Cristina Garcia Rodero

Cristina Garcia Rodero is Magnum's newest member. Read more about this artist at [EV +/-] Exposure Compensation.

If You Are in Rome, Italy

New Works by Cindy Sherman
Gagosian Gallery (Rome)
Via Francesco Crispi 16
00187 Rome
Tel 39.06.4208.6498 Fax 39.06.4201.4765
Summer Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30-7 & by appointment
-through September 19, 2009

Find more info by clicking here.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I

(via Jackson Fine Art)

Elton John AIDS Foundation Launches
First Limited Edition Photography Portfolio
Benefiting the Foundation and Its Initiatives

works by Nan Goldin, Katy Grannan, Damien Hirst, Sally Mann,
Richard Misrach, Shirin Neshat, Thomas Struth,
Sam Taylor-Wood, Juergen Teller, and Ruud van Empel

The Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I is a collection of ten signed and numbered prints donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) by some of the world’s most important contemporary artists. Each 20 x 24 inch portfolio contains 10 original photographs. The photographs have been printed under the supervision of the individual artists in an edition of 40 with 12 Artist Proofs. Sales of the Photography Portfolio help EJAF to raise important funds for critically needed HIV prevention programs in under-served communities.

Jackson Fine Art
3115 East Shadowslawn Avenue
Atlanta, GA
-through August 22, 2009

A Conversation with Liz Kuball

The first time I heard of Liz Kuball was around the time the notorious "gallerina article" published and caused a small ruckus among the online photo community.
Liz was one of the first to respond to the article on her blog and to take action by coming up with the "Ask Me I've Got Answers badge".
Liz Kuball always wears her heart on her sleeve and her blog is an intimate diary of her journey and growth as a photographer.
In this conversation Liz speaks about her love for photography and California --two things which have led to her most recent and perhaps most compelling series --the aptly titled California Vernacular.




© Liz Kuball

NP: Tell us a little about yourself.

LK: I was born in Washington, D.C., in 1973, but when I was a few months old, my parents moved back to the small town in Michigan where they had grown up, and that’s where I grew up as well. I went to college in Indiana, lived in a converted horse barn in the woods for a couple years while I was in grad school, and then moved to Indianapolis to work as a book editor for a publishing house. I went freelance in 1999 and, a couple years later, realized I could live anywhere I wanted, so in 2001 I moved out to Los Angeles, knowing no one. Most people I knew in the Midwest told me I was making a mistake, that I wasn’t “the L.A. type.” But I fell in love with the place—every little bit of it—and my mom has finally stopped asking when I’m moving back. I live with my 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Boo Radley, who likes to bite my ankles when I’m doing push-ups. I have the refined palate of the average kindergartener. And I can knit a mean sweater.




© Liz Kuball


NP: How did you discover photography?

LK: My formal education is nearly entirely in literature and writing—I have a master’s degree in each. But when I was in grad school for writing, I realized that writing wasn’t where my heart was. Midway through the program, I enrolled in an independent study course, and before the semester started, the professor asked what I was interested in. I said, “I’ve always liked photography,” and I feel like that sentence changed my life. He came up with a list of books for me to read—collections of essays on photography—and by the time I graduated from that writing program, at the age of 31, with $40,000 in student loans, I knew that I wanted to be a photographer.


NP: Where do you find inspiration?

LK: Sometimes it’s other people’s work—I’m a big fan of Stephen Shore’s American Surfaces and William Eggleston’s just about anything. Sometimes it’s my own work, strange as that sounds—I try to keep my favorite photos around me so that, if I’m ever stalled or stuck, I remember that I’ve made at least a few images I’m proud of. Many times it’s movies— No Country for Old Men, Revolutionary Road. . . .I just love seeing, and showing people what I see.

© Liz Kuball


NP: How do your projects come about?


LK: I don’t really know, actually. I feel like I’m still so early on this journey—I’m basically still pulling out of the driveway. I can tell you that my first real project, In Store, came about for all the wrong reasons: I was looking around and noticing that everybody I admired was working on a project and that I’d better get one myself, and it occurred to me that storage facilities would make a good series. But I wasn’t passionate about the subject and didn’t feel any real connection to it.

My current project, California Vernacular, is exactly the opposite. I was taking pictures, trying to figure out what I was interested in, posting them to my blog, and toward the end of 2008, Lisa Hunter e-mailed me and said that she thought I was capturing a California vernacular of sorts, that my photos reminded her of a Joan Didion essay, “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream.” I love Didion, so when she said that, everything clicked for me. I knew right then what I was doing, what I was working on, and what I was trying to say. But my actual process in terms of working on this project isn’t as direct as it was with In Store, and that suits me. I just take pictures, as often as I can, and if I see ones that fit with the project, I include them there. In other words, I don’t go out looking for images for this project—I just go out looking for photographs, and I let where they fall happen later.

© Liz Kuball


NP: What’s next?

LK: I’m working right now with www.20x200.com on the editioning of one or two of my photographs and looking forward to seeing that go live. I’m continuing to work on California Vernacular. And I’m playing around with ideas for new projects as well. I’d really like to move in a documentary direction with my work, and I have a couple ideas that I want to research and possibly pursue.


NP: Thank you so much!

To see more of Liz Kuball's work please visit www.lizkuball.com and don't miss out on her blog: www.lizkuball.com/blog!

Opening Tomorrow: Amy Stein's Domesticated at Blue Sky Gallery

Amy Stein's Domesticated opens at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

July 2-August 2
Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th
Portland, Oregon

The Bronx Museum's Book Signing Event For Former AIM Program Leader Jackie Battenfield

Book Signing - “The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
5:30 - 7:30pm

North Wing Entrance
FREE!

Hop on BCA’s Culture Trolley* and take a ride to The Bronx Museum of the Arts for its book signing event featuring “The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love” – a book by Jackie Battenfield.
“The Artist’s Guide” is a comprehensive handbook that provides the tools and techniques for developing and sustaining a successful art career. Jackie Battenfield provides answers to the challenges artists face everyday and includes real-life examples, illustrations, step-by-step exercises, and bulleted lists that allow readers to dive in and begin working immediately.

Jackie Battenfield maintains her own career as a visual artist and teaches professional development classes at Columbia University and the Creative Capital Foundation. She was also The Bronx Museum’s Artist in the Marketplace (AIM) Program Leader for 15 years.

Visitors will also be able to view the Museum's current exhibit Living and Dreaming, the 29th annual AIM exhibition featuring the works of 36 emerging artists.

*The Culture Trolley picks passengers up at Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos (near the 149 St-Grand Concourse station) at 5:30pm.

Op-Ed by Emily Shur

I read Emily Shur's post, My Review of My Review, on Review Santa Fe which she posted on her blog My Four Eyed Fantasy. I thought it was well written and definitely came close to many thoughts I've had about reviews. Thank you Emily for letting me share this with our readers.


©Emily Shur

My Review of My Review

I have so many thoughts about Review Santa Fe, and I am going to attempt to organize them right now. Also, I am a fan of a good list. So, here I go.:

Thought #1: I think the most important thing I learned this past weekend is that I need to figure out whether or not I want to parlay my personal work into another facet of my career, or if the pictures should remain what they are - a quiet escape from my career. Being at the review made me realize that the art world (or review world) is as much of a social climbing, game playing world as the commercial photography sphere, and now is the time in which I need to decide if I want to do that all over again...and this time with work that is way more personal than my portraiture.

Thought #2: Ultimately, a photo review is a culmination of opinions given to you by a respected group of people in the photo industry. We, as photographers, need to understand that in the end, we have to be happy with the work we are making and stand by it. The reason I say this is because I, along with other photographers I spoke with, got complete opposite feedback in many reviews. One friend of mine had one reviewer tell her that her palette was dated, and she should more carefully consider the time of day that she was photographing. She had another review that same day where she was told her palette was beautiful, and the time of day in which she was choosing to take pictures was perfect.

Thought #3: Believe it or not, being in Santa Fe made me appreciate my day job. I started spending more time and energy on my personal work as a response to being frustrated with commercial photography. I felt as though I wasn't progressing, which is probably the worst feeling I can think of for someone doing what we do. At the review, I felt out of place for the first time in a long time which made me realize that I am part of a photographic community already, and although at times my community is slightly superficial (and there are some annoying people within the community), I am very lucky to do what I do for a living, and I love the people and crews I work with here in LA. I am proud to be a photographer and make a living doing something I love.

Thought #4: The actual event of Review Santa Fe is a very well oiled and organized machine. I felt a bit as though I was at college orientation all over again, but hey...college was fun, and some of my best friends still to this day are people I met in college. I met some really lovely and fun people at the review, not to mention some really good photographers. I was impressed with the variety of ages and nationalities in the "Review Santa Fe 100" and also the work. A few small critiques of the event would probably include the horrible internet connection in the hotel, the horrible coffee in the hotel, and possibly the location of the hotel since it was not downtown and a far walk from anything town-like. One big compliment on the event would likely be the fact that at no time did it feel chaotic, and to me, this is a big plus considering how many photographers and reviewers were together in one place.

Thought #5: Was it worth it? This is the question I have been asked the most by friends and family, all of whom knowing how much time, energy, and money I invested into my potential experience at Review Santa Fe. I suppose the answer would be yes, it was worth it, although I'm not going to lie and say it wouldn't feel more worth it if something tangible came out of my time there. Although, only time will tell if that (a show, gallery representation, or maybe a published book) will in fact happen. Going into the review, I was misleading myself by thinking that just getting in was the big obstacle to overcome (and I had done it!). Getting in was merely a small first step onto a long road, and that realization deflated me for a minute on my first day of reviews. In the end, I left feeling encouraged and not discouraged, and now it's up to me to decide how far I want to walk down the road.

The Female Gaze: Women Look at Women

The Female Gaze: Women Look at Women

Cheim & Read
547 West 25th Street New York, NY 10001
June 25- September 19, 2009

works by:
Berenice Abbott, Marina Abramovic, Ghada Amer, Diane Arbus, Vanessa Beecroft, Lynda Benglis, Louise Bourgeois, Kathe Burkhart, Julia Margaret Cameron, Victoria Civera, Rineke Dijkstra, Marlene Dumas, Anh Duong, Judith Eisler, Tracey Emin, Ellen Gallagher, Nan Goldin, Katy Grannan, Jenny Holzer, Roni Horn, Chantal Joffe, Deborah Kass, Maria Lassnig, Zoe Leonard, Sally Mann, Marilyn Minter, Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Shirin Neshat, Collier Schorr, Joan Semmel, Cindy Sherman, Mickalene Thomas, Hannah van Bart, Hellen van Meene, Kara Walker, Francesca Woodman and Lisa Yuskavage.

-- and extraordinary line-up of talent!

Find the press release here.

Call for Entry: The Center for Fine Art Photography

Andy Adams of Flak Photo is the juror for the 2009 International Exhibition of Fine Art Photography --Deadline: July 14, 2009
Find out more by clicking here.

Tomorrow: Sarah Pucill Films at Air Gallery

from AIR Gallery:

Monday June 29, 2009, 7pm

AIR Gallery presents an evening of films by Sarah Pucill


AIR Gallery will host British artist photographer and filmmaker Sarah Pucill who will introduce her work and be present for questions. The screening is part of a North American tour where retrospectives of her films will premiere her new film Fall In Frame, 2009, at venues including Anthology Film Archives, NY, MassArt Film Society, Boston, LA Filmforum and Echo Park Film Center, LA and Pleasure Dome Toronto. Her films play with boundaries of self and other, frequently involving mirrors or mirroring, sometimes rigorously formal, other times humorously enamored with the possibilities of light, surfaces, and bodies, while exploring the range of possibilities vested in the camera. Her work has been shown at the Millennium, NY and last year Taking My Skin was exhibited in Mother Cuts at New Jersey University, alongside Mary Kelly, Mona Hatoum and Mieka Bal.

The evening screening will include:
You Be Mother (1990, 7 min., 16mm, color)
Best Experimental Film Award, Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Germany
Best Innovation Award, Atlanta Film Festival, USA
‘Wicked Women and Wayward Girls’, BFI compilation tape, distributed by Connoisseur Video
Milk and Glass (1993, 10 min., 16mm, color)
Taking My Skin (2006, 35 min., 16mm, b&w)
Marion McMahon Award, Images Festival, Toronto, Canada (2007)
Fall In Frame (2009, 18 min., 16mm, color)

“The process of making is the starting point for my work, in which space and point of view have been longstanding concerns as has the (female) body…There is an existential element to the slow pacing of the performance that confronts the viewer (and performer) with what it means to be in front of a camera, where the moment is being marked as an image outside of time. This approach to filmmaking runs counter to commercial film techniques, where the actual place of filming (the pro-filmic) is not only not repressed but is brought to the fore as a central characteristic of the film.” – Sarah Pucill