art art art art art pt. II
And now my favorite photography shows from my Chelsea wanders on Saturday:::
The Darren Almond photographs were especially amazing—I WANT ONE!
Darren Almond, Hemispheres and Continents, at Matthew Marks Gallery.
From February 2 – April 20, 2013. More exhibition information here.
See more images here and here.
Sabine Hornig, Transparent Things, at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. From Jan 10 – Feb 23 2013. More information on the exhibition here.
ZWELETHU MTHETHWA, New Works, at Jack Shainman Gallery. From January 24 – February 23, 2013. More information here.
space 1026 studio visit
I went to Philly last weekend on a mission to celebrate my birthday and eat lots of delicious foods (mucho success!), take some photographs (mo’ success!), see some art at out of the way, artist-run galleries, like Flux Space and Little Berlin (total fail!*), and do studio visits** with a bunch of the artists at Space 1026. Things did not work out exactly as planned at Space 1026 but I did manage to get a tour of the space and a peek into a few people’s studios. Thanks so much, Leah, Bonnie, and Thom!
SPACE 1026—THE COMMON SPACES:::
(years of buildup of silkscreened prints makes for lovely texture!)
SPACE 1026—THE STUDIOS:::
Leah Mackin’s studio, see more of her work here.
Bonnie Brenda Scott’s studio, see more of her work here.
Thom Lessner and Ted Passon’s studio, see more of their work here and here.
More about the studio and gallery space at Space 1026 here.
*I made the mistake of assuming their gallery spaces would be open and trekked out to their slightly sketchy locales. Disappointed that both were closed, next time I know to call ahead and schedule something.
**Most sad that I did not get to see Matt Leine’s work in person at Space 1026… perhaps something will work out on a future visit! More of his work here and here.
Vivian Maier
I had not heard of Vivian Maier until this evening, a show of her photographic work opens tomorrow at the Chicago Cultural Center.
John Maloof, the man who purchased/discovered her photographs and negatives at a Chicago auction house (which were part of a lot of boxes saved from a storage locker that Ms. Maier had rented but was no longer able to pay the fees for) runs a blog which features Vivian’s work and the story that he has pieced together about her life.
The story is amazing but also very depressing*. Why has Chicago been home to all of these undiscovered, secret geniuses, I imagine there have probably been even more here, in NYC…
*it makes me incredibly sad to think about one’s life work ending up stuffed into a box at a store like Junk in Williamsburg or at an auction house in anywhere, usa…
the idea/inevitability of fading into obscurity does certainly cause many (myself included) anxiety from time to time (hence most people’s tendency to breed and carry on the family line!) since i have such a tiny family and do not plan on creating any sort of family of my own, i imagine that my photographs and negatives very well might end up in a junk heap too, not that i am claiming to be a secret genius like Vivian Maier and think my photographs deserve/need to be seen by the world… but i would like the reassurance that my photo stuff might go somewhere, anywhere, where it might be appreciated, flipped through, discussed (wouldn’t all artistes like this?) every now and again, forever and ever, until the end of time (or, really, even just one day a year, on a special occasion!), when i die, rather than thinking about my dusty and aged photographic prints on the racks of the local thrift store, thumbed through carelessly and mocked by the neighborhood’s current population, or even worse, incinerated at the greenpoint garbage dump.
thinking about one’s own mortality and the reality that the majority of humans are NOT remembered FOREVER, whatever that means, or even for a few years after their death, can really get one down, especially when faithless and not convinced there is a better, happier place to go to after we leave our current reality (ahhhh, existential malaise why are you visiting me this evening). bones down in the dirt, or ashes floating out to sea, disintegrating, that’s what i imagine, nothing more. your one chance at any sort of immortality really does rely on the very slight chance that something that you have created might be deemed genius and therefore protected from destruction.
Vivian Maier’s story really makes me wonder how many other especially talented creators who were loners, anti-social, shy freaks, without families, and/or friends, have faded into obscurity after their deaths… how many people who should be recognized for their talents and accomplishments, and known by US, will never be acknowledged, known, and are just gone. the number is most likely great. i imagine these forgotten, undiscovered folk, who chose to spend their time making art for art’s sake and satisfying a need within themselves, rather than worrying about promoting themselves, trying to get famous, are most likely the ones who made the more important work.
CANADA!
we drove down many Long Vermont Roads to Quebec, Canada, encountering some seriously thick fog. at times it was slightly scary with all the crazy windy roads and mountainousness so i could not nap like i had planned (mother dragged me out of bed at 6 AM and i am so NOT a morning person)—didn’t want mom to drive le automobile off the road. i attempted to make semi-coherent, yet extremely sleepy, conversation and snap some photographs for a few hours to entertain myself and keep her alert.
we made it across the border and almost instantly it became less foggy and way flatter, things started to look a bit different… foreign. i am totally into the street lights and power lines of other countries, fascinating stuff, really! Ooh La La! CANADIA!
arrived in montreal with no problems (we did not get lost once which was AWESOME) & within about 3 seconds of leaving our hotel i found some architecture to get excited about, place des arts!
the first 2 days we were there did end up being incredibly foggy, i loved it, mom was not such a big fan:::
we ventured to Rue Amherst, this street is filled with the most amazing vintage furniture shops! oh god, i could have spent my entire vacation on this street! all my favorite thingz:::
dilapidated buildings!
arty automobiles (this van belongs to these peeps.)
a cute bike shop:::
& furniture stores galore!!!!!!
OH MY! J’aime Montreal!
I wanna go back, with a uhaul!
jet set violette
Still from Rachel Reupke’s Infrastructure, 2002, DVD, 14 min
ok, i could do without the cheesy ad talky voice but if you watch these new delta ads (below), sans sound, the imagery is pretty nice… a few of the shots remind me of my favorite londoner, rachel reupke’s, video art piece, Infrastructure.
i would like to think of flying as a glamorous event again (instead of a waste of hours of my life/complete hell) and these black and white pieces succeed in making the airport, the planes (their sleek/powerful forms), and zipping through the atmosphere all seem sort of sexy again. the negative flying experiences people have become so used to definitely could use a glamour injection! if only delta would get their stewards/stewardesses back in hot pants, i would book a flight right now.
An interview with Rachel talking a bit about Infrastructure.
less bleak coney island, punctuated by some color
an overcast sunday in coney island part II
i really hope that they never tear all of this down, i will be VERY sad.
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bleak coney island
an overcast sunday in coney island
i try to go to coney island before it becomes crazy busy at least once a year preferably on a rainy/misty/overcast day when it is mostly deserted. this was the first time i ventured out there alone and even though i felt paranoid from time to time that someone was going to knock me down and steal my camera, that i might see a crazy ladies naked vagina (there was a mumbling maniac hanging out near the bathrooms at nathan’s and she seemed to be having a real hard time keeping her pants pulled up to the appropriate place), or that i would freeze to death on the beach (ocean breeze was chilly) i had an enjoyable day with plenty of time for a bit of the ole introspection. being near the ocean always makes me feel calm & sitting on a piece of driftwood, staring out to sea kind of worked out for my contemplative mood.
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