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.

White Horse

White Horse © Tema Stauffer

I mentioned before how much I enjoy the blog of artist Tema Stauffer. I loved the story and image of her June 8, 2008 entry titled "Smiley". It's what life is all about. And I am so happy Tema is recording not only these images but also the stories that accompany them.
And I am (predictably) a little obsessed with the photograph above and the relating blog entry titled "White Horse" -- also to be found on Tema's blog: www.palmaire.blogspot.com.
The "White Horse" image will be included in a group show at Randall Scott Gallery in D.C. this July, along with some other outstanding art by Tema and others.

Sundance @ BAM

Sundance @ BAM is now under way. The subject of "Adopt Me, Michael Jordan" is of interest to me, but unfortunately I will have to miss this screening & discussion of this film. If anyone attends, let me know your reactions & thoughts.

(via www.BAM.org):

Adopt Me, Michael Jordan (2008) 120min
Fri, Jun 6 at 7pm*
*Followed by Filmmaker's Journey with filmmakers Melanie Judd and Susan Motamed
› Buy Tickets

Adopt Me, Michael Jordan follows Weynshet, a twelve-year old girl who travels from an Ethopian orphanage to an adoptive family in the US. In this work-in-progress documentary, the award-winning producing team of Melanie Judd and Susan Motamed focus on the experiences of a child, illuminating the complications of international adoption and raising the question of what it means to lose everything you know in order to get what you need.

FOLLOWED BY: A Filmmaker's Journey
Melanie Judd and Susan Motamed offer a look into their creative process and engage in an in-depth discussion of adoption and its impact with the audience and special guests. Judd and Motamed developed their film with support from the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, which encourages the exploration of innovative nonfiction storytelling through artist grants, creative support at Documentary Labs, on-going Work-in-Progress screenings, and year-round opportunities to advance films and illuminate issues.

Dummy Magazin & Arno Schidlowski

When I flew back to New York from Hamburg this week at the airport I was browsing for some German magazine to read and take with me. I am not that excited about editorial anymore, so much of it has become boring, but I had hopes that perhaps I would find something exciting.
And I did: The "Tiere (Animal) issue of Dummy Magazin(e).
The cover caught my eye and after reading the entire magazine (now that is rare!) and absorbing all of it's visual content, I suspect this magazine would hold my attention no matter what topic. It's frank and it does not shy away from controversial & thought-provoking discourse. It's set-up similar to Big magazine (one topic per magazine and interesting photography), except there is lots more writing, the paper is n0t as extravagant and it has a kinder price tag.

In this issue of Dummy I came across the familiar work of Robin Schwartz (whose cover made me look at the magazine) and great work by by Alessandra Sanguinetti, and most importantly I discovered the work of Arno Schildlowski.
Animal imagery is difficult to do well. Often it ends up being cheesy and straight forward wildlife photography while beautiful (and great in a book) is not really something I want to hang on my wall.
Arno Schidlowski however captures animals in a different way. In his artist statement (which he was kind enough to email me) for his series titled "Summa" he speaks (very eloquently) about how is work is guided mostly by instinct& spontaneity; because he needs to be able to react to the unpredictable, un-directable animal, but also because an instinctual approach promotes an outcome that separates itself from the accepted & standard portrayal of the subject matter.






From the series "SUMMA" © Arno Schidlowski

Stylistically I love the daring dark palette. I find the minimalism & abstraction clever, because it focuses the attention of the viewer on important elements and allows the imagination (as is the intention of Arno) to fill in the blanks, while creating subtle appealing imagery. There is much unknown to us about the (animal) world and Arno Schidlowski in his work admits it and leaves space for that that we do not know and/or cannot control.

You can see the Summa series at DUMMY galerie in Berlin until June 3, 2008.

If you like this work you might also want to take a look at the work of photographer Tim Flach (a more artisan approch to the subject) and a look at some of my Fauna work.

Tema Stauffer

I always liked the work of the talented Tema Stauffer. There is so much narrative in her work and it makes you want to know the whole story behind the images. Tema's blog let's you follow her creative journey. Take a look at her pictures and words: www.palmaire.blogspot.com

Yola Monakhov @ Sasha Wolf

Tonight, from 6- 8 PM is the opening reception for the exhibit of the work of photojournalist YolaMonakhov -- at one of my favorite venues Sasha Wolf Gallery.
Ms. Monakhov's images from Russia are the most compelling in this series.

Yola Monakhov
Once Out Of Nature
@ Sasha Wolf
10 Leonard Street
Tribecaa, NY
May 1- June 21, 2008

Annie Griffiths Belt: A Camera, Two Kids and A Camel

This morning NPR featured a piece about National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths Belt. The segment was titled "Photographers Peripatetic Life Is a Family Affair" and you can listen to it here.
Ms. Griffiths Belt is a gifted observer and a photographer in the classic definition of the craft. She is accomplished and respected, but what made her stand out for me even more was to hear that she took her two kids with her on the road whenever she could. Career and family (regardless of what family is to you) is hard to balance for anyone, and thus I listened with great interest to her recounting how she traveled with her children on assignment.
Ms. Griffith Belt will be presenting her work and speaking about her experiences in Minnesota and Seattle next month. Find out more about that here.
Ms. Griffiths Belt is a charismatic raconteur and you can here her narrate a slide show of her work via the National Graphic site.
If you are interested in purchasing her most recent book, a retrospective of her work, titled A Camera, two Kids and a Camel, you can do it also via NPR and if you do your purchase will support NPR programming. Or you can use www.booksense.com to find a local store near you that carries her book.
(Fi --this one is for you)

Lynsey Addario & More

Because of the Nymphoto Collective I am always looking for more news or information relevant to women in the arts - with a focus on women in photography. And while I am lucky that my situation/life shields me a lot from sexism, one cannot escape it completely.
Last week when minor controversy broke out in the photo blogosphere after the New York Times article "Gatekeepers to the Art World" by Jan Hoffman was published & digested; I followed up by reading some of the other photo blogs by women artists (tx Joerg Colberg for linking to those) , I had to pause when I read Cara Phillips say "I rarely read an interview where a photographer, male or female, cites a woman as an influence."
It is true, while there are plenty of very prolific women photographers, few are mentioned as inspiration. Many greats are forgotten. It made me reflect on how even I (with a BFA and a MA in Art History & Photography) too often forget about the contribution of so many women photographers (Forgive me Shelly Rice, Naomi Rosenblum, Eileen Kitzis --I will not forget again!).
And even today there are plenty of women photographers active that seem to receive less accolades than their male counterparts. I for example had never heard of Lynsey Addario until today; and I only found her because I was actively searching for news about women in photography.
And there wasn't much about Ms. Addario to find, even though I think her work is absolutely as strong as that of the late Raghubir Singh, Luc Delahaye and perhaps even Sebastiao Salgado.
So take a look at Lynsey Addario's work: www.lynseyaddario.com

Follow Up: Thomas Holton & Sasha Wolf

The New York Times yesterday reported in their City Section about Thomas Holton's work. The article is titled "Living Small" and was written by Bonnie Yochelson. It is accompanied by a slide show -- watch "2 Rooms on Ludlow" here.
Or even better if you are in New York, do visit Sasha Wolf Gallery and look at the actual prints of "The Lams of Ludlow Street", which will be on view through April 26, 2008. As I have written before this is noteworthy work, but Sasha Wolf also deserves credit.
Ms. Wolf has a keen curatorial eye and has added an outstanding exhibition space to downtown Manhattan. She is reviving more than one tradition by reintroducing relevant art to Lower Manhattan and by her choice to focus on quality documentary and post-documentary photographic work.
Read more about Ms. Wolf in The Tribeca Trib and the Downtown Express.

Guillaume Bonn

The documentary "Peter Beard: Scrapbooks from Africa & Beyond" that will premiere on The Sundance Channel this week was co-directed by Guillaume Bonn. We had the pleasure of meeting Guillaume when he was in town to promote his first monogram "Le Mal d'Afrique - A Journey Into Old and New Africa". Guillaume is a passionate photographer (& filmaker) and the cleverly chosen title of his first book and its photography reflect his devotion to the continent that has been his home. A French national but born in Madagascar, Guillaume currently lives in Nairobi. You can see some of his images documenting the recent crisis in Kenya at www.thinkpictures.org.


"Le Mal d'Afrique" © Guillaume Bonn

Life in Focus

The Sundance Channel will present a series of documentary about revered photographers and life behind the lens, starting tomorrow. Read Philip Gefter's article "Photographers, on the Other Side of the Lens" here. And you can find schedule information here.

From The Sundance Channel 's E-Guide:
March 2008
Their work was revolutionary, sexy, startling, soulful and scandalous. Sometimes, so were their lives.
This month, Sundance Channel salutes photography with LIVES IN FOCUS, a five-night documentary series spotlighting noted artists - including Helmut Newton, Tina Modotti and William Eggleston - who have shaped the medium over the past century.
Premiering as part of LIVES IN FOCUS are:
* HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON: THE IMPASSIONED EYE, an illuminating look at the life and work of the legendary "photographer's photographer."
* BLACK, WHITE + GRAY: A PORTRAIT OF SAM WAGSTAFF AND ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE, an acclaimed exploration of the complex and fertile relationship between a curator, patron and photography collector, and his protégé and lover.
* TINA BARNEY: SOCIAL STUDIES, a profile of one of America’s leading photographers, known for her revealing color photos of the East Coast elite.
* PETER BEARD: SCRAPBOOKS FROM AFRICA AND BEYOND, a visit with a true artist-adventurer, whose passions range from Africa’s wonders to living the good life.

LIVES IN FOCUS premieres Monday March 3 through Friday March 7 beginning at 7:00pm e/p.

News Pictures

The New York Times has a series of images from Pakistan's Elections here. Also in the Times a picture of Fidel Castro in his Adidas tracksuit, here.

Juliana Beasley

One of the things that is so excellent about Amy Stein (& her blog) is that she is supportive of other artists. One of the photographers she recently featured is Juliana Beasely, who just won second place in PX3 - Prix de la Photographie Paris for her series about (conservative) Mennonites in Mexico titled "Eyes of Salamanca". Ms. Beasely's work is often daring but also always compassionate, which distinguishes her from many documentary photographers. This particular series recalls the work of pioneer Mary Ellen Mark, but also showcases Ms. Beasely's distinct own voice. Having just returned from North Western Belize, which also has an established Mennonite community, I was drawn to this series immediately. The compositions and colors are perfect and create a hyper-reality that serves the portrayal of this community well.

Thomas Holton

Sasha Wolf Gallery has a very nice collection of mostly contemporary, documentary based photography. The subjects of the different works shown at Sasha Wolf is a melting pot of different cultures and places and thus New York is a perfect location for this gallery. Pablo Lopez's work first led me to the Sasha Wolf Gallery, which subsequently led me to the work of Thomas Holton.
Having lived and shopped in and near Chinatown for a number of years I was drawn to Holton's "The Lams of Ludlow" and found it to be an insightful and sensitive portrayal of a sometimes overlooked downtown community.