SNOW GLOBE

An exhibition curated by Johalla Projects and guest curator Christopher Starbody

I will be in Chicago for this, so come hang out with me and check out Johalla Projects.

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 19, 2009, 7-10 pm

Beer provided by Grolsch, Supporter of the Arts

Exhibition runs from December 19-27

Gallery hours are Saturday 1-5 pm and by appointment during the week

© Momoko Seto, Video still from Planet A, 2009

In September this year over five days, Platon, the New Yorker staff photographer got many of the world’s leaders to sit for him while they were here for a meeting of the United Nations. You can check out all the portraits on the New Yorker’s website. Each photograph come with audio commentary by Platon.

© Platon, Robert Mugabe

© Platon, Jacob Zuma

I remember first seeing Leslie Hewitt's work at the 2008 Whitney Biennial (instillation shot above.) I honestly can't remember my first reaction when seeing this work, but it was the only work in the Biennial I came back to see again. There is something incredibly chalenging about Make it Plain that had me coming back to revisit the intillation.

Riffs on Real time, featured above can be seen at the New Photography 2009 exhibition at MOMA.

Hewitt studied at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the Yale University School of Art, and at New York University, where she was a Clark Fellow in the Africana and Visual Culture Studies program.

© Leslie Hewitt, Make it Plain

© Leslie Hewitt, from Riffs on Real Time

© Leslie Hewitt, from Riffs on Real Time

J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere is a Nigerian born photographer who first started making pictures in 1950. In 1967 he joined the Nigeriean Arts Council and documented Nigerian cultural heritage. He has an opening this Thursday 12/17/09 at L. Parker Stephenson Photographs on Madison Ave. & 66th St.

© J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, Mkpuk Eba HD 694/74, 1974

© J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, Koroba, HD 726/74, 1974

Malick Sidibé's work will also be featured Thursday night at L. Parker Stephenson Photographs. Sidibé documented the postcolonial youth in Mali during the late 60's. He would attend all of the happening events around Bamako, the capitol, and print into the night, a selection of images that clients would then come in the morning and pick out their favorites. Very similar to modern day photographs taken before you enter popular tourists destinations such as the empire state building, sears tower, or a holiday cruise.

Sidibé is, hands down, my favorite photographer.

RIP Larry Sultan.

Read the full NY Times article here.

© Larry Sultan, Conversation through Kitchen Window, from Pictures from Home, 1992

© Tracey Baran, Untitled (Cherry in hand), 1998

© Tracey Baran, Mom's New Horse, 2003

© Lilly McElroy, from the series I Throw Myself at Men

Paola Nuñez Solorio was one of the many passengers on the D train that witnessed a brutal murder two weeks ago. Solorio is a photography student and managed to document some of the mayhem of the incident. Please read on here.

© Paola Nuñez Solorio

© Paola Nuñez Solorio

Another blog to look out for is Art Department. This was started by the lovely Elizabeth Barragan, Director of Farmani Gallery and Queen of all that is fun in this world. Make sure to check it out.

If you are going to be in Miami for Art Basel, make sure to check out the Aqua Art festival. Stop by booth #27 to check out some great photography and say hello to my friends at Kris Graves Project. They are featuring the works of Peter Baker, Jason Hanasik, David Nadel, Sergio A. Fernandez, and Ruben Natal-San Miguel. More info on Aqua Art.

Speaking of Ruben Natal-San Miguel, you should follow his blog.

© Ruben Natal-San Miguel

The things my dreams are made of.

© Irina Rozovsky, from the series One to Nothing

© Irina Rozovsky, from the series One to Nothing

Don't forget to stop by Umbrage Gallery for the Dreamboats opening, November 5, 6-8pm.

111 Front St. Suite 208 Brooklyn

© Joe Leavenworth

Roy DeCarava passed away on October 27, 2009. I will never forget the first time I saw this photograph, it changed the way I looked at printing forever.

© Roy DeCarava, The Dancers, 1956

Come and hang out with me at Umbrage, buy an inexpensive print by the Dreamboats, and then go see Unseen down the hall.

Unseen

Curated by Ruben Natal San -Miguel

Randall Scott Gallery

111 Front Street

Suite #204

Brooklyn (DUMBO), New York

October 22-November 21, 2009

Opening Reception: October 22, 6:30 -9:30 PM

© Cara Philips

Mermaids were my first true love.

I can't really find words that explain how I feel about this work, so I am posting Chris Jordan's words below. Absolutely haunting.

"These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent."

~cj, October 2009

© Chris Jordan

Limited Edition Affordable Print Sale

Umbrage is happy to announce the Limited Edition Affordable Print Sale! Adam Golfer, Joe Leavenworth, TJ Proechel, and Daniel Shea have each selected two limited edition prints that are available at Umbrage Gallery. Prices range from $35 - $200. Contact info@umbragebooks.com if you are interested.

© TJ Proechel

© Joe Leavenworth

© Daniel Shea

© Adam Golfer

Slightly moody with my posts this week.

© Clang, from the series, My Twilight Window

© Clang, from the series, My Twilight Window

On May 1, 1947, Evelyn McHale leapt to her death from the Empire State Building. A photo student (Robert Wiles) happened to be across the street from where she landed on top of a limo.

Original posting here.

© Weegee, Lovers, 1943

Nobody is as beautiful as Nina

© Paul McDonough, Street Musicians, NYC, 1981

Been loving these for a long time.

© Kohei Yoshiyuki, from the series, The Park

Irving Penn, the man who invented the acute corner shot, died yesterday at 92. Cheers to artists who take chances.

© Irving Penn

© Irving Penn

© Irving Penn

Looking forward to the new exhibition at Umbrage. I have had the absolute pleasure of working with these four amazing photographers, Adam Golfer, Joe Leavenworth, TJ Proechel, and Daniel Shea. Details coming soon.

Dreamboats

Opening Reception November 5, 6-8pm

I pulled this video from the interactive project called in Bb2.0 curated by Darren Solomon.

Falling madly in love with Bill Sullivan's paintings. Hopefully soon I will be able to see these in person, but until then, I have been scoping them on his website where there are close ups and instillations shots.

© Bill Sullivan, Paparazzi, from the series, People I Know

© Bill Sullivan, Morgan, from the series, People I Know

© Bill Sullivan, Robert, from the series, People I Know

Have you heard of POC ( Piece of Cake ) yet? I don't know very much about this initiative, but it was started by Charles Freger, who I first heard about the other night when I went to see his and Bill Sullivan's Exhibition at Caption Gallery. If someone could explain POC better to me, I would appreciate it, but its collective members are made up of some of my favorite contemporary photographers, new friends, old friends, and past teachers. The list includes Ben Gest, Kelli Connell, Bill Sullivan, Amy Stein, Brian Ulrich, and more.

Funny story about the above picture... I know the man sitting on the chair. I met him in Namibia a few years ago at a town meeting in Windhoek. The Ova-Hereros are some of the warmest people I have ever met, and they invited my fellow travelers and I in for discussion and dinner.

A war and resulting mass genocide of the Hereros in 1904 by the Germans, left these people with very little, and no recognition from the German government for their actions. It wasn't until the 100 year anniversary when Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul , apologized for the genocide on behalf of the German people.

Despite a history of oppression, the individuals I met during my time in Namibia are still making strong moves to be heard. This story is an important one in history, and I am incredibly impressed with the way Freger approached these subjects

© Charles FrégerHereros 16, Hereros , 2007

*COMBO:Collaboration animation by Blue and David Ellis

Parallel Adele Trailer from adele pham on Vimeo.

Parallel Adele screen at the Smithsonian in Washington DC on October 4th at 12pm. If you are in town, I highly recommend checking it out. Adele Pham has been rocking it all over the country. Don't miss out.

* Parallel Adele, BY Adele Pham & Adele Ray, HD Color Short Documentary (2008) RT: 15:51 minutes

This blog is filling in my missing pieces. Thanks James Pomerantz.

Caitlin Arnold is having a print sale. If I had extra moneys, I would buy this one.

*hint hint, my birthday is coming up*

Details Here

Maude: I should like to change into a sunflower most of all. They're so tall and simple. What flower would you like to be?
Harold: I don't know. One of these, maybe.
Maude: Why do you say that?
Harold: Because they're all alike.
Maude: Oooh, but they're *not*. Look. See, some are smaller, some are fatter, some grow to the left, some to the right, some even have lost some petals. All *kinds* of observable differences. You see, Harold, I feel that much of the world's sorrow comes from people who are *this*,
[she points to a daisy]
Maude: yet allow themselves be treated as *that*.
[she gestures to a field of daisies]

Amateurs of Tomorrow and Circle.

© Ashley Singley

© Ashley Singley