The collaboration between Richard Burbridge and Maurizio Anzeri results in this incredible series of colourful embroidery on black and white portraits. This reminds me of my final project where I embroidered hair on a drawing.
via trendland
I went to C/O Berlin: International Forum for Visual Dialogues which is currently exhibiting 3 series of works by Gregory Crewdson: Fireflies (1996), Beneath the Roses (2003-2007), and Sanctuary (2010).
C/O Berlin was an old post office turned into a cultural institution dedicated to photography since 2006. It is an enormous building which has a lot of history just by looking at the floorboards and the architecture in general. Crewdson’s show occupies the top floor, where a space is allocated to each series. There are about framed 90 large-format photographs, all in colour except for the ‘Fireflies’ series. There’s a video playing an interview with Crewdson in a room at the back.
I had only seen one of Crewdson’s images in the flesh in Melbourne when the Guggenheim exhibition was on at the NGV. To see the whole series ‘Beneath the Roses’ on the wall is quite impressive. It’s my favorite series out of the three. The highly constructed images reflect the extensive planning required to complete one photo. In the hallway, there are drawings sketching out the process. I had seen videos with Crewdson at work: we’re talking about big productions here. The feeling I get with ‘Beneath the roses’ is solitude and loneliness. There is a strong narrative in the series. I’m deeply curious about the original idea from which each image was based on. There are so many interpretations that can be derived. Aesthetically, the photos are impeccable.
The other 2 series are less theatrical. ‘Fireflies’ was Crewdson’s first series done in black and white.There is something minimalist about this series where light trails left by fireflies have been captured on film. Its simplicity is beautiful. With ‘Sanctuary’, the monochromatic series is on old movie sets in Italy. The atmosphere is heavy with loneliness which is a recurring theme in Crewdson’s work, which he talks about in the interview. Overall, the 3 series work well together and are worth checking out.
‘11 rooms’ was an exhibition part of the Manchester International Festival 2011 which ended on July 17th. Eleven artists including Marina Abramovic and Simon Fujiwara (who had a piece in ‘Based in Berlin’) were asked to create a work involving the human body. It looks very interesting!
At Martin Gropius Bau is showing 2 photographers who are best known for their artistic manner in documenting what goes on around them. Being of 2 different eras, each succeeded in their own unique way to produce outstanding images. Kertész (1894-1985) has been recognised for his innovative photographic compositions and his eye for geometrical structures, shades, & silhouettes. The exhibition holds 100s of black and white framed prints of various sizes, some original publications, and a little series of coloured polaroids. Seeing Kertész’ work makes me appreciate more the work involved in black and white film photography. Is it a craft. Kertész is definitely one of my favorite black and white photographers of all times.
Concurrently showing was Daniel Schwartz’s exhibition “Snow in Samarkand: Views from the Hinterland of War’, where text and photography are harmoniously juxtaposed. The Swiss-born photographer is also an author who travelled in the war ridden areas of Afghanistan and Central Asia. The works are shown chronologically between 1995-2007. It documents both the socio-political and the history of these diverse geographical areas. The prints were all large (starting from 70x70cm) and framed. The accompanying text was framed and was sometimes right next to a photo and other times by itself on the wall. Previous knowledge of the socio-political events surrounding the areas he visited may help the viewer to fully appreciate the content of the exhibition. I didn’t read all the text as there was a lot. I prefer to read it in a book. I enjoyed Schwartz’s style which is somewhere between photojournalism and documentary with a great eye for composition.
Overall, both Kertész and Schwartz are photographers worth checking out to compare the way they documented the world in their own distinct way at different times in history.
I would love to see this exhibition of Sigmar Polke at Leo Koenig in NY. Polke was a German painter and photographer who is known for his unconventional approaches in creating art works. He revolutionised the visual art world with his use of various chemicals and techniques. The photo exhibition contains a series of photographs taken between 1964-2000 at the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo and a series of photograms produced with radioactive processes.
via contemporary art daily
Jérôme Zonder, ‘Jeu d’enfants no.1’, 2010
Wunderkammer, taken with my iPhone
At me Collectors Room is showing ‘All cannibals?’, an exhibition created in collaboration with, la maison rouge, in Paris. Dr. Jeanette Zwingenberger curated this show combining permanent collections of cabinets of curiosities (Wunderkammer), and collectors’ items of various media. Obviously, this show is not for the faint at heart. A lot of it is left to the imagination of the viewer. The show is not about man-eating ‘savages’. Zwingenberger reports that the exhibition is about “the imaginary, the subjective, the biological and social-political relation to oneself and to the other, form the perspective of ingestion”.
The show contains both contemporary and historical works. They are organised around the following themes: Wunderkammer, fairy tales, mother-child relationships, cannibalism and the sacred, and corporeality.
Some of photographers included in the show were Cindy Sherman, Pieter Hugo, Bettina Rheims, and Yasumasa Morimura. Besides photography, there is sculpture, painting, drawings, installation and video art. Next to the ticket booth, there’s also an interesting video of Patty Chang, ‘Melons (At a loss)’ (1998), who is seen spooning out her own breast, a cynical take on anorexia in society.
The show is fascinating for its diverse content on such an interesting concept. I really enjoyed it and found it very inspiring.
Alec Soth, 2008_08zL0107 (large nude), Broken Manual, archival pigment print, 2008, 177.8cm x 142.2cm
I posted a few months ago a link to Alec Soth’s project & accompanying film by Laure Flammarion & Arnaud Uyttenhove, ‘Somewhere to disappear’, where American men who voluntarily hid from society were photographed. I had the chance to see Soth’s photos of his project ‘Broken Manual’, currently showing at Loock Gallery in Berlin.
The prints are absolutely amazing. They were massive and all framed. Soth used a large format camera which you see him hauling around in the video. It’s interesting how these men, who retreated from society, were comfortable enough to be photographed. This probably reflect Soth’s affinities with his subject; he mentions in the film how he would like to have his own cave. Talk about the idea of escapism. This show was by far my favorite photo exhibition for its concept and quality of work. The gallery space was well lit which made me appreciate the prints even more. I liked the little room allocated to the screening of the movie. However, the room was too bright to enjoy the movie comfortbaly. Overall, ‘Broken Manual’ is a beautiful exhibition documenting the ones who decided to live on the edge.
Mika Rottenberg, Dough (2006)
‘Once Upon a Time’ is an exhibition featuring 6 international artists who are adapting modern fairy tales through video art. My favorite was ‘Dough’ by Mika Rottenberg who created a fable where labourers in an assembly line use their bodily excretions to operate the ‘sweatshop’. The installation consists of a box-like cabin with no visible opening propped against the wall and there’s a movie fan hanging over it. Once you turn the corner, you enter this tiny room where a video is playing through an square opening connected to the cabin. There’s a claustrophobic effect in that room; the same feeling expressed in the video.
Another artist whose video art dramatizes alienation in an industrial context is Cao Fei. I was deeply moved by her video ‘Whose utopia’ (2006) where the setting is at the OSRAM China Lighting Ltd. factory in the Pearl River Delta.
I saw Manjari Sharma’s Shower series at Paul Kopeikin Gallery in LA last January. Her portfolio is worth checking out for its beautiful portraits. She has just started a new series on Hindu deities which involves extensive preparation and staging. I like how she integrates her cultural values in her photographic projects. The first final image is simply fantastic. Read more on the preparation of the shoots here.
I missed Roger Ballen’s exhibition at the Monash Gallery of Art back in 2009. As a consolation, I purchased the exhibition catalog. I love his minimalist black and white photographs. They are full of intrigue and emotionally charged. There is humour, sadness, and tenderness. Ballen lives in South Africa where he’s photographed for many years children, animals & the mentally challenged of the area. I have yet to read his latest book, Roger Ballen: Photographs 1969-2009, which looks amazing. Jonathan Blaustein reviewed the book here.
Chervinsky’s photos are carefully arranged and reminiscent of Dutch paintings. There is also an element of experimentation with perspective. All shot on film with a medium format camera. Simply clever.
