient night light pouring in from the crevices of windows and doors, capture the physical presence of blood as a lurid glow: a constellation of stars embedded in the walls.

Through a long and painstaking research process, Angela mapped out the exact locations where violent, often horrific crimes were perpetrated. She convinced new owners and tenants, some unaware of the violent history of their residences, to revisit the unnoticed, unseen past. Angela captures the tracing of a final struggle through the hard evidence of a violent moment, thereby revealing the silent yet omniscient memory of everyday living spaces. The physical result of her work is a series of luscious, large black and white prints, which attract the viewer like stills from a film noir with their eerie seduction and mysterious quality. Ultimately, these images are honest and true to the original space; they make visible, once again, the traces of violence and death that took place in those spaces in a forgotten past."

"Evidence No. 1, 2008"
© Angela Strassheim

"Evidence No. 2, 2009"
© Angela Strassheim

"Evidence No. 5, 2009"
© Angela Strassheim

"Evidence No. 3, 2009"
© Angela Strassheim

"Evidence No. 4, 2009"
© Angela Strassheim

The Photography Post

2010-02-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

The good people over at The Photography Post asked me to contribute a piece about The Exposure Project for this week's content. You can view the feature here.

Thanks to Kate and Rachel for the opportunity!

Vernacular: #05

2010-02-25T10:20:00.001-08:00

Photographer Unknown

Graphic Intersections v. 02: Photographers Announced

2010-02-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

After spending the last month painstakingly reviewing submissions for Graphic Intersections v. 02, it's with great pleasure that Anastasia and I announce the final list of participating artists:

Peter Happel Christian

We would like to congratulate everyone who was selected. In addition, we would like to thank everyone who submitted to, or supported this project along the way.

Stay tuned for further updates...

Penelope Umbrico Lecture

2010-02-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

2010 CCNY LECTURE SERIES

Penelope Umbrico

Thursday, February 18, 7pm
The School of Visual Arts Amphitheatre
209 East 23rd Street (between 2nd/ 3rd Ave), Third Floor

Free to CCNY members, SVA students, faculty, and staff
General admission $5, $3 for other students with valid student ID

© Penelope Umbrico

A New York based artist and educator, Penelope Umbrico has, in her work, examined typologies found in sales catalogs, search engines, photo sharing sites and online classified communities. She attended Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Canada, and received her MFA at the School of Visual Arts. Umbrico has exhibited nationally and internationally, and is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, International Center of Photography, NY; Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. She also has received numerous grants and fellowships, including Anonymous Was A Woman, Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship, NYFA Artists Fellowship, NYFA Catalogue Project Grant, and the Harvestworks Scholar Fellowship. Umbrico is currently core faculty at the School of Visual Arts, both its BFA Photography program and MFA Photography and Related Media program and is the Chair of MFA Photography at Bard College, NY.

Anthony Scrocca

2010-02-17T07:54:00.001-08:00

New work from Anthony Scrocca. You can see more images from this project, as well as read a brief Q & A with him, here.

© Anthony Scrocca

© Anthony Scrocca

© Anthony Scrocca

© Anthony Scrocca

© Anthony Scrocca

Just A Reminder...

2010-02-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

that we will be announcing the 20 chosen photographers for Graphic Intersections v. 02 tomorrow at 12pm on this blog and our website. Stay tuned...

Growing

2010-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

I don't typically post about music on this blog, but the two promotional videos (below) for the new Growing record PUMPS compelled me to step outside our largely photo-centric focus. I mean seriously, one of their new songs is entitled "Drone Burger". Need I say more?

PUMPS is being released on April 6th by VICE Records. You can pre-order it here.

Unless You Will - Issue 4 Now Online

2010-02-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

The new issue of the online webzine Unless You Will went live yesterday and contains some really nice work. I am honored to have a selection of images from my series The Family Dig included alongside photography from:

Carlos & Jason Sanchez, Jari Silomäki, Jean Claude Delalande, Rip Hopkins, Trinidad H. Carrillo, Brendan George Ko, Phil Toledano, Francesco Millefiori and Daniel Glazer

You can view the issue here, or download the PDF here.

Vernacular: #04

2010-02-10T09:17:00.001-08:00

Photographer Unknown

Shadi Ghadirian

2010-02-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

Iranian photographer Shadi Ghadirian's portraits replace:

"the expected monotone of the black chador with vibrantly patterned fabrics, each portrait suggests a vivacious individuality and character, belying the limitations of stereotype. Similarly, the mundane objects, when transformed into faces, become highly poised and charismatic caricatures, embodying individual personalities."

From "Like Everyday"
© Shadi Ghadirian

From "Like Everyday"
© Shadi Ghadirian

From "Like Everyday"
© Shadi Ghadirian

From "Like Everyday"
© Shadi Ghadirian

From "Like Everyday"
© Shadi Ghadirian

Matthias Koch

2010-02-08T19:52:00.001-08:00

A friend showed me the landscape of work of German photographer Matthias Koch today. See more here.

© Matthias Koch

© Matthias Koch

© Matthias Koch

© Matthias Koch

© Matthias Koch

Tessellations

2010-02-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

Wm Matthew Harvey e-mailed me the other day with a link to the collaborative project Tessellations - an intriguing exploration of the interconnectivity between disparate images. Harvey elaborates:

"In the spirit of visual conversations, we created a blog in which both of us alternately post images in response to the images previously posted. Creating something of an open ended, often oblique narrative we try to make sense of the expansive and dissonant patterns of the internet. Each image we post links to outside source material or subtext of creative thought, drawing conceptual and interpretive connections between the posts."

Vernacular: #03

2010-02-07T10:55:00.001-08:00

Photographer Unknown

Corin Hewitt

2010-02-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

Work from Corin Hewitt's Seed Stage - an installation that was exhibited at the Whitney combining aspects of performance art, live theater and specific references to the representational history of the still life.

Untitled #40, November 16, 2008 from Seed Stage
© Corin Hewitt

Untitled #13, October 18, 2008 from Seed Stage
© Corin Hewitt

Untitled #32, November 9, 2008 from Seed Stage
© Corin Hewitt

Untitled #38, November 15, 2008 from Seed Stage
© Corin Hewitt

52 Editions

2010-01-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

There is an image from my series The Family Dig available for purchase through 52 Editions, a Los Angeles-based organization that promotes the collecting of affordable contemporary photography.

"Rug, 2008"
© Ben Alper

8.5"x11" Archival Pigment Print
Limited Edition of 275

$45.00 Unframed
$125.00 Framed

Anyone interested in purchasing a print, should visit website for more information.

Vernacular: #02

2010-01-20T11:13:00.001-08:00

Today's image pays homage to the website Awkward Family Photos - an online archive that has amassed an impressive amount of the uncomfortable, strange and often unnerving photographs made in the name of familial preservation. If The Exposure Project was ever to submit an image for consideration, this would be the one we'd send...

Photographer Unknown

Submissions Are Now Closed...

2010-01-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

We would like to take a moment to thank everyone who submitted work in consideration for Graphic Intersections V. 02. This call for entries was certainly the most global and diverse that we've been a part of and we sincerely look forward to reviewing all of your images. The 20 chosen photographers will be posted on this blog, as well as on our website, on:

February 20th @ 12:00 pm

Stay tuned for further updates...

Trying Them On

2010-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Anyone in the New York-area on Thursday evening should stop by Hendershot Gallery for Jon Feinstein's latest curatorial effort, Trying Them On, an exhibition which:

"explores fascination with “the other" through gendered, sexual, racial and subcultural costuming. The exhibiting photographers depict white Europeans and westerners who glamorize and vilify other cultures, at times presenting them as the enemy, while at others declaring them a cultural muse. On the surface, the latter appears to be an attempt to understand or elevate them, but in many cases this actually leads to further complication by turning their identities into caricatures. This exhibition also explores the motivations for this role-play: is it an act of mere flattery? What does it mean to try on the skin or cultural signifiers of another?"

© Helen Maurene Cooper

Trying Them On - Curated by Jon Feinstein
Presented by Humble Arts Foundation and Hendershot Gallery

Opening Reception: January 21, 2009 - 6-8 pm
Exhibition run: January 21 - February 27, 2010

Exhibiting photographers: Andrea Robbins and Max Becher, Michael Bühler-Rose, Helen Maurene Cooper and Claire Beckett

Show some support and swing by for the festivities!

Last Chance To Submit To Graphic Intersections V. 02!

2010-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

Submissions for Graphic Intersections v. 02, the second installment of our Exquisite Corpse-inspired project, close tomorrow! Anyone interested in submitting work for consideration must do so before:

Tuesday, January 19th before 11:59 pm

We look forward to reviewing your work and watching a new sequence of images unfold. For those interested, you can read the submission guidelines here.

Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin's Afterlife

2010-01-16T20:13:00.000-08:00

I recently found Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin's most recent project Afterlife via the new issue of Foam Magazine. In the press release for a recent exhibition at Goodman Gallery, it states:

"Afterlife is a re-reading of a controversial photograph taken in Iran on 6 August 1979. This remarkable image, taken just months after the revolution, records the execution of 11 blindfolded Kurdish prisoners by firing squad. The image, which captures the decisive moment the guns were fired, was immediately reproduced in newspapers and magazines across the world. The following year it was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and for the next 30 years its author was simply known as “Anonymous.” Only recently has the photographer’s identity been revealed as Jahangir Razmi, a commercial studio photographer working in the suburbs of Tehran.

The artists sought out and interviewed Razmi, and based on these discussions along with an examination of the 26 neglected images on the roll of film Razmi produced that day, they present a series of collages–an iconoclastic breakdown or dissection of the original image – that interrupts our relationship as spectators to images of distant suffering."

From "Afterlife"
© Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

From "Afterlife"
© Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

From "Afterlife"
© Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

From "Afterlife"
© Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

From "Afterlife"
© Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin

Timothy Briner's Boonville at Daniel Cooney Fine Art

2010-01-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

My good friend Timothy Briner's debut solo show at Daniel Cooney Fine Art is currently on view at the gallery through February 27th. I've seen the exhibition a couple of times now and can safely say that any admirer of photography should do themselves a favor and spend some time with the work - particularly in person. In addition to being a wonderful image-maker and fantastic printer, Timothy's vision of America is one that seamlessly straddles a fine and mysterious line between our connection with history and our desire (or need for that matter) for contemporaneity.

From Boonville
© Timothy Briner

Timothy Briner's Boonville
Daniel Cooney Fine Art
511 West 25th St., Suite 506
New York, NY

On View Until: February 27th

Vernacular: #01

2010-01-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting found photographs for quite some time now. Whenever I find one in a thrift store that piques my interest I always buy it. I find the process of sifting through other people's memories truly fascinating, albeit voyeuristic. What captivates me the most though about these images is their lack of context. The back stories, anecdotes and embellishments that typically accompany these images in the possession of their original owners no longer provide any frame of reference.

Anyways, I thought I'd kick off this new vernacular series with an image that I've spent the last few days returning to again and again. Truly an amazing portrait...

Photographer Unknown

Mark Boellaard

2010-01-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Dutch artist Mark Boellaard got in touch a few weeks back to share some of his recent collage work. Below are just a few examples that I particularly liked. You can see more here and here.

© Mark Boellaard

© Mark Boellaard

© Mark Boellaard

© Mark Boellaard

© Mark Boellaard

Unless You Will: Issue 03

2010-01-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

The third issue of Unless You Will recently went live and contains some wonderful work by 5 contemporary female photographers. Among those highlighted is Exposure Project member Anastasia Cazabon. Also included are photographs by: Ieva Jansone, Mauren Drennan, Rita Maas and Heidi Romano.

Chris Bentley's The Wandering Era

2010-01-05T19:56:00.000-08:00

Exposure Project collaborator Chris Bentley e-mailed me today to let me know that his new short film, The Wandering Era, is now online. Shot on Pixelvision, the film follows a small group of humans as they travel through the desert in search of other survivors after a series of apocalypses.

The Wandering Era from Chris Bentley on Vimeo.

The 2010 Canteen Awards In Photography

2010-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

Stephen over at Canteen Magazine e-mailed me today to announce that submissions for the 2010 Canteen Awards in Photography are now open. Follow the guidelines below to submit:

DETAILS

Deadline: February 28, 2010

Prizes:
First place: $500 + your portfolio published in Canteen Six, posted on our website, and featured in our contest show at powerHouse Arena.

Three runners-up: $100 + your work posted on our website and featured in our contest show at powerHouse Arena.

HOW TO ENTER

Fee: $15 (you will receive a single copy of Canteen) or a subscription to Canteen. Enter the discount code “contest.” Pay here.

Submit: After you pay the entry fee, you may submit five to eight jpegs here. Please read our complete Rules & Regulations before entering.

Selection: Canteen’s goal is to be as transparent as possible about our selection process. See our Rules & Regulations for details.

Questions? Write to contest@canteenmag.com.

OUR JUDGES

Arnold Lehman is the director of the Brooklyn Museum. brooklynmuseum.org

Matthew Porter’s work has recently appeared in the New York Times Magazine, VMAN, and Exit. He holds an MFA in photography from ICP-Bard and is represented by M+B Gallery, the Marty Walker Gallery, and the Creative Exchange Agency. matthewporterphoto.com

Canteen art director JJ Sulin’s photographs have won industry awards, including CA, Archive, ADG, and Print. jjsulin.com

Canteen art director Betsy Bell’s work has appeared in Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity (Focal Press), and she has exhibited work at e3 gallery, Umbrella Arts, the Chelsea Gallery Space, and the Wall Street Viewing Room.

Graphic Intersections v. 02 Deadline Extended!

2010-01-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

Due to an increased number of submissions in the last few weeks, we have decided to extend the deadline for Graphic Intersections v. 02. Submissions now must arrive before:

Tuesday, January 19th @ 11:59 pm

For more information on Graphic Intersections and the specific guidelines surrounding the competition, please visit the "Submissions" page.

Michael Schmelling's The Week Of No Computer

2010-01-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

Michael Schmelling's website possesses quite the diversity of photographs. In addition to his interesting editorial work, he also has a number of engaging personal projects. The Week of no Computer "is an obliquely autobiographical collection of photographs and writing, constructed from the footnotes and outtakes of Schmelling's life." TV Books published this work in 2008, which can be purchased here through their website.

For those of you out there interested in book cover design, you should take a look at George Saunders' Pastoralia, In Persuasion Nation and Civilwarland In Bad Decline - all of which Schmelling provided cover photographs for.

From "The Week of no Computer"
© Michael Schmelling

From "The Week of no Computer"
© Michael Schmelling

From "The Week of no Computer"
© Michael Schmelling

From "The Week of no Computer"
© Michael Schmelling

From "The Week of no Computer"
© Michael Schmelling

Kathrin Klingner's Domestic Intervention

2010-01-02T20:31:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone!

After a much needed respite from blogging in the past couple of weeks, we are back to our regular posting schedule. To inaugurate 2010 on this blog, we offer up Kathrin Klingner's Domestic Intervention - a project that explores the intersection between sculptural mediations and ubiquitous domestic spaces.

From "Domestic Intervention"
© Kathrin Klingner

From "Domestic Intervention"
© Kathrin Klingner

From "Domestic Intervention"
© Kathrin Klingner

From "Domestic Intervention"
© Kathrin Klingner

From "Domestic Intervention"
© Kathrin Klingner

01 Magazine Interview

2009-12-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Jeff Otto O'Brien approached me a while back in regard to doing an interview about The Exposure Project for the Canadian online project 01 Magazine. I gladly accepted and the feature is now live amidst a plethora of other engaging essays, interviews, reviews and features that comprise Issue 4 (The "Photo Issue".)

Issue 4 includes, but is certainly not limited to: interviews with Peter Sutherland, Tim Barber, Jessica Eaton and Andrew Laumann, essays by Alexander Binder and Sam Falls, a look through Noah Kalina's book collection (which features my good friend and roommate Timothy Briner's handmade Boonville monograph) an exploration of the publishing house Gottlund Verlag, and, just to make sure all the bases are covered, a review of the new Lil Wayne record.

We would like to thank Jeff again for the opportunity, it was a lot of fun!

Heidi Norton

2009-12-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

Heidi Norton e-mailed me earlier this week with a link to her diverse and eclectic work. I would recommend taking some time to look through the rest of it. Unfortunately, two of my favorite of Norton's images, "Whitescape" and "Blackscape", couldn't be pulled from her website. They seem to exist as wonderful, almost violent alternatives to the typical photographic still life.

"Conch Shell and Sunrise, $29.99"
© Heidi Norton

"Antietam Battlefield"
© Heidi Norton

"What Remains"
© Heidi Norton

"Hariett Tubman's Birthplace"
© Heidi Norton

"Teepee at the Ridge of South Mountain"
© Heidi Norton

theprintspace's November Winner

2009-12-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

theprintspace announced the November winner for their monthly online photography competitions. Martin Stranka's "I Was Falling High" was chosen as the most representative image embodying the theme "Motion".

"I Was Falling High"
© Martin Stranka

Nathaniel Ward's After the Women of Paradise Road

2009-12-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel Ward recently updated his website with some new work. Of particular interest was After the Women of Paradise Road, a series which:

"examines commodified women in order to better understand the larger spectacle of mass-marketed, socially conditioned, and narrowly defined sexuality. Taken from the covers of adult periodicals distributed in magazine vending boxes that line Paradise Road in Las Vegas, the photographs reveal tropes of marketable desire that include the necessary anonymity of the sexual object, the disposability of desire, a set of clichéd sexual poses, expressions and gestures, and the sectioning of the human body into marketable parts. The weathering, sun bleaching, and amplified layers of separation between the viewer and the women who actually posed for the original photographs speaks to a desensitization to the beauty and value of the women, leading to greater psychological separation between attraction, sex, sexuality, and emotional intimacy."

From "After the Women of Paradise Road
© Nathaniel Ward

From "After the Women of Paradise Road
© Nathaniel Ward

From "After the Women of Paradise Road
© Nathaniel Ward

From "After the Women of Paradise Road
© Nathaniel Ward

From "After the Women of Paradise Road
© Nathaniel Ward

Unless You Will

2009-12-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

The second issue of Unless You Will, a relatively new online photographic journal, is now available for download. Amassing the work of Nicolas Hughes, Jonathan Blaustein, Daniel Freytag, Benjamin Norman and Andrés Marroquín Winkelmann, Issue 2 possesses some really nice work and a simple, yet sophisticated design. Their mission statement reads:

"Unless you will, curated and founded by Heidi Romano, is an online journal that showcases a vision within photo-based art. Our goal is to bring together a collection of notable photographers from around the world and present their work.

Sometimes a photo can evoke high feelings of emotion or nostalgia and in a roundabout way it becomes a means of expressing ourselves as photographers. UYW strives to showcase photographers who add layers of meaning and capture these feelings. Their images are a happiness measurement, they give us pleasure, rekindle a memory, or trigger other emotions of their own. Our aim is to showcase these talented artists without too many frills, who work with the notions of play, honesty and craftsmanship."

Anonymous Photographs

2009-12-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

Our friend David passed along this wonderful audio exchange between Robert Flynn Johnson (author of "The Face in the Lens: Anonymous Photographs") and Scott Shafer regarding the allure and mystique of the anonymous, vernacular photograph. Well worth the listen...

Larry Sultan Dies at 63

2009-12-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

Larry Sultan, one of the most inspiring and revelatory photographers of his generation, died of cancer at his California home yesterday.

From Pictures From Home
© Larry Sultan

You can read his New York Times obit here.

Brea Souders' Islands & Streams

2009-12-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

Brea Souders recently updated her website with a new project entitled Islands & Streams. She writes:

"In this project, I dissect the dream journals of well-known writers, scientists, philosophers and other figures. I select potent fragments from the dreams, and then re-create them in a controlled studio environment. While working on each image, details that were left unclear in the dream description must be filled in – the color of a wall, the pattern in a sheet, the placement of an object. My choices throughout the process are intuitive, beginning with the selection of source material and carrying through to the casting of models, the props used and the general mood of each image. The resulting photographs could be seen as a distillation of the dreamer’s inner psychological make-up, however they have been tinged by the process of outside observation and analysis."

Untitled # 8
© Brea Souders

Untitled # 8
© Brea Souders

Untitled # 3
© Brea Souders

Untitled # 1
© Brea Souders

Untitled # 6
© Brea Souders

Anna Collette's Suburban

2009-12-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Anna Collette's unequivocally titled project Suburban explores the landscape with a similarly deadpan gaze as many of the "New Topographics" photographers. In an article about Collette's work written for Big RED & Shiny, Matthew Gamber states:

"In the photographs these structures are haunting. Why is that? To better fulfill the definition of their purpose, they should have littered the landscape, necessitating the demolition of the neighborhoods of individual houses in the foreground. The fact that the apartment buildings stand isolated and singular testify failure of the death as a rational, constructed solution to a spatial, urban problem. They are monuments to their own failure.

Besides, people don’t like to be seen as spatial, urban problems. Many reject making a home in this type of architecture. Most prefer to be individuals who have the have the luxury of owning individual houses. The American ideal of the individual house takes the form of a truncated box with an obtuse angled, shingle-laden roof."

From Suburban
© Anna Collette

From Suburban
© Anna Collette

From Suburban
© Anna Collette

From Suburban
© Anna Collette

From Suburban
© Anna Collette

Website Update & Print Sale!

2009-12-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Untitled # 4 (From Pixel Portraits)
© Ben Alper

Hi Friends,

I wanted to let you all know that I just launched my newly redesigned website. Additionally, I've added a new project entitled Pixel Portraits and a collection of vernacular photographs under the moniker Found.

Also, in an effort to fund the production of a few upcoming projects, I am offering 6 images from my series The Family Dig as affordable limited edition prints. Visit the "Print Sale" page for further information.

Spread the word

Maurizio Anzeri

2009-12-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri's process incorporates both photography and embroidery. His intricately sewn and often brightly colored vintage photographs call to mind the collage work of Surrealists and Dadaists such as Hannah Hoch, Raoul Hausmann and John Stezaker. In discussing his work, Anzeri states:

"I work with sewing, embroidery and drawing to explore the essence of signs in their physical manifestation. I take inspiration from my own personal experience and observation of how, in other cultures, bodies themselves are treated as living graphic symbols. I then use sewing and embroidery in a further attempt to re-signify, and mark the space with a man-made sign, a trace. I am interested in people’s stories and histories, and the relation between intimacy and the outer world. I have been working with hair for the past few years. I stitch and sew hair together until it becomes a sculpture. I see hair as a metaphorical medium to represent bodily boundaries, the embodiment of space."

© Maurizio Anzeri

© Maurizio Anzeri

© Maurizio Anzeri

© Maurizio Anzeri

© Maurizio Anzeri

Behind the Scenes: New Photography 2009

2009-12-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with New Photography 2009, MoMA recently uploaded video interviews with Walead Beshty, Leslie Hewitt, Sterling Ruby, Daniel Gordon and Sara VanDerBeek. For those of you unfamiliar with this year's theme, MoMA's website explains:

"New Photography 2009 is a thematic presentation of significant recent work in photography that examines and expands the conventional definitions of the medium. Although the six artists in this installation—Walead Beshty, Daniel Gordon, Leslie Hewitt, Carter Mull, Sterling Ruby, and Sara VanDerBeek—represent diverse points of view, working methods, and pictorial modes ranging from abstract to representational, their images all begin in the studio or the darkroom and result from processes involving collection, assembly, and manipulation. Many of the works are made with everyday materials and objects, as well as images from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and books. Some of the artists also work in other mediums and their pictures relate to disciplines such as drawing, sculpture, and installation. As traditional photographic techniques are being quickly replaced by digital technologies, the artists included here examine the process and structure of making photographs."

Behind the Scenes: New Photography 2009: Walead Beshty

Behind the Scenes: New Photography 2009: Leslie Hewitt

Behind the Scenes: New Photography 2009: Daniel Gordon

Anna Fox's Workstations

2009-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

In the satirical yet humanistic vein of Martin Parr, Jeff Mermelstein or Lars Tunbjörk, Anna Fox's series Workstations observes "the highly competitive character of working life in Thatcher’s britain."

From "Workstations"
© Anna Fox

From "Workstations"
© Anna Fox

From "Workstations"
© Anna Fox

From "Workstations"
© Anna Fox

From "Workstations"
© Anna Fox

Yuta Nakajima's Simple Matters

2009-12-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

I discovered the work of Yuta Nakajima a few weeks ago at a benefit exhibition that we both had work in. His series Simple Matters contains some surprising and rewarding images of extremely pedestrian objects and spaces. See more here.

From "Simple Matters"
© Yuta Nakajima

From "Simple Matters"
© Yuta Nakajima

From "Simple Matters"
© Yuta Nakajima

From "Simple Matters"
© Yuta Nakajima

From "Simple Matters"
© Yuta Nakajima

Johan Bergström's Smoke Signals

2009-12-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

Last week, Swedish photographer Johan Bergström e-mailed with some new work from his ongoing series Smoke Signals, a project which examines the displacement of villagers at the hand of aggressive mining practices in the German countryside. In the statement for the work, Bergström elaborates:

"In the Lausitz region of eastern Germany machines are digging their way trough the landscape in search of lignite, the dirtiest combustible on the planet in terms of emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. These immense open cast mines are rapidly expanding and forces villagers to leave their homes. But the destruction of landscape and extrusion of villagers has a long history. Thousands of Brandenburg residents have lost their homes since mining began in 1924. A total of 136 villages have been destroyed to make way for the mines, displacing at least 30,000 people."

"Smoke Signals #02 (Schwarze Pumpe), 2009"
© Johan Bergström

"Neu Horno #02, 2009"
© Johan Bergström

"Neu Horno #02, 2009"
© Johan Bergström

"Neu Haidemühl #01, 2009"
© Johan Bergström

"Jänschwalde #01, 2009"
© Johan Bergström

theprintspace Photography Competition

2009-12-01T18:10:00.000-08:00

theprintspace, a professional photographic printing studio and gallery based in East London, recently asked us to assist in the jurying process for their online monthly competitions. The current call for entries revolves around the theme "Celebration". So, if you think you've got images that fit the subject matter, follow the submission procedure below to enter the competition.

"theprintspace is running monthly competitions of the best photos that you enter, to be judged by an expert panel of professional photographers and industry experts, as well as Facebook administrators of photography groups.

Each month will have a theme according to which you can submit your images (A MAX. OF 3 IMAGES per person per month please!) - the winner will get a highly coveted mounted 20x24 inch print of their choice from theprintspace studio.

All of the monthly winners will be included in theprintspace's next grand bi-annual group show at our gallery in East London! This will consist of a big opening night with free drinks, high profile guests and the opportunity to gain extensive exposure! The exhibition will run for 2 weeks, and will be the perfect opportunity for aspiring photographers to showcase their talents to the world."

*How To Enter*

In order to be eligible for the prizes, you MUST be a fan of "theprintspace" on Facebook: you can do so by clicking here. If you are not a fan, and are selected as the winner, you will be disqualified and the runner up will be awarded the prizes.
Once you are a fan, return to this page, then go ahead and click 'add photos' (scroll a little further down from here) and please add no more than 3 IMAGES per person.

*Prizes*

* a 20x24 inch print of the winning image on the paper type of your choice (choosing from c-type matt, gloss, or metallic), mounted on the most innovative & cutting-edge material used in print mounting from theprintspace: Acrylic Reverse.
* The winners will be featured in our next grand bi-annual group show at renowned theprintspace gallery in East London
* Extensive exposure from theprintspace
* Special feature on The Exposure Project Blog

*Panel of Judges*

Ben Alper & Anastasia Cazabon – founding members of The Exposure Project

Jon Tonks – a successful photojournalist based in London. Jon has been widely published in the press and exhibited.

Joyce Kim – acclaimed photographer based in Baltimore, with a highly diverse portfolio of work.

Louis Rosenthal – photograher and moderator of the highly successful Facebook group "Photography & Photographer"

iGavel's Emerging Artists Auctions

2009-11-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

Daniel Cooney has teamed up with iGavel once again to present a new round of artist auctions. For anyone interested in submitting, you can find the details below:

The new auctions include a curated selection of works of art by promising emerging talent. The auction is a showcase before an audience of collectors, dealers, museum professionals and gallery owners. To ensure equal and fair representation all works are presented with reserves set at $200.

iGavel is an international network of fine art and antiques professionals with Consignment Centers conveniently located in many major metropolitan areas. Our regional network enables consignors to minimize handling and shipping expenses while reaching an international marketplace of buyers.

Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis. To submit you must meet the following requirements:

- Undergraduate student works will not be accepted
- All mediums are welcome besides installation works
- Artists cannot have gallery or commercial representation
- Some prior exhibition or publication experience is required

To submit, please fill out this form. Submit one image per work. Images must be at least 800 pixels on the longest side, jpeg saved for web, below 200kb in size, and SRGB color space. Each artist will be required to sign a contract with iGavel. Artists receive a 50% commission on all sold works. Shipping of accepted works to iGavel or the iGavel Associate is the responsibility of the artist, and the return shipment if not sold. After your submission is received, you will be contacted by email.

The first Emerging Artist Auction is slated to launch in early 2010.

Inquiries:

Alana Celii: alana@igavel.com

Daniel Cooney: dan@danielcooneyfineart.com

Graphic Intersections: V. 02 Call For Entries!

2009-11-20T13:33:00.000-08:00

With the first installment completed and awaiting exhibition, The Exposure Project is pleased to announce that it will be moderating a second chapter of Graphic Intersections. The first round was one of the most unexpected and rewarding projects that we've worked on to date and we are excited to see another installment unfold. For those of you unfamiliar with the project, the statement below explains it in detail:

Graphic Intersections, loosely inspired by the old Surrealist and Dadaist game Exquisite Corpse, is a project that will attempt to unite disparate artists in an interconnected, photographic relay of images inspired by one another. For those unfamiliar with Exquisite Corpse, it is succinctly described here:

"Among Surrealist techniques exploiting the mystique of accident was a kind of collective collage of words or images called the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse). Based on an old parlor game, it was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and pass it on to the next player for his contribution."

Essentially, this is how Graphic Intersections works. We will collect submissions from interested photographers until January 5th, at which point we will select the participating artists and designate one of these photographers to start the whole thing off. The first photographer will be given a prompting word to work from and will subsequently make photographs inspired by this idea. They will send us their favorite and most representative image from this session which we will then send along to the next artist. The succeeding artist, based solely on their visual, emotional, intellectual, or philosophical response, will in turn make photographs in artistic reaction to the one they were given. The artists involved will not be given any written material to accompany the photograph, nor will they know whose image they're responding to. This is designed to propagate randomness and avoid preconceived biases. This process will continue until the chain has been completed.

There are a few stipulations with the Graphic Intersections project. Firstly, participating photographers will be required to shoot, develop/import and submit their chosen image in no more than 2 weeks. I realize that this does not leave a tremendous amount of time to carry out this process. However, in the interest of completing this venture in under a year it seems necessary to instate a time frame. Secondly, chosen photographers will have to exercise a certain amount of patience and trust in the process, as there will be 20 artists each with a two week time slot. Lastly, images submitted for this project must be taken specifically for Graphic Intersections. Each photographer must submit a new image which does exist in a previously constructed body of work.

Submission Procedure

- Interested photographers should visit the "Submissions" page on the website to pay the $10 submission fee.

- You may then submit up to 10 images

- Images should be at least 1000 pixels on the longest side

- Formatted as RGB JPG's @ 72 dpi

- All files should be labeled with the artist's last name and corresponding # (example: smith_1.jpg)

- E-mail submitted images to: ben@theexposureproject.com

Please note that submitted images will not be included in Graphic Intersections. They are simply used reference points in the curatorial process. Additionally, all photographers will receive a confirmation e-mail within 24 hours of their submission.

Submission Deadline

January 5th, 2010 @ 11:59pm

Heather Rasmussen's DestructConstruct

2009-11-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Thomas Demand, Heather Rasmussen reconstructs found photographs using colored construction paper. With her series DestructConstruct, Rasmussen turns to appropriated imagery of shipping container accidents for her inspiration. In the statement for the work, more of which can be seen over at Women In Photography, she explains:

"The series DestructConstruct is based on found photographs of shipping container accidents downloaded from the Internet. Each found image is used as a model for a sculpture that is constructed for the production of the photograph. Individual shipping containers are folded by hand out templates of colored cardstock, and placed according to the found image. The sculpture then exists as a photographic work, which directly relates to the original photograph, including the ship name, place, and date the accident happened. I abstract the scenes of the catastrophes, removing the original context and placing the damaged containers, rendered simply out of colored paper, onto a seamless white background. This process transforms the containers into pristine patterns of color and shape, thereby confusing scale and altering the perception of the shipping container as an object. The paper is now seen as fragile, crushed or torn due to an unknown circumstance."

"Untitled. (M/V MSC Napoli, English Channel, January 2007). 2009"
© Heather Rasmussen

"Untitled. (P&O Nedlloyd Barcelona, Pacific Ocean, June 2005). 2009"
© Heather Rasmussen

"Untitled. (M/V Hanjin Pennsylvania, Indian Ocean, November 11, 2002). 2009"
© Heather Rasmussen

"Untitled. (M/V Saga Spray, Vancouver, Canada, February 2006). 2009"
© Heather Rasmussen

"Untitled. (M/V Ital Florida, Italy, July 2007). 2008"
© Heather Rasmussen

Matthew Brandt's Lakes and Reservoirs 2 & Windows of the World

2009-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

I found the work of recent UCLA grad Matthew Brandt today via I Heart Photograph. While looking through his series Lakes and Reservoirs 2, I was instantly reminded of Gerhard Richter's expansive and beautiful project Overpainted Photographs. Brandt has an impressive amount of work on his website, so I would recommend taking some time to check out his other projects.

"Lake Selmac OR 1" (From Lakes and Reservoirs 2)
© Matthew Brandt

"Wilma Lake CA 1" (From Lakes and Reservoirs 2)
© Matthew Brandt

"Dead Lake OR 6" ((From Lakes and Reservoirs 2)
© Matthew Brandt

"Window (Niagara Falls)" (From Windows of the World)
© Matthew Brandt

"Window (Tower of Pisa)" (From Windows of the World)
© Matthew Brandt

"Window (New York City)" (From Windows of the World)
© Matthew Brandt

Thomas Demand's Tunnel (1999)

2009-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ubuweb recently added a short film by Thomas Demand to their archives. Entitled Tunnel, the film, much like Demand's photographs, is a meditation on the mass media's pervasive influence over the viewing public. Ubuweb states:

"The film presumably shows a fast-paced tracking shot through the tunnel in which Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash. At first the viewer seems to remember seeing these images in the media. But in reality the set is a true to life, cardboard mock-up of architectural details. Under closer inspection, one also realizes that instead of reproducing reality Thomas Demand creates a perfectly-constructed model world. The cleverly-lit cardboard scenery takes up an incident of recent history and, in doing so, mirrors the illusionary features of what appear to be familiar images. The film literally reflects upon the model of our relationship to images from the mass media. In the process, the construction, representation and repetition of reality create a complex weaving of connections. That the accident used as the theme was the result of a hectic, car chase caused by paparazzi lends the work yet another aspect of the reflection of the media."

We Can't Paint: Interview With John Feinstein

2009-11-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Noel Rodo-Vankeulen posted an interview with Jon Feinstein on the We Can't Paint today. Their exchange largely centers around the ideas behind Feinstein's latest curatorial effort Still Life - an exhibition which is currently on view at the Camera Club of New York. Below is excerpt from their discussion:

"NRV: Do you feel as if we are at a shifting point in the medium where photographers are beginning to see the notions of ‘the genre’ collapsing? It’s almost as if traditional critical ideas and the complications of being a viewer have become intertwined.

JF: I don’t necessarily think that we’re at a point in which the idea of the “genre” is necessarily collapsing, but instead is shifting and morphing more rapidly than it has before. Many of the photographers in the show come from various practices that allow their work to fit into, or borrow from multiple genres at once. Ann Woo, for example, has a background as a fashion and advertising photographer, which in many ways can be seen in how she makes her personal work. While her non-commercial portraits are not necessarily “product shots”, they are often void of emotional exploration, and generally have the same aesthetic quality as her images of sunsets, and still lifes. Similarly, Lyndsy Welgos’ semi nude, often androgynous portraits borrow from fashion/lifestyle and conceptual practices.

NRV: You make an important point here. Over the last ten or so years photographers have taken on more dynamic roles both in their own practice and within the ‘art world’. It’s almost common for many artists to collectively engage in, say, the blogosphere, or as curators, commercial photographers, writers, etc. I suppose what I’m getting at more specifically is if you think these inverted conventions of portraiture could become problematic in their ‘cool’ navigation of the subject? There has always been is a certain sanctity surrounding photographic portraiture as a mediation between the viewer and subject. Are these new investigations different in relation to the negative aspects of Hutchins and Davidson’s work - or does it matter?

JF: I think there have historically been different camps of opinions regarding portraiture, ranging from the social documentary work of August Sander to the emotive, humanistic or meditative approaches of artists like Rineke Dijkstra, Amy Elkins, and Shen Wei, to the Ruff camp (a large anchor for this show) who critique and reject notions of truth in portraiture, as well as the idea of any kind of sanctity between subject and viewer.

I don’t necessarily think that the photographers inverting the conventions of portraiture are “problematic”, nor do I think that they are necessarily doing something that has not been done before. The kind of inversion that you speak about already occurred decades ago, with artists like Sherrie Levine, and Cindy Sherman and many of the other appropriation based artists included in “The Pictures Generation” show that was recently up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I think we’re at a point where we need to do more than simply cry “problematic” when looking at the work of photographers like Hutchins and Davidson, and instead look to their/ their peer’s work and its criticism, as a means of understanding contemporary work.
One of the ideas behind this show was to look at the idea of objectification from a purely literal perspective. Instead of simply saying “this work is problematic” it attempts to literally investigate the idea of intentionally making pictures of people without any intention of exploring an inner dialogue. Both these new photographers, and Hutchinson/Davidson dealing with similar ideas, but these new photographers are privileged with over 60 years of theory and academic discourse."

Leslie Grant's Pointing

2009-11-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Tim reintroduced me to the work of Leslie Grant the other day. I had seen some of her images at one point, but had no idea how inspiringly prolific she is. The "Found" section of her site has some truly wonderful collections. Of particular interest was her series Pointing, posted below.

From "Pointing"
© Leslie Grant

From "Pointing"
© Leslie Grant

From "Pointing"
© Leslie Grant

From "Pointing"
© Leslie Grant

From "Pointing"
© Leslie Grant

Benjamin Bruneau's Every Wall Drawing #146

2009-11-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Bruneau's confounding project Every Wall Drawing #146 is a virtual art making machine that randomizes versions of LeWitt's Wall Drawing #146. The artist goes on the elaborate:

"Every Wall Drawing #146 deals with my interest in Sol LeWitt’s notion of the idea as a machine for making art, taking a very literal interpretation of his Paragraphs on Conceptual Art. In order to actually build a ‘machine’ to make art, one must take into account the human element that goes into producing a LeWitt— a lot of subtle sensibility and personal judgment that makes a work both random yet perversely organized. Randomly producing such results is difficult, but a system that lent itself well to automation was Wall Drawing #146 (1972): “All two-part combinations of blue arcs from corners and sides and blue straight, not straight and broken lines.”

The result is an exercise in pure decisionless conceptual art adhering strictly to LeWitt’s concept, as described in Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, producing (theoretically) every possible iteration of Wall Drawing #146 in the fixed dimensions of a virtual gallery space."

Below are just a few of the seemingly endless possibilities...

"Every Wall Drawing #146"
© Benjamin Bruneau

"Every Wall Drawing #146"
© Benjamin Bruneau

Dru Donovan

2009-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post Dru Donovan's work for some time now. You can enjoy more of it here and here.

© Dru Donovan

© Dru Donovan

© Dru Donovan

© Dru Donovan

© Dru Donovan

Still Life

2009-11-03T19:40:00.000-08:00

Thursday's shaping up to be a good night for photo openings in New York. In addition, to the Dream Boats opening in DUMBO, the Jon Feinstein-curated Still Life exhibition will host its reception at the Camera Club. Details below:

"Stephen Sitting June 2009"
© Lyndsy Welgos

Still Life
Curated by Jon Feinstein

Exhibiting photographers: Erica Allen, Michael Bühler-Rose, Robyn Cumming, Louis S. Davidson, John Hutchins, Lyndsy Welgos, and Ann Woo

On view: November 5th – December 19th, 2009
Opening reception: Thursday, November 5th from 6–8 pm

The Camera Club of New York
336 West 37th Street, Suite 206
(bet. 8th and 9th Avenues)
New York, New York 10018
212.260.9927 | cameraclubny.org

Gallery hours: Monday–Saturday 12-6 pm

"Still Life examines a tendency in contemporary portraiture to remove the subjectivity of the persons photographed, literally transforming them into objects. The artists depict people as matter rendered through light and color, with emphasis placed on their formal or cultural qualities above all others. The exhibition juxtaposes this contemporary work with studio portraits from the Camera Club Archives, fostering a discussion about the relationship between classical idealized studio portraiture and contemporary critical portraiture.

With their bust portraits, Lyndsy Welgos and Ann Woo turn their subjects into nothing more than swatches of light color and gray tonality, and engage little with their individual identities. While their subjects are nude, the images are less about their personal sexuality or vulnerability and more about their physical surface. Michael Bühler-Rose’s portraits cast western women who were raised in India, as cultural objects. Unlike Woo and Welgos’ stark socially removed explorations of light and form, the women in Bühler-Rose’s pictures contain heavy social and cultural signifiers, as the women are adorned with various elements of eastern and western culture. They display heavily directed gestures and costuming and pay homage to orientalist painting, but we know little about their identity below the surface cues.

Erica Allen’s Untitled Gentlemen uses anonymous faces from found barbershop portraits to explore representations of identity. Appropriated and repositioned, the actual identities of the men remain as lost as they are on the walls of barbershops. The portraits comment on larger issues of gender while avoiding any appearance of personal identity or inner dialogue. Lastly, Robyn Cumming’s work addresses these ideas on the most direct level as she photographs women fused with flowers and other symbols of femininity, literally turning them into objects."

Dream Boats At Umbrage

2009-11-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

The newly assembled Dream Boats collective, comprised of Adam Golfer, Joe Leavenworth, TJ Proechel and Daniel Shea, will be presenting their inaugural exhibition at the Umbrage Gallery in DUMBO this week. All of you photography-loving New Yorkers out there should show some support for these talented young artists and swing by the opening for the festivities. If you need more convincing (which you shouldn't) the Dream Boats are also offering an affordable print sale in conjunction with the show. Images range in price depending on size and edition number and will be available through the gallery. Check out the editions here. The statement below speaks to the group's collective mission:

"As a group, Dreamboats adds to the growing disambiguation between working personally and working editorially. Members of the collective, who met at Maryland Institute College of Art, are primarily engaged in contemporary fine art and social documentary practices, but their professed intention is to circumvent the traditional photographic establishment to create a self-sustaining network of distribution and support for the creation of new photographic works. The works selected for the exhibition are from each artist’s recent body of work: Adam Golfer’s series, Kin*, Joe Leavenworth’s Pictures from Home, TJ Proechel’s Dream House, and Daniel Shea’s Untitled (Baltimore)."

Dream Boats
Umbrage Gallery
111 Front Street #208
Brooklyn, NY 11201

November 5th - December 22nd
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 5th, 6 - 8 pm

See you there!

Maureen Drennan's Meet Me In The Green Glen

2009-11-03T05:26:00.001-08:00

Maureen Drennan's project Meet Me In The Green Glen explores the life of a reclusive marijuana cultivator living in California. See more here.

"Shasta, 2009"
© Maureen Drennan

"Ben, 2009"
© Maureen Drennan

"May, 2009"
© Maureen Drennan

"Cover, 2009"
© Maureen Drennan

"Look At Me, 2009"
© Maureen Drennan

Bryan Graf's Album

2009-10-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

I recently got down to The Wild Project to see Bryan Graf's exhibition Wildlife Analysis - which, if you're curious, is absolutely worth checking out. After going to the show, I visited Graf's website only to find it updated with a number of new projects. Album, images of which are posted below, particularly caught my eye. Also, make sure to spend some time with Wildlife Analysis, Color Movements and Time Traveling though.

Unfortunately, Graf's show is only up until tomorrow. However, if you find yourself on the lower east side tomorrow and are looking for something to do, swing by the gallery for a quick peek.

From "Album"
© Bryan Graf

From "Album"
© Bryan Graf

From "Album"
© Bryan Graf

From "Album"
© Bryan Graf

From "Album"
© Bryan Graf

Maury Gortemiller's Speed Queens & No Anthem

2009-10-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

I found my way to Maury Gortemiller's website today and discovered a lot of intriguing new work. The images below, from Speed Queens and No Anthem, explore:

"the residues of human experience. The overlooked phenomena, the flotsam left behind can impart a wealth of information about individuals and cultural attitudes. My photographs maintain the physicality of ordinary, everyday objects while opening up their potential imaginative and conceptual meanings."

"Cave, 2009" (From Speed Queens)
© Maury Gortemiller

"Grasshopper, 2008" (From No Anthem)
© Maury Gortemiller

"Breathing Machine, 2009" (From Speed Queens)
© Maury Gortemiller

"Support The Troops, 2009" (From Speed Queens)
© Maury Gortemiller

"Sunlight, 2009" (From Speed Queens)
© Maury Gortemiller

Richard Kolker's The Game

2009-10-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

I found Richard Kolker's work recently while looking through the top 175 entrants for this year's Critical Mass review. His images, comprised of both traditional photography and 3D modelling techniques, addresses the pervasiveness of online social hierarchies such as "Second Life." In the statement for the work, Kolker goes on to say:

"The images portray the moment when the real and the virtual worlds meet and represent imagined potential emotional triggers as the player recognises the blurring of the real / unreal boundary and is aware of the conflict that exists in his time being divided between the two."

"Logging On"
© Richard Kolker

"Playground"
© Richard Kolker

"One Evening, Any Evening"
© Richard Kolker

"Work"
© Richard Kolker

"Window"
© Richard Kolker

Graphic Intersections Now Online

2009-10-28T16:40:00.001-07:00

After nearly a year, our most recent endeavor, Graphic Intersections, is now online. Based on the old Surrealist/Dadaist game the Exquisite Corpse, this project seeks to unite disparate artists, while emphasizing a system of response entirely rooted in unmediated visual reaction. Graphic Intersections brings together images by:

Ben Alper, Anastasia Cazabon, Thomas Damgaard, Scott Eiden, Grant Ernhart, Jon Feinstein, Elizabeth Fleming, Alan George, Hee Jin Kang, Drew Kelly, Michael Marcelle, Chris Mottalini, Ed Panar, Bradley Peters, Cara Phillips, Noel Rodo-Vankeulen, Irina Rozovsky, Brea Souders, Jane Tam and Grant Willing

Stay tuned in the coming months for exciting Graphic Intersections exhibition news!

Photographic Typologies: Chris Jordan

2009-10-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

Chris Jordan recently updated his website with a new series entitled Midway: Message From The Gyre. In the statement for the work, he explains:

"These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent."

From "Midway: Message From The Gyre"
© Chris Jordan

From "Midway: Message From The Gyre"
© Chris Jordan

From "Midway: Message From The Gyre"
© Chris Jordan

From "Midway: Message From The Gyre"
© Chris Jordan

From "Midway: Message From The Gyre"
© Chris Jordan

Alexander Binder's Traum

2009-10-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Alexander Binder has got to be one of the most prolific photographer's working today. Just last month, I posted his first completed video work pluton/calabi-yau. Earlier today, Binder got back in touch to let me know of a brand new series entitled Traum - an extensive, beautiful and evocative project photographed this past summer "in the dreamlike landscape of Iceland."

I would highly recommend taking some time to peruse and digest the images from Traum.

From "Traum"
© Alexander Binder

From "Traum"
© Alexander Binder

From "Traum"
© Alexander Binder

From "Traum"
© Alexander Binder

From "Traum"
© Alexander Binder

ARTribe Benefit Exhibition: Photography For The Next Generation

2009-10-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

ARTribe recently announced the photographers for the ARTribe Benefit Exhibition: Photography For The Next Generation and I'm very pleased to announce that Exposure Project members Anastasia Cazabon and Ben Alper will both have work in the show. Also included in the exhibition are photographs by:

Molly Berman, Richard Burnam Fink, Erik Boker, Alana Celii, Natalie Chan, Samantha Cohn, Buck Ellison, Gregg Evans, Elleser Galleta, Chibi Lai, Matteo Lonardi, Reuben Mills, Stephanie Neel, Marisa Prefer, Ana Ratner, Marissa Schwartz, Kate Stone, Sara Urbaez, Olivia Wachsberger and Greg Wasserstrom

From the ARTribe website:

"All proceeds will go toward building a girl’s school in Jaisalmer, India founded by CITTA, a registered charity dedicated to providing assistance to marginalized or indigenous communities.

Tickets for the opening reception are $10 for students and $20 for adults. All of the artwork at the exhibition will be available for sale to benefit CITTA. A preview will be available for advance purchase on-line prior to the opening. Purchases and donations can be made at CITTA.org (Events)."

ARTribe EXHIBITION: Photgraphy For The Next Generation
November 21st, 2009
Swiss Institute
485 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10012
6:00 - 10:00

Andrew Phelps' Not Nigita

2009-10-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

The most recent issue of Ahorn Magazine features an interview with Andrew Phelps which centers around his new project Not Nigita. In addition to highlighting a selection of the images, the piece presents an interview with the artist - an excerpt of which can be found below:

Ahorn: In the preface of the book you say that the work is about “not understanding Niigata”. Everything, every photograph, under this light, seems to represent a “No-Where”. You were able to collect stories about Niigata, but what did you see in these photographs about the real Niigata and what is, on the other side, the fictional part of the story you built?

Andrew Phelps: The term “No-Where” is an important one for me when I think of my photographs on a formal level. It is a combination of a certain lighting, film, paper etc that tends to lend a bit of a stage-like quality to the images. I think this is very important for my work to lift the subject/landscape out of its normal context, almost as if all of the images were made in one shooting, in one studio, with one lighting set up. This type of work is anything but objective. It is a very subjective way of working but has disguised itself as “documentary” through its style. There is no smoke or mirrors, but who and what I choose to photograph, and more importantly, who and what I DON’T photograph, or decide to leave outside the frame, is very important. It is a very egoistic way of working. I’m not there to tell the story of Niigata, though that is what is expected of me as a photographer. The title alludes to my skepticism of this assumption that my camera will tell the truth about a place. I found myself trying to make my HIGLEY images in this place that was very foreign to me and I realized I would and could never understand a culture through photographing it, so I made that interesting cultural gap my subject.

Ahorn: There is a feeling that connects the books you’ve made in these last years: Higley, Baghdad Suite, and now Not Niigata. The city is always a place where we have to think intensely about what is happening around us. We have to stop, look at that photographs, and think about what those cities are, what they represent. In Higley we can see the new side, development of the American Southwest. In Baghdad Suite we ‘re trying to believe that one day the phoenix will be born again and rise from the ashes. And what is Niigata? The atmosphere seems quite meditative.

Phelps: It is for sure that my work in Niigata can’t be as complete and rounded as a series like HIGLEY which took years to make in a place that was once my home. NOT NIIGATA would have been worked to death and probably been useless if I had traveled there time and time again as I did in Higley,AZ. NOT NIIGATA is all about the brief encounter as a traveler, passing through, always lost and illiterate. I think the feeling you mention is one of slowing down the pace with which we usually move through such places. When I decide to set up the camera, it is a slow process and there are no snap-shots to speak of. I am the first to admit that my photographs seldom jump out and grab ones attention right away; they seem even a bit boring at first, so thanks for using the word meditative, that sounds nicer! With the camera, I have the excuse to slow down and stare at something mundane, which in the case of Niigata, is often simultaneously something exotic."

From "Not Nigita"
© Andrew Phelps

From "Not Nigita"
© Andrew Phelps

From "Not Nigita"
© Andrew Phelps

From "Not Nigita"
© Andrew Phelps

From "Not Nigita"
© Andrew Phelps

Eric White's Borderlands

2009-10-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Eric White got in touch the other day to share some images from his series Borderlands. In the statement for the work, he explains:

"Borderlands began as a fascination with the Berlin Wall, that towering symbol of tyranny; on one side freedom, the other oppression. It is at once both an observation and a question: With so much to gain by their crossing, can walls really stem the flow of people, the flow of ideas yearning to cross their borders?

It is obvious to anyone crossing the US-Mexico border that while this fence may mark the boundary between two sovereign countries, it cannot contain those who refuse to be imprisoned or limited by the separation it seeks to enforce.

Millions of people journey across this border every year, making it the most heavily-crossed border in the world. As the US government asserts increasing control over the boundary, however, it has also become one of the most violent and deadly areas of the world.

The new sections of fence erected in the last years of the Bush Administration have had the effect not of stopping people from crossing, but merely changing where they cross. These treacherous areas are becoming increasingly desolated and deadly. These are the areas Borderland seeks to highlight and explore.

As a child growing up in New Mexico, this proximity to the border was a source of wonder and delight. It is not difficult to imagine a child on the opposite side of the border experiencing exactly the same delight and wonder. I may not advocate an open border policy but again I ask: can a wall really stop the flow?"

From "Borderlands"
© Eric White

From "Borderlands"
© Eric White

From "Borderlands"
© Eric White

From "Borderlands"
© Eric White

From "Borderlands"
© Eric White

Sites Down

2009-10-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Just a head's up...both my site and The Exposure Project site will be down for a few days while transferring to a new hosting company. Sorry for the inconvenience.

-Ben Alper

Leslie Hewitt's Riffs On Real Time

2009-10-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Some of Leslie Hewitt's images from her series Riffs On Real Time are currently on view as part of the "New Photography 2009" exhibition at MOMA. She shares the walls with some of contemporary photography's most interesting collectors, appropriators and collagists - Walead Beshty, Daniel Gordon, Carter Mull, Sterling Ruby, and Sara VanDerBeek. The press release for the show states:

"New Photography 2009 is a thematic presentation of significant recent work in photography that examines and expands the conventional definitions of the medium. Although the six artists in this installation—Walead Beshty, Daniel Gordon, Leslie Hewitt, Carter Mull, Sterling Ruby, and Sara VanDerBeek—represent diverse points of view, working methods, and pictorial modes ranging from abstract to representational, their images all begin in the studio or the darkroom and result from processes involving collection, assembly, and manipulation. Many of the works are made with everyday materials and objects, as well as images from the Internet, magazines, newspapers, and books. Some of the artists also work in other mediums and their pictures relate to disciplines such as drawing, sculpture, and installation. As traditional photographic techniques are being quickly replaced by digital technologies, the artists included here examine the process and structure of making photographs."

From "Riffs On Real Time"
© Leslie Hewitt

From "Riffs On Real Time"
© Leslie Hewitt

From "Riffs On Real Time"
© Leslie Hewitt

From "Riffs On Real Time"
© Leslie Hewitt

From "Riffs On Real Time"
© Leslie Hewitt

'Pure Beauty' - An Interview With John Baldessari

2009-10-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Seesaw Magazine is now online and contains a wonderful interview with John Baldessari conducted by Aaron Schuman. Below is an excerpt from their exchange:

"Profile with Ear and Nose, (Color) "
© John Baldessari

Aaron Schuman: In your early photo-based work, you took your own photographs and applied them to a canvas. Then you had someone else take pictures of you; then you asked others to take photographs for you; and finally you started to use found imagery, such as film-stills, photos from newspapers, and so on. Why did you gradually take yourself out of the pictures, so to speak?

John Baldessari: It was mainly about trying to escape my own good taste, or good taste in general. I think that each time you do some art you get better at it, so I was trying to figure out a way to work against that. Anytime that I could not take a photograph – where I could just give instructions to somebody else to take a photograph – I would do it; if I needed a photograph of a house, I would just tell one of my assistants, ‘Go out and photograph a house.’ Then I would be honor-bound to accept it, because that’s all that I’d asked for. I didn’t say to them what kind of house, or what kind of architecture I wanted – it was just a picture of whatever they thought a house was. I had other ploys too. I’d sit a camera in front of a TV on a tripod, and put an intervalometer on it so that every five minutes it would take a picture, and I would use those photographs. Another thing that I’d do was compose a photograph perfectly using a tripod, and then pick the tripod up, move it a foot, and take the picture. It was all about getting away from good taste.

Aaron Schuman: Why were you intent on avoiding good taste?

John Baldessari: Back then, I said that I was trying to work against my own good taste because I figured that good taste is going to come out anyway, no matter what you do, so there’s no reason to work at it.

Aaron Schuman: Were you trying to get away from the craftsmanship aspect of it all as well?

John Baldesarri: The craft part of it didn’t interest me at all. Getting the perfect gradation of tone, or making a beautiful print, wasn’t an issue. Of course, I had gone through all of that in my own darkroom, so I knew what it was to make a fine print, but it didn’t interest me; I was just interested in the imagery – in the ideas that the photographs represented.

Aaron Schuman: It seems like many artists of your generation incorporated photography into their work in order to rebel against traditional notions of art – in a sense, the medium itself represented the antithesis of ‘high art’ or ‘fine art’, at least in the conventional sense. Today, photography plays a much more central role within fine art practice – do you feel that using photographs, and what that represents, has changed since you began to do it yourself?

John Baldessari: Now all of those battles have been won, so it’s no longer an issue. Within art connoisseurship and curatorial practice, photography used to be ghettoized; paintings were at the front, photographs were at the back – they would be always be separated. And as I said earlier, back then there was a huge gap between the history of photography and the history of painting. And even at MoMA today, you still have a Photography Department and a Painting and Sculpture Department. What I love about MoMA is that, according to the Photography Department what I do is not photography, and according to the Painting Department what I do is not painting. So that just points out the ridiculousness of the situation. When I was teaching in the late 1960s and 70s, I would say to the students, ‘Just use a camera, because I can teach you everything with a camera that I could teach you with paint.’ And actually, one of my first students at the University of California, San Diego was Allen Sekula – he was always taking photographs in class, and it seemed like he could do everything he needed to do with a camera.

Caitlin Duennebier's The Devil and Mother Duennebier

2009-10-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Caitlin Duennebier recently sent over some images from her series The Devil and Mother Duennebier. Check it out.

From "The Devil and Mother Duennebier"
© Caitlin Duennebier

From "The Devil and Mother Duennebier"
© Caitlin Duennebier

From "The Devil and Mother Duennebier"
© Caitlin Duennebier

From "The Devil and Mother Duennebier"
© Caitlin Duennebier

From "The Devil and Mother Duennebier"
© Caitlin Duennebier