A Conversation: Rona Chang & Hee Jin Kang

It's almost July 4th and for the holiday Rona had a conversation with Hee Jin Kang, who is participating in the exhibit A Declaration of Immigration -- which opens on Independence Day at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. You can read the interview and see some of Hee Jin's work over at the Nymphoto blog.


Sandy's Deli (after Walker Evans) © Hee Jin Kang

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.

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

Christopher Hitchens, Bohemia & Preservation

'Downtown' as I kno(e)w it is shrinking. Andrew Berman & GVSHP is putting up a good fight (I disagree with him on Chupi, but mostly I support him and man, am I glad he is out there leading the fight for preservation).
What Trump is doing downtown is still beyond me and one cannot escape the shadow of the awful Trump condo tower when one stands in the heart of the Village or Soho. Trump is part of New York, I get that. I just prefer him to be a part of uptown. Which leads me to Christopher Hitchens article in the current issue of Vanity Fair titled "Last Call, Bohemia". Mr. Hitchens states that downtown needs more aggressive preservation. To all who love downtown, it is obvious that this is true and most importantly that downtown (excluding the financial district) needs an immediate height restriction.
I know there are other boroughs, but it is not the same. And again what does it contribute to the city and Manhattan and the country if downtown looks like midtown?

Back in Town

The posts have been few and far between because I returned to The Bahamas to attend a wedding on (one of) the most beautiful beach(es) in the world.
The sand was pink, the water turquoise and the bride wore a romantic yet edgy Morgane Le Fay white feather dress and the groom a beautiful white linen suit with a blue & white small-checker-print shirt and a pink& white small-side-striped tie.

We returned to sweltering heat and a sweaty city and I am still trying to catch up with all that happened while I was away.


While we were away Sentaor Obama won the nomination © Nina Buesing

I will post some images from my trip soon. One of the things I definitely reaffirmed while away is that I like to shoot analog. Digital has it uses and is great for commercial work and some documentary work. But analog is so much more beautiful and I also must say that my Pentax 67 & my Hasselbald once again performed perfectly, while my 5D had a little hiccup and decided to stop working for a little while (The heat and humidity was just too much for it).
It will be a few days until I have some images. I am actually holding off on processing my film today, because they said the power grid is at full capacity and just in case we have another power outage I do not want my film to be stuck in the processor if that happens.
Oh the joys of analog photography -- but you know what?It's so worth it.
I leave you with a Polaroid taken during my trip.


Beach towel / Mane's cottage © Nina Buesing

Paul Fusco @ Danzinger

Opening Today:

Paul Fusco
RFK Funeral Train - Rediscovered
June 6 - July 31, 2008
@ Danzinger Projects
521 West 26th Street
New York, NY

A book titled Paul Fusco: RFK (a follow up/ new edition to the well received 2003 RFK Funeral Train publication) with these photographs & others will be released late this summer by Aperture.

Telectro-tastic!

Jason, Emma, Chad and in right corner Jonathan & the London Bridge © Nina

Yesterday I had a lovely day. Around noon I met up with my friends Andrea, David & John and we made our way over to Brooklyn to look at friends & family across the big pond via The Telectroscope.
Surely enough the minute we arrived at Fulton Landing a torrential downpour started, while for once the sun was shinning in London; but we did not care that we got drenched: it was fun nonetheless (or maybe even more so). And yes we know we could have just gathered in front of someones webcam.
After we dried off and warmed up with tea at Andrea & David's house.
Andrea and I then met up with more girlfriends to go see the Sex and the City movie (no, I am not ashamed to say it). And yes the critics are right, the movie wasn't all that great, but as Andrea put it it was more like going to see old friends and I am glad I did it.
After the movie when our group of five walked downtown we occasionally would see groups of girls who clearly were also on their way to see 'The Sex', and we walked by one girl in a bright turquoise shoulder-less 50's style dress with an awesome purse, in very high heels & smoking who seemed a little drunk and I suspect she was also heading to or from the movie.
When we stopped by a watering hole on the LES we saw lots of groups of women slurping cosmos.
Obviously we live in a very privileged city where adults can indulge in these kind of afternoons and leave all their worries behind. But I think we all know that & appreciate it.

June is Louise Bourgeois Month

June will be an excellent month for admirers (like me) of the inspirational Louise Bourgeois.
Following the outstanding Cai Guo-Giang exhibit, the Guggenheim New York will present a full-career retrospective of Ms. Bourgeois' work -- from June 27 to September 28, 2008. In addition the Film Forum in New York will show "Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress and the Tangerine" a documentary film about the sculptor and her work by the late filmmaker Marion Cajori and art critic Amei Wallach, from June 25 - July 8, 2008.

Mappelthorpe & Polaroids

When I was in art school I had a dream that I found a suitcase under my bed with all of Robert Mapplethorpe's negatives. I am not sure of the meaning of the dream (Mapplethorpe is not an obvious choice for me), but all Freudian interpretations aside, I like to think it just had to do with owning one's creativity.
Not included in that suitcase were his Polaroids, but they will be exhibited at The Whitney through September 7, 2008.
Karen Rosenberg wrote an article about the show titled "Spontaneity Was the Medium and the Message" that is published in the New York Times today.

The Last Iceberg

There is something about the cold that I really like. I love all seasons , but I think if I lived in Southern California year round I would go a little bonkers. I love the crisp & clean air of a cold winter morning and the sound of footsteps on snow (ergo my love for Lisa M. Robinson's series Snowbound).
Camille Seaman (what a perfect name for this photographer!) exhibit Where There Should be Ice opened today at Candace Dawn Gallery in New York and will run through June 21, 2008.
If you cannot see the show in New York, take a look at The Last Iceberg on Ms. Seaman's site:
Hauntingly beautiful landscapes (or portraits as Ms. Seaman regards them) of icebergs, that on closer reflection reveal environmental tragedy --not unlike the desert work of Richard Misrach.

Jimmy

Downtown Today photographed by Mr. Corvallo

Exhibits

In New York - currently:

If you are into miniatures, this might tickle your fancy:
Dianne Blell @ Charles Cowles
537 West 24th Street
Through April 12, 2008

Poigant portaiture (like those of Susan Sontag & Candy Darling):
Peter Hujar @ Matthew Marks
523 West 24th
Through April 26, 2008

Beautiful palette & capture:
Fred Herzog @ Laurence Miller
20 West 57th Street
Through May 31, 2008

In Woodstock - currently:

Photography Now 2008 @ The Center for Photography at Woodstock (juried by Darren Ching)
59 Tinker Street
Through June 1, 2008


In New York - upcoming:

Sally Gall @ Julie Saul
535 West 22nd Street
May 13 though June 28, 2008


In London - upcoming:

See greats such as Rineke Dijkstra, Cindy Sherman, James Van Der Zee, Wolfgang Tillmans, Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Henri Cartier-Bresson and more.
"Street & Studio: An Urban History of Photography" @ Tate Modern
Bank Side, London

Todd Hido

If you are interested in contemporary photography and particularly American landscape and you are in New York tonight (-- and your are not going to hear Jhumpa Lahiri speak) you should go see Toddd Hido lecture at the Aperture Gallery - 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor at 6:30 PM.

Last Night @ MOMA

Momma's Man Coming Home (photo on ticket © David Lamb/MOMA)

Last night I finally saw "Momma's Man".
What do I say about this excellent movie that has not yet been said by the The NY Times, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, etc?
The film is exactly what so many reviews said: a loving tribute to the director's parents/family, a tribute to (old skool Bohemian) New York, a movie about adolescence and growth and life, a movie that is funny and wise -- a movie that reminds the viewer what independent film is all about.
Aza's voice is so clear in this movie and I think he hit all the notes he wanted to hit, made all the points he needed to make and captured what needed to be preserved. The movie made me laugh, think and cry. Its execution is soft and subtle but extremely moving and the film is lingering (in a good way!) with me and will do so for some time to come. It is clever and complex, yet streamlined.
THINKFilm has picked up "Momma's Man" for distribution and thus it will be available to a wider audience this summer.

Jhumpa Lahiri Event

One of my favorite books is "The Namesake" and its award winning author Jhumpa Lahiri will be speaking & reading at Barnes & Noble Union Square on the occasion of the release of her new collection of stories "Unaccustomed Earth" -- next Tuesday April 1, 2008.

Old News: I Love Tea

I really do. The New York Times Travel section just highlighted some tea hot spots in New York in their article "Morning or Afternoon, There's a Kettle Brewing" by Seth Kugel.
Nice article, except that I disagree about that tea's main purpose is relaxation. Just as coffee for most people in the western world is integral to the morning routine, so tea can be integral to people's morning routine too.

Seals in Gotham

One of the reasons I love Redhook. Take a look at the video at the bottom of this Gothamist webpage:
gothamist.com/2008/03/15/video_of_the_da_177.php

Close, Kurland, McGinness @ Danziger

Danziger Projects is currently showing three of my favorites in one group show: Chuck Close, Justine Kurland and Ryan McGinness. The show will be on view through April 5, 2008 at Danzinger Projects in New York. The press release states that the work is not necessarily thematically curated, though nature is a focus in all works. It's an interesting approach to group shows, that I think is not used often enough. Instead of exploring one issue only (which can produce outstanding exhibits) this group show captures the general Zeitgeist of contemporary visual art(ist)s by grouping together three currently relevant creatives.

Massimo Vitali @ Bonni Benrubi

Through March 29, 2008 the work of Massimo Vitali will be exhibited at Bonni Berubi Gallery in New York. I love Mr. Vitali's beach scenes, which are as complex as any of Andreas Gurksy's observations, but with a gentler color palette.

Palazzo Chupi

Palazzo Chupi-- I like it. There, I said it.
It's like its creator: bombastic and full of 'joie de vivre'. I think it is very New York and 'Palazzo Chupi' is a breath of fresh air after all the glass towers that were built in Manhattan in the past 10 years. This building has soul, and that's exactly what has been missing in New York architecture.
I even like the washed out-t-shirt color of its exterior. I love that it is not your typical burned-sienna color as you would expect in a Mediterranean influenced construction. And I don't care if the building sports stylistic faux-pas --this is New York, not Florence.
If you would like to see and read more about Palazzo Chupi, head over to 'The Real Estalker' blog or pick up a copy of the March 2008 Vanity Fair issue and read Ingrid Sischy's piece and see Robert Polidori's photographs of the 'palazzo'.