Takashi Homma

Takashi Homma (whom Em blogged about recently) has an exhibit on view at Kinokuniya Book Store in Manhattan starting July 1st though July 18th, 2008 - and on July 2nd there is a book signing.
Aperture, who published the Homma's 'Tokyo' monograph, is also currently having a summer sale that lets you save on books and limited-edition photographs.

Asparagus on Mars

BBC news today: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7477310.stm

Nymphoto Conversations

Head over to the Nymphoto Blog to read my (with some input from Rona) interviews with some talented & innovative women: Dina Kantor & Kate Engelbrecht (of The Girl Project)-- part of a new series on the blog titled 'Nymphoto Conversations' (many more interviews to come) , the conversations are complementary to Nymphoto's website section 'Featured Artist'.


We Are Scientists © Dina Kantor

On a side note: I thought Joerg Colberg introduced me to the work of Dina Kantor, but actually my husband sent me the above image a while back. I loved the photograph, but I didn't know who authored it, I was delighted to find out that this was also Dina's work.

Update: The Girl Project has been invited to show at Scope Miami in December and thus Kate is currently making another push to find more participants for the project. Find out more here.

The Lams of Ludlow

24 Hours Good Luck Car Service © Nina Buesing

The other night my friend Andrea called and said "You must come over to Ludlow Street, there is a huge fire-- you have to take pictures!". By the time I arrived the blaze had been brought under control, but clearly it had been a serious fire.



Ludlow Street, After the Fire, June 2008 © Nina Buesing

Then today I read this post by Andrew Hetherington of "Whats The Jackanory". And I strongly suspect we are talking about the same fire. Of course my sympathies are with whomever lost their home that night and I am glad no one was physically hurt, but knowing that this most likely is the home of the Lam Family really personalizes it. The Family Lam might be familiar to you from the outstanding Thomas Holton exhibit "The Lams of Ludlow Street" at Sasha Wolf Gallery from a few months back.



The Lambs & Their Apartment ©Thomas Holton

Thomas Holton is selling limited 'benefit' edition prints to support the Lams who just lost so much.
Please contact Thomas Hotlon at thomas(at)thomasholton.com if you are interested in purchasing a print.

About that July Issue of Vogue Italia

Cathy Horyn writes about the July issue of Italian Vogue in "Conspicuous by Their Presence" and "Beauty and Soul" for the New York Times, which I think is best read accompanied by another New York Times article, this one by Michael Kimmelman and titled "Italy Gives Cultural Diversity a Lukewarm Embrace".

Music

I added a 'music list' to the blog, it's at the bottom of the page after books before movies.
Like books & movies, this is a list that will also expand over time.
I am listening to Chopin's L'Adieu -which he wrote for Maria or Marie Wodzińska- while writing this. And if I ever get to name more cats, I will call them Earl Grey, Crosby (after the street not the musician) & Chopin. The holy trinity ;)

And Tim Walker

And if you are in London this summer, I recommend the Design Museum and the Tim Walker show - Mr. Walker who I mentioned before, is one of my favorites.
James Danzinger has a nice post about the show titled Anglomania.

Garie Waltzer

If you are in Cleveland, OH this summer, I recommend taking a look at the extraordinarily beautiful work of Garie Waltzer (tx, Jane).

June 23 - Sept. 5, 2008
Humphrey Atrium Gallery at University Hospitals
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH

Soccer & The City

After the Germany-Turkey Game on the F train© Davide Corvallo

I don't care for sports. And luckily I am married to a man who doesn't care about sports either. However there is something alluring about the slow infiltration of soccer enthusiasm in the city of New York. While team sports can be divisive, in New York it is more likely to illustrate how people from different cultures get along for the most part.
During the world cup one could wonder from France to Germany to Italy to Argentina and hear tales from as far away as Thailand where monks would be watching the game. It was fun.


'Weltmeister der Herzen', 'Il Campioni' and all that © Nina Corvallo

Sally Mann Remains

Sally Mann remains one of my favorite artists. She gained a lot of attention with "Immediate Family" around the time that I became seriously interested in photography and I am glad to say that her images from that series mean as much to me today as they did then.
A few days ago I watched "What Remains: The Life and Art of Sally Mann" which developed out of the Academy Award nominated short "Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann" by Steven Cantor.
Like Jhumpa Lahiri in her writing, Ms. Mann's work comes from the everyday and comments on universal themes such as family, death & life -- and does so with an unflinchingly romantic eye, which I find courageous in many ways.
In the movie the viewer sees Sally Man photographing her husband - something she has done since the beginning of their long relationship. She has not yet published these images and she refers to them as her 'artistic savings account'. From a glimpse at the work (via the documentary), I suspect it might turn out to be a body of work as moving & important or even more so than "Immediate Family".
I like that she chooses to photograph what she knows or is experiencing and I love her process. I like the 19th Century cameras and the now antiquated techniques of capture and printing she employs. To me that is what true photography will always be about: the processes and the capturing, enhancing & translating of what you see.
You can take a look at the trailer for 'What Remains' and youtube. The movie is available for rent or purchase.