Andrew Goldman on Annie Leibovitz

Everyone has been talking abut Annie Leibovitz & her Art Capital loan.
Andrew Goldman recently published an extensive article in New York Magazine about Annie Leibovitz, her career and current situation. You can find it by clicking here.

Conscientious

Joerg Colberg's Conscientious is always a good side to visit to see good photography and find new work -- by men and women artists.
Head over to Conscientious (www.jmcolberg.com/weblog/)to see work by Ana Cuba, Valerie Schmidt, Hellen Van Meene, Sally Mann, Beatrix Reinhardt, Laura Pannack and many others.

Upcoming: Hellen van Meene @ SVA

Untitled #331, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2008, Chromogenic print
© Hellen van Meene

(from SVA's Alia Dalal )

Kicking off SVA's "Art in the First Person" lecture series is a conversation with Hellen van Meene about her recent work.

Known for her intimate and carefully arranged portraits of adolescents, Dutch photographer Hellen van Meene is releasing a new collection of her photography in the monograph Hellen van Meene: New Photographs (Shrirmer/Mosel, 2009). The New Yorker calls van Meene's portraits "wonderfully odd" and in 2006, a photograph by van Meene accompanied Haruki Murakami's short story "A Shinagawa Monkey" in the magazine.

In this public lecture, van Meene talks with Jörg Colberg, the founder and editor of the pioneering photo blog Conscientious. In 2006, he was named one of American Photo's Photography Innovators and is a regular contributor to their Web site. Colberg interviewed van Meene for Conscientious in May 2009, and this conversation provides both Colberg and van Meene the opportunity to delve further into her work.

EVENT DETAILS
Hellen van Meene in Conversation with Jörg Colberg
Monday, September 14, 7pm
SVA Theatre, 333 West 23 Street
Presented by the BFA Photography Department and Dear Dave, magazine
Free and open to the public
Information at 212.592.2010 or www.sva.edu/events

Sally Mann: Proud Flesh

Sally Mann will be showing work not exhibited before at Gagosian Gallery starting September 15, 2009. If you head over to Conscientious you can see a preview of the work and find out more about this fascinating body of work, titled Proud Flesh.

A Conversation with Malou van Breevoort

We first came across the beautiful and mystical portraits by Malou van Breevoort during our first Call for Entries back in April. We're excited to have a chance to interview Malou for this conversation series.

From the series, Thirteen, © Malou van Breevoort

Nymphoto: Tell us a little about yourself?

Malou van Breevoort: I was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in the early days of 1974 from a Dutch mother and Romanian father. My parents were quite young and hippy-esk, got married to get my father out of a very communistic dictatorship Romania but soon after divorced when it didn't work out. My mother remarried not soon after. My step dad's work in the hotel industry required moving a lot through Europe to pretty much a different country each year. I guess together with my childhood memories of Romania and all the new impressions of other surroundings and cultures, I formed my love for traveling and wanting to tell the world about the way I saw social political problems and how to shine a different light on it. I was interested in telling a story via something artistic but at the time not knowing how to express myself properly. Photography was not at all in the making at that time but I wrote many stories and loved to draw and be on stage whether it was dancing, singing or acting as long as I could show and express to people my thoughts.

From the series, Thirteen, © Malou van Breevoort

NP: How did you discover photography?

MvB: It was a long journey before I found out photography was a tool to help translate emotional images. I never thought there were family genetics involved when it came to photography however I only just found out that my Romanian grandfather was very passionate about taking pictures of pretty much everything on an old Leica! I guess together with my grandmother's love for drawing and seeing details in the smallest things, it's not that difficult to see the connection.

My journey started after the necessary educational needs. I left Holland at the age of 20 to travel and live in South-East Asia for nearly four years. During this time I discovered the beauty of photography. I realized I could translate my thoughts and sights very well in still images. It was also a fantastic way to not always be grounded in reality. Through a distinctive composition or playing with light, I could create a more imaginative world where the viewer could slip away to. When I finally returned to Holland, the choice was finally clear. I was accepted at the Academy of Photography in Amsterdam where I studied the art of photography for four years. This was a very successful period since I won several awards in various competitions and also was able to have exhibitions in both Holland and abroad, which made me realize I had made the right choice in choosing photography as my profession.

From the series, Thirteen, © Malou van Breevoort

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

MvB: My inspiration is found pretty much everywhere, in everyday life, an image, good food, great wine, a party, a kiss, also in moments, through media, film, books, music and of course traveling. I always carry a little black book wherever I go and if something catches my attention, which can be found in smallest of things, I write it down to check on at a later stage whether it can be transformed into an artistic photographic series, preferably one with an edge and message. This process can take a while, once the images are clear in my head, the follow up is like a rollercoaster.

From the series, Dreams, © Malou van Breevoort

NP: How do your projects come about?

MvB: My series 'Thirteen' was shot at the beginning of last year but the process of how the series came about was way beforehand. It was a combination of the news and media frenzy concerning the troubles of Britney Spears and the way Paris Hilton showed herself to the world. This was the age which teenagers are starting to experiment with sex (very young). Drug regulations in Holland and the overall popular culture on TV abuse made me think of creating a subtle series about young adolescent who are too quickly getting to be or act as adults when they are still kids.

The series shows (as the title says) 4 girls at the age of thirteen, altered in post-production to portray a more mature person. The noses and mouth are made a bit smaller, the eyes a bit bigger and the form of the shoulders and head are altered a bit, all this together gives you eerie looking portraits which in a subtle way gives a lash at how teens these days are being exposed to too many adult things and their reaction to that.

From the series, Dreams, © Malou van Breevoort

'Dreams' was created through a one liner given by the people of Timu Kota, a young organization who help young people in Third World countries. The project involved creating a book in participation with 7 Dutch photographers, each given a special theme and 5 high positioned individuals (government, CEO of big companies, entertainers, etc) who would participate in the shooting and have an interview (to talk about their dreams on how they see the world a better place) on that particular theme. My theme was 'banish hunger and poverty' and the idea was to shoot everybody up close with dark with soft lighting (similar to the Johannes Vermeer's paintings). Afterwards I worked in post-production to create a face which was half healthy and half sick. I wanted this to be done very subtle so in small jpeg you won't see anything strange but blown up it's a total different story. This to enhance the effect on viewers.

From the series, Dreams, © Malou van Breevoort

NP: What’s next?

MvB: As we speak I'm finishing up my series of 'Natural Elements'. Where Thirteen and Dreams are both quite the political 'bash', the series, 'Natural Elements' is a total different approach on how I would like to present series.

This is your typical dreamworld creation which I love to make but don't often do because there is no story behind my love for balletdancers and their body/muscle power in combination with the earthy deep dark forest. These two combined require special lighting and makes it a beautiful series which a viewer can step into to dream.

Furthermore I am working on a duo exhibition which will open end of September beginning of October in Koeln, Germany with another German based photographer named Valerie Schmidt. The overall look will be portraits of all sorts. Ten to fifteen photographs from past and current work of mine will be on display during a period of one month. The gallery is called Koeln-Art & Kreon Vektron Showroom and is situated on the Bruhler Strasse 11-13 in Koeln, Germany.

From the series, Natural Elements, © Malou van Breevoort

NP: Thank you, Malou! To see more of her work, please head to http://malouphoto.com/

Opening Soon: REVERIE & RHAPSODY

REVERIE & RHAPSODY
Susan Burnstine • Susan kae Grant • Beth Moon

Verve Gallery of Photography is pleased to present Reverie & Rhapsody, an exhibition exploring dreams, memory and time, and the rhythm of contemplation and mystery that is held within all three. The three-person exhibition includes Verve gallery artists Susan Burnstine, Susan kae Grant and Beth Moon.

VERVE Gallery of Photography
219 East Marcy Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Opening Reception: Friday, August 28, 2009, 5-7pm
Exhibit is on view through Saturday, November 7, 2009

Gallery Talk with Beth Moon and Susan Burnstine,
Friday, August 28, 3-4pm

Gallery Talk with Susan kae Grant and Sarah Alexander,
Saturday, August 29, 2-4pm

(via Fraction Magazine)

Keliy Anderson-Staley: Off the Grid

Head over to DaylightMagazine.org and grab the August video podcast featuring Keliy Anderson-Staley's Off the Grid portfolio. Hear the artist speak about her work that focuses on families who have chosen to live in self constructed homes in rural Maine without the modern luxuries of electricity and indoor plumbing.

Watch the video podcast

View the Off the Grid portfolio on Keliy Anderson-Staley's website

Katy Grannan for The New York Times

Head over to www.nytimes.com to see Katy Grannan portraiture illustrating Nicolas D.Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn's report A Powerful Truth.

Summer Issue of 1000 Words Magazine

The summer issue of online magazine, 1000 Words Photography, includes the work of Tierney Gearon, and Nymphoto favorite, Jen Davis.

The Man I Wish I Was

from A.I.R.:

A.I.R. Gallery Presents a New Opportunity for Women Artists:
"THE MAN I WISH I WAS"
A Juried + Invitational Exhibition


EXHIBITION STATEMENT:
In January 2010 A.I.R. Gallery will host "The Man I Wish I Was" a month-long, partially juried, partially invitational exhibition. In keeping with the feminist tradition of irreverent internal-critique and self-vigilance the intent of the show is to question how gender perception relates to personal identity.

We look forward to unanticipated perspectives and encourage an open interpretation of "The Man I Wish I Was."

DEADLINE:
October 2, 2009 at midnight online, 6pm if hand delivery, or postmark October 2 by mail.

ELIGIBILITY:
Any artist worldwide who self-identifies as female may submit original works of art. Collaborations are welcome.

JURORS:
Lauren Ross, Curator and Director of Arts Programs, Friends of the High Line
Kat Griefen, Director, A.I.R. Gallery
Kharis Kennedy, Independent Curator and Artist

SUBMISSION FORMATS: Artists may submit digital images via the online application, or may download a paper application to accompany slides, video or a CD of digital images

ENTRIES:
Complete entries include:
1. Entry form;
2. Four (4) images (including details) OR one three (3) minute video;
3. $20 entry fee

Submissions may be in the form of sketches for incomplete works or images of completed works. The jury will conduct a blind review of applications; therefore, artists must not include names on submission materials, except where indicated.

Please click HERE to apply online or download an entry form.


SCHEDULE:
Deadline for Receipt of Entry: October 2, 2009
Acceptance Notification Date: November 15, 2009
Exhibition Dates: January 6 - January 31, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 7, 2010 from 6pm to 8pm

Please note: A.I.R. Gallery is closed through September 7, 2009. All inquires regarding the application process during this time should be directed to: info@airgallery.org. Inquiries will be responded to on a weekly basis.

Show Your Work on Governor's Island

(via Zito Gallery) find out more here: www.4heads.org.

Emily Shur @ 20x200

Victoria's Peak © Emily Shur

Head over to 20x200 to check it out!

Too Much Chocolate & Kodak Film Grant

Find out who is eligible and how to apply here: toomuchchocolate.org. (tx Amy)

A Conversation with Béatrice de Géa

© Béatrice de Géa

Béatrice de Géa's work came to my attention by way of The New York Times cover. I was deeply moved by an image taken by Beatrice in Tanzania of a family of women burying a still-born baby.
It was part of story & photo essay about Childbirth in Tanzania, which you can see by clicking here.
Béatrice depicts all aspects of life in her work and I was thrilled when Beatrice agreed to a conversation.


© Béatrice de Géa

NP: Tell us a little about yourself.

BDG: I was born in the French Alps and partially raised in the U.A.E. I studied Art and Fashion Design in Paris. I met my first love in an airplane flying to California and few months later told my father I wanted to go study in California. I moved to Los Angeles in 1994. My desire was to become a reporter, but fell in love with photography after my first class. It was my way of writing.


© Béatrice de Géa

NP: How did you discover photography?

BDG: By accident. I was under pressure to get a work permit so I had to quickly get my degree. I picked a photography class, remembering how much pleasure it was to use my mother's Foca camera when I was 13 to snap pictures of our family pets. I got an F on my first class. I didn't speak English well enough. The Depth of Field concept was first a grammatical mystery before a technical one. I met my mentor, a local photojournalist, when I was at school. He taught me a lot without telling me what to do...respecting my stubborn personality. I became very passionate about it, realizing I was really meant to do this. I felt constantly challenged and satisfied.



© Béatrice de Géa

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

BDG: In other people's culture and life. And the fantastic work of photojournalists around the world.


© Béatrice de Géa

NP: How do your projects come about?

BDG: I've been pretty spoiled. Working on staff at the Los Angeles Times for seven years took me to great places and great stories. Working in New York City as a freelancer is a completely different life. Thanks to Michele McNally and Patrick Witty of the New York Times, I got to do my latest project in Tanzania on maternal mortality. It was the assignment of my dreams. Very emotional. I will never forget it.



© Béatrice de Géa

NP: What’s next?
BDG: I just want to keep on trying to do my best telling great stories. I absolutely love working for newspapers, but I found myself eager to experience new avenues.

NP: Thank you so much!

To see more of Béatrice's work please visit: www.beadegea.com.

If you're in New Orleans

New Orleans Photo Alliance Potluck & Portfolio Night
Thursday, Aug 20
6:30-9pm
Homespace Gallery
1128 St. Roch (lake side of St. Claude Ave.)

Bring some food, drink and photography to our annual summer social!
This is a night for photographers to share work in a casual setting for fun & feedback.
Both portfolios and laptops are welcome.

Last Chance: Vote!

Vote for the People's Choice Award at Blurb.

Here are just some of the awesome women photographers competing for the People's Choice Award:

The Woods by Emily Shur

Consumed + Off-Season by Susana Raab

Amazingness by Anna Hillman

Faces: A Study of Human Faces by Michelle Brea

Some Fox Trails in Virginia by Susan Worsham

-americans: Contemporary Collodion Portraits of Metal and Glass by Keliy Anderson-Staley

Voting ends August 20th!

Thursday: Indecisive Moment: Photographers Using Video

film still from In Sospensione, 2007 © Barbara Bulletti Newman


film still from Birthday Party, 2008 © Kanako Okazaki

Indecisive Moment: Photographers Using Video

A one-night event
Thursday August 20th
Screening begins promptly at 7pm, reception to follow


Hendershot Gallery
547 West 27th street, suite 632
between tenth and eleventh avenue (in the same building as Aperture)

Please RSVP: heidi@hendershotgallery.com


Artists in the sixties and seventies began to exploit the medium of photography and its innate ability to tell the truth in order to explore identity, performativity, institutional critique, and to comment on the role of media in the age of information. Photography as a means of aesthetic self-expression and capturing decisive moments gave way to a more conceptual approach. Likewise, in the past few years artists who normally work within the medium of photography are now turning to video. This screening seeks to initiate a conversation; why does it seem to have become exceedingly difficult for artists to undertake a viable photographic practice unless making work which is in line with a more traditional photography or working in a manner that directly references past photographic masters? Why do many photographers see so much potential in video?


Artists included are Teresa Christiansen, Yi-Ting Chung, Candice Hoeflinger, Allison Kaufman, Thomas Ling, Meggie Miao, Barbara Bulletti Newman, Kanako Okazaki, Stefan Petranek, Jake Selvidio, Hyla Skopitz, Susannah Slocum and Adam Ward.

Annabel Clark on WIPNYC

from WIPNYC:



Annabel Clark's project, Journal: A Mother and Daughter’s Recovery from Breast Cancer, includes words from her mother as they took this journey together.

Cara Phillips: Singular Beauty

Cara Philipps
Singular Beauty
Curated by James Hull
Suffolk University Art Museum at NESAD
75 Arlington St, Boston MA
Opening Reception September 17th, 6-8:30pm


click to enlarge courtesy Cara Phillips

I Don't Believe In Miracles

I don’t believe in miracles

August 14 – August 31, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, August 14, 2009, 6:00 – 8:30 P.M.
Summer Hours: Thursday – Monday, 12:00 – 7:00 P.M.

Spacewomb is pleased to present I Don’t Believe in Miracles, curated in participation with Alana Celii, an exhibition which features a breadth of artists using different photographic processes such as collage, manipulation, and alternative materials to explore the classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The artists featured in this exhibition include Alexander Binder, Charlotte Bonjour, Amy Giese, Nicholas Gottlund, Jessica Hans, Jessica Williams, and Grant Willing.


22-48 Jackson Ave #1
Long Island City, Queens 11001

http://www.spacewomb.com

Image: Somewhere in the Sky by Nicholas Gottlund

Photography from the Middle East

Lucy Davies recently wrote about contemporary fine art photography in the Middle East for British publication The Telegraph and highlighted artists such as Lalla Essaydi.

A Conversation with Beatrix Reinhardt

American Club, Beijing, China, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

In high school, I was most likely defined to be in the artsy clique since my lunch table was mainly occupied by art students. I had friends that were in dance, vocal, drama, and music majors but somehow my group of friends understood each other and therefore always remained close. It is this club culture of having people with like interests that makes us feel like we're not an odd man out. Beatrix Reinhardt is a photographer that traveled to different parts of the world to seek out member's only clubs.

"This project investigates visually interior spaces that define themselves as clubs, mostly membership clubs.

My interest in clubs was sparked by the attitude of Australians towards these entities. Clubs appeared to be institutions of great significance within the social landscape. I never have been a big enthusiast of organized “togetherness”, which I always contributed to my upbringing in former East Germany, where a schedule of memberships was awaiting since the day one was born." - Beatrix Reinhardt, on Club Series

ChangAn Club, Beijing, China, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

Nymphoto: Tell us a little about yourself?

Beatrix Reinhardt: I am born in Russia because my mother studied there and she gave birth to me during her final examination. After she received her degree, we moved back to Germany, to Jena (former East Germany).

I came to the US to study for one year at the New School for Social Research...somehow I ended up completing a MA degree…and after working for a while I went back to school. After the completion of my MFA I was going back and forth between the US and Europe, as well as other parts of the world. I taught and did artist-in-residency gigs at different institutions all over. Since late 2005 New York has been my primary residence.

Club 13, Punk Club, Beijing, China, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

Cretan Club II, Astoria, NY, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

NP: How did you discover photography?

BR: I started photography while I was studying at the New School. Why? I am not 100% sure. I am assuming I started it because I was not able to speak English. Back home my “medium” was language. I studied “New German Literature” and I wrote for newspapers. After my arrival here, this “medium” was gone – maybe photography was a replacement? I came to the New School to study filmmaking but my language skills made it hard to edit sound. So, I started to take classes at Parsons. After the completion of my degree in Media, I continued working on my photography…and eventually went back to school.

Curling Club, St Paul, MN, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

Hellenic Club, Canberra, Australia, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

BR: Life, food, love…anything! One thing though that is super important to me is travel. Travel is very important to me as a person and as an artist, especially to places that are removed from the “western tradition”. Travel allows my senses to reshuffle and to rejuvenate, which I believe, informs my work. Key however is, from my point of view, to spent a minimum of 1 month (ideally 2-3 moths) in the same place.

Pathfinder Gun and Hunting Club, Fulton, NY, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

NP: How do your projects come about?

BR: It differs from project to project. For instance, when I moved to to Normal/Bloomington, IL to study. This is a medium sized town. It is surrounded by corn and soy fields…endless fields. In between one can find small communities of farmers. I was so curious about the people who chose to reside there. I started a project about one of these small towns. The project became a long-term project. I went several times a week to photograph, went to all town meetings, exhibited the images on a weekly base in the post office (the only public space left in town)…one day after a town hall meeting, the mayor of the town and a resident had a disagreement…they started to punch each other…a couple of days later, the mayor was gone. I asked around where he is. I was directed to a close by permanent campground/trailer park. I went there to visit him and I fell in love…I fell in love with “Wildwood”. It was an amazing place – visually rich, and the people were friendly and grumpy at the same time – it all was intriguing. I photographed there, even lived there at times, for more than 3 years. When I exhibited the body of work, the Wildwood community was part of it – the exhibitions were held as potluck dinner events in galleries. So the project came about through luck, circumstances…life!

Others, for instance the project I am working on now, the pipeline project, was motivated by my upbringing in East Germany. In school I learned about a lot about this pipeline, and somehow it sparked my interest again. Why I am not sure…the wars we have been having over natural resources, a book I read about the American West and its reminiscence to stories that workers who erected the pipeline told me during my childhood…I am not sure. Last summer I just jumped into a plane and checked it out.

Sahara Social Club, London, England, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

"To me, Clubs are the nexus of homogeny and heterogeny. It is that space where “like” comes together and “unlike” stays apart. The club manifests the accomplishment of a unified “taste” a harmony, a bringing together of certain personal elements, which could, quite possibly otherwise have been kept apart. However, what remains apart is just as important as what comes together to constitute the club. That is, it is not only due to the nature of union that the club is defined and takes on a meaning but also due to the nature of exclusion. Exclusion becomes a main attribute of a club but more importantly it is what it excludes that becomes the defining characteristic of the club in question." - Beatrix Reinhardt, on Club Series

NP: What’s next?

BR: As stated above, since last summer (08) I am working on a project about a gas pipeline in the Ukraine. I will continue this summer – let’s see what it will become. There are some other small projects going on but they still need to ripe a bit more.
Another issues high on the list – finding a publisher for the Club Series.

Tantra Club, London, England, Club Series, © Beatrix Reinhardt

To see more of Beatrix Reinhardt's work, please go to www.beatrixreinhardt.com.

Helen Levitt @ Laurence Miller

Helen Levitt
First Proofs
Laurence Miller Gallery
20 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
- through August 20, 2009

Marcey Jacobson Dies at 97

New York photographer Marcey Jacobson passed away from heart failure in Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico recently.Read The New York Times' Bruce Weber's obituary for Marcey Jacobson here.

Family Affair

Hank Willis Thomas, Sometimes I See Myself in You, 2008, digital C-print, Courtesy of the artist, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery and Jack Shainman Gallery

PROGENY: Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas

Curated by Kalia Brooks

40 Acres Gallery
Location
3428 3rd Ave
Sacramento, CA, 95816
- through September 5, 2009

On View @ Edwynn Houk Gallery

Summer Exhibition 2009

A Selection of Works by Gallery Artists:
Lynn Davis, Elliott Erwitt, Lalla Essaydi, Beatrice Helg, Danny Lyon, Joel
Meyerowitz, Robert Polidori

Edwynn Houk Gallery
745 Fith Avenue
New York, NY
Summer Hours: Monday-Friday, 11-6

The gallery will be closed from August 31-September 4

Today: Joni Sternbach Book Signing

SurfLand Book Signing with Joni Sternbach
@ The Surf Lodge
183 Edgemere Street
Montauk, New York
Sunday August 9, 2009 --4-6 p.m.

Announcing Project 5

Amador Gallery, ClampArt, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, Foley Gallery and Sasha Wolf Gallery are proud to announce their collaboration on a series of projects.

This unique cooperation between gallerists has grown from years of friendships and shared ambitions in the photography market. Reaching out to one another to create these new initiatives seemed like the next step for these 5 to collectively grow their shared ideals while maintaining their own distinguished programming.

The galleries, referred to here as, Project 5, will begin their collaboration with a portfolio of 5 images by 5 artists, one from each of the participating Project 5 galleries to be released on September 15. All images will be unique to the portfolio—made specifically by the participating artists for this project. The artists included are: Olaf Otto Becker from Amador, Jill Greenberg from ClampArt, Stuart O'Sullivan from Daniel Cooney, Thomas Allen from Foley Gallery and Guido Castagnoli. The portfolios will be released in an edition of 30, priced with new collectors in mind at $2500. Each print will be signed and numbered by the artist and the portfolio will be enclosed in a custom made clothbound case. The portfolio offers collectors the unique opportunity of starting a relationship with five different artists and galleries at the same time.

Additionally, Project 5 is introducing a series of Portfolio Reviews for artists who feel they would benefit from the valuable input of these gallerists' expertise. The first Portfolio review will be Sunday, September 20th. Project 5 asks that artists send ten jpgs to info@project5group.com for consideration. Artists can contact any of the participating galleries for more information.

Another exciting collaboration will be a monthly series of Artist's Salons that will alternate between Project 5's galleries. The first Salon will be held at Daniel Cooney Fine Art on Saturday, September 26th at 3:00 p.m. and will feature four emerging artists presenting their latest bodies of work for a half hour each. Participating artists are Timothy Briner, Yola Monakhov, Jessica Dimmock, and Cara Phillips.

Please contact any of the Project 5 galleries for more information.
Amador Gallery 212 759 6740 info@amadorgallery.com
ClampArt 646 230 0020 brian@clampart.com
Daniel Cooney Fine Art 212 255 8158 dan@danielcooneyfineart.com
Foley Gallery 212 244 9081 michael@foleygallery.com
Sasha Wolf Gallery 212 925 0025 info@sashawolf.com

* from Shen Wei Photography

Allison Sexton

AMERICANSUBURB X has an interesting showcase and opinion piece about the work of artist Allison Sexton. Find it here.

Last chance for SPLASH! @ Klompching

Swing over to Dumbo and catch the last days of Klompching's summer show, SPLASH! Featuring works by: Tessa Bunney, Elaine Duigenan, Cornelia Hediger, Paula McCartney, Lisa M. Robinson and more.

Klompching
111 Front Street
Suite 206
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Tomorrow: Susan Wides Lecture in Woodstock

(from The Center for Photography at Woodstock)

Susan Wides: Picturing Landscape
Lecture
The Center for Photography at Woodstock
Saturday August 1, 2009 7 PM
Address 59 Tinker Street, Woodstock NY 12498
Telephone 845-679-9957 fax 845-679-6337
Email info@cpw.org

Susan Wides is best known for her cityscapes, landscapes, botanicals, and waxworks. Wides has engaged familiar genres and proceeded to reinvent them. She uses the essence of her equipment–a view camera and lens–to explore perception and camera vision. Her photographs have been featured in 18 one-person shows and over 60 group exhibitions in the US and Europe. Wides has had solo exhibitions at The Center For Creative Photography, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, Art in General, Urbi et Orbi Galerie and PS122 and next year will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Hudson River Museum. Her work is in the permanent collections of The International Center of Photography, Princeton University Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Bibliotheque Nationale, Norton Museum and Museum of the City of New York, among others. Articles about her work have appeared in Art in America, Artforum, New York Times, New Yorker, Village Voice and many catalogues. She contributes to magazines such as New York, Harpers, Architecture, and 2wice. Wides is represented by the Kim Foster Gallery in New York City. You can learn at www.susanwides.com

A Conversation with Justine Reyes

Justine Reyes and I go way back- to the first day of high school at LaGuardia H.S. (a specialized school for the Arts in Manhattan). We were on the same train and I noticed her heading toward the 1/9 with all her anklets tinkering under her full length gypsy-like skirt, looking way cool. We ended up being in the same foundation art class and eventually in the same photography class. Her work has certainly matured and evolved since then and she's changed fashion styles many times over. Justine has been on a quest to explore and define herself (as we all do) and where her travel and work has taken her is right back to what defines her the most, her family. By photographing her family members, she shares what is closest in who is present and absent and the struggles within as she deals with aging loved ones.


Untitled, Home © Justine Reyes

Nymphoto: Tell us a little about yourself.

Justine Reyes: My mother left my father in 1980 by telling him she wanted to take my brother and I to my cousin’s wedding in NY so she could visit my family. She packed one suitcase and never looked back. That’s how I got to be a NYC girl instead of a sunny California girl. I often wonder who I would be if I had grown up on the west coast instead of in Queens with my mom, brother, grandmother and uncles, Al and Vinnie.


Untitled, (work in progress) © Justine Reyes

NP: How did you discover photography?

JR: Oddly enough it was one of my dad’s first visits to NY that he brought me a Polaroid camera. When I was nine my uncle Al bought me a neon-orange point and shoot that I took everywhere. I remember putting my mom’s shoe on her head while she was sleeping and taking a picture once. I have no idea why. I guess I’ve been terrorizing my family with a camera for a long time, although now they’re more active participants.


Bermuda, Away From Home © Justine Reyes


Palermo, Away From Home © Justine Reyes

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

JR: My process is very intuitive and each project builds organically. Much of my work demonstrates the power of objects to bear witness to intangible ideas and emotional truths and employs the iconography and symbols of common everyday objects as a means of communicating shared experiences.


Barcelona, Away From Home © Justine Reyes

The death of my uncle Vinnie profoundly impacted me and has in large part brought me to my most current bodies of work, many of which include my family, the idea of leaving and returning home, and the longing to hold on to things that are ephemeral and transitory in nature.


Untitled, Home © Justine Reyes


Untitled, Home © Justine Reyes

NP: How did this project come about?

JR: I have been photographing my immediate family for the past 6 years. This work entitled Home combines portraits, with images of empty interior spaces throughout the house. When I began I was photographing my mom and two uncles, all of whom raised me since I was two years old. These images portray them doing everyday things like cleaning, eating, watching TV, and doing nothing in particular. The catalyst for making this work began with my fear of losing them and trying to capture a moment slipping by faster and faster as they get older. After my uncle Vinnie died this work changed a lot. I began focusing more on their fragility; my uncle’s broken nose, or how tired my mom looks, etc. The image of the empty bedroom represents my Uncle Vinnie and his absence.

Away from Home began shortly after Uncle Vinnie’s death when I booked a cruise to Bermuda for my mom, uncle, brother and myself. I thought we all needed a vacation from grief and sadness. Since then we have gone to Spain, Italy and Australia together. The hotel rooms become grand stages for dramas that never quite unfold. I focus on the subtle underlying tension created by being slightly out of place and out of your comfort zone and the little things we do to try to recreate a small piece of home wherever we go. By staging them in foreign spaces costumed to have the look and feel of domestic comfort I begin to draw relationships between Home and Away from Home, both literally and metaphorically.


Untitled, (work in progress) © Justine Reyes


Untitled, (work in progress) © Justine Reyes

NP: What’s next?

JR: I am currently working on a still life series that I began while in residence at the Center for Photography at Woodstock. This series is inspired by Dutch Vanitas paintings and incorporates personal objects of my own as well as objects that belonged to my grandmother. Pairing these objects together speaks to memory and the legacy one leaves behind. Both the decomposition of the natural (rotting fruit and wilting flowers) as well as the break down of the man made objects, reference the physical body and mortality. These objects bear witness to a spiritual trace or imprint that is left behind or residual.


Untitled, (work in progress) © Justine Reyes

Thank you Justine. More images and projects can be found on justinereyes.com.

Opening Tomorrow: Young Curators, New Ideas II

2nd of January 2008 © Courtesy Michele Abeles & P.P.O.W.

Group Show
Young Curators, New Ideas II
Curated by: Karen Archey, Cleopatra's (Bridget Donahue, Bridget Finn, Cecilia Jurado), Kate McNamara, Women in Photography (Amy Elkins & Cara Phillips), Megha Ralapati, Jose Ruiz, Erin Somerville, Nico Wheadon

P.P.O.W.
511 West 25th Street
Room 301
New York, NY 10001

August 6th - August 28th
Opening Reception: August 6th 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM


ARTISTS:
Michele Abeles
Norma Markley
Taylor Baldwin
Els Vanden Meersch
Daniel Chew
Jessica Ann Peavy
Alejandro Diaz
Dawit L. Petros
Tom Fruin
Victoria Sambunaris
Tierney Gearon
Segtram
Boyd Holbrook
Jaret Vadera
Las Hermanas Iglesias
Noelle Lorraine Williams
J&J
Bryan Zanisnik

It's a great line-up curated by very talented curators. Should be a great show.
And please revisit our conversation with the very talented Michele Abeles.

tArt at A.I.R. opens tomorrow

tArt at A.I.R.
A.I.R. Gallery
August 1 through August 29, 2009
Opening reception Thursday, August 6th from 6pm to 8pm
Closing reception on Thursday, August 27th from 6pm to 8pm.

tART at AIR includes the work of 35 artists who are part of the tART collective. tART is comprised of 46 emerging women artists nationwide, whose network facilitates dialogue, collaboration, learning and teaching, public engagement, and activism.

This exhibition is, in part, an examination of the Feminist Art Movement's influence on subsequent generations of female artists. While the majority of the work does not reveal feminist content, the exhibition is a cross section of art being made by emerging women artists. The pieces are wide-ranging in genre and materials, not tending towards any specific trend but rather demonstrating the depth and vitality of women artists today. The exhibition is presented “salon” style. The salon tradition provides a rich subject for a contemporary feminist exhibition as it is an inclusive survey of tART members. Historically, “salon style” exhibitions of the 19th Century were surveys of contemporary art that excluded women, minorities and artists working on the fringe.

A.I.R. Gallery and the tART collective are both organizations founded by women with the intention of fostering a strong community and public presence for women in the arts. Both A.I.R. Gallery and tART function as support networks, which continue to strengthen and celebrate women’s roles in the field.

The exhibiting artists are: Liz Ainslie, Jill Auckenthaler, Suzanne Bennett, Monica Carrier, Sydney Chastain-Chapman, Laurie Close, Melissa Cowper-Smith, Ann deVere, Maria Dumlao, Madora Frey, Tara Giannini, Rachael Gorchov, Anna Lise Jensen, Elsie Kagan, Katherine Keltner, Selena Kimball, Essye Klempner, Katy Krantz, Katerina Lanfranco, Lisa Lindgren, Rebecca Loyche, Cybele Lyle, Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, Sandra Mack-Valencia, Ilse Murdock, Danielle Mysliwiec, Asya Reznikov, Susan Ross, Carrie Rubinstein, Nikki Schiro, Yasmin Spiro, Melissa Staiger, Rosemary Taylor, Petra Valentova, and Julia Whitney Barnes. For more information about tART, please visit www.tartnyc.org.

Stacy Arezou Mehrfar @ Perth Centre for Photography

The Perth Centre for Photography will exhibit a selection of works from
AMERICAN PALIMPSESTS | THIS WAS WHAT THERE WAS.
The exhibition opens on August 7th and will run through August 30th, 2009.


Perth Centre for Photography
91 Brisbane Street
Perth, Western Australia Opening: Friday, August 7th at 6pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, August 9th at 2pm

www.americanpalimpsests.com and www.thiswaswhattherewas.com