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Contemporary European Photography
Chantal Heijnen
May 23, 2012
These are two photographs from Bronxites, a photography project by Chantal Heijnen.
Review: Photo Express Tokyo by Keizo Kitajima
May 11, 2012
A review of Photo Express Tokyo by Keizo Kitajima
Jacob Mooty
May 9, 2012
As is obvious from the title, Way Out West by Jacob Mooty focuses on the American West, its myths, and the ideas that can be projected onto it.
Matt Gainer
May 3, 2012
Imperial Pictures by Matt Gainer focuses on the American Southwest borderlands, tying together ideas of the American West with the topic of illegal immigration from Mexico.
Review: The Dutch Photobook by Frits Gierstberg and Rik Suermondt (eds.)
Apr 27, 2012
A review of The Dutch Photobook by Frits Gierstberg and Rik Suermondt (eds.)
Articles
A loop we have been stuck in for decades
May 24, 2012 – “Since well before the invention of the photocopier, media industries have pursued a consistent if counter-productive legal strategy of responding to disruptive technologies that decrease costs and open new markets by lobbying for extensions to copyright terms, increased penalties, and criminalizing more behaviors. Their theory—if there is one—is that technologies that make it cheaper to create and distribute content also make it cheaper to violate copyright (see Napster, et. al.). Cheaper production is ignored, while increased potential for violations requires enhanced penalties that can’t, in any case, be enforced. It’s a lose-lose-lose strategy for producers, creators, and consumers. And it’s a loop we’ve been stuck in for decades.” - full story
The price of being female
May 24, 2012 – “Much fanfare greeted the $388m made by Christie’s post-war and contemporary evening sale in New York earlier this month—its highest total ever. Few seemed to notice that the auction was unprecedented in another way: it had ten lots by eight women artists, amounting to a male-to-female ratio of five-to-one. (Sotheby’s evening sale offered a more typical display of male-domination with an 11-to-one ratio.) Yet proceeds on all the works by women artists in the Christie’s sale tallied up to a mere $17m—less than 5% of the total and not even half the price achieved that night by a single picture of two naked women by Yves Klein. Indeed, depictions of women often command the highest prices, whereas works by them do not.” - The Economist
Contemporary European Photography
Ronan Guillou
May 24, 2012 – Ronan Guillou’s American Series is subdivided into six separate section, which are a bit too literal for me. That minor gripe aside, there’s some amazing photography in them - make sure to look at each section.
Do they really care?
May 23, 2012 – I sense a growing backlash over so-called social media in the photography community. It seems as if more and more photographers are coming to the realization that spending too much time with social media simply takes away time you could spend on more useful things (such as doing real work or maintaining actual business relationships). The latest article I’ve come across was written by David Saxe: “For any of you aspiring photographers who want to build your businesses, consider this advice: Talk to people directly. When you address someone directly in conversation, there is a good chance they may be listening to you. If you do it via social network sites, they might read you but they will rarely respond.”
Contemporary European Photography
Miguel Proenca
May 22, 2012 – It’s hard to pick just one photograph from Miguel Proenca’s Behind the Hill, but I figured this one would do. Faith and superstition (or rather their remnants) in the modern world.
Photography and Place: Appalachia
May 21, 2012 – I thought it might not hurt to address the thoughts I recently outlined in Photography and Place, using a specific location as an example. Given the photographic representation of Appalachia has been very heavily discussed over the past few weeks (c.f. the Perpetuating the Visual Myth of Appalachia posts on Roger May’s blog) I figured this particular region might provide a good jump-off point. Find the full piece here.
Contemporary European Photography
Jiri Makovec
May 21, 2012 – These photographs are from Jiri Makovec’s Untitled ( for Jiajia ). I like them individually, but I also like how they work together.
Review: Time and Space on the Lower East Side by Brian Rose
May 18, 2012 – When I come to New York City, I stay in the area that is being portrayed in Brian Rose’s Time and Space on the Lower East Side. As a matter of fact, I realized a little while ago that when I say “New York” I really only mean Manhattan. I noticed this when I talked to someone, and they told me they lived in Brooklyn. Of course, people will never tell you they live in Brooklyn, instead they live in Greenpoint or wherever else. I have no idea where any of those areas are. People usually are nice enough to then add “Brooklyn” when they realize they’ve run into someone not in the know (which, needless to say, is the mortal sin in NY). When I come to New York I pretty much never go to Brooklyn unless I have to. I also leave the Lower East Side/East Village only when I have to (for example to go to Chelsea). (more)
New photobook presentations (Weeks 19/20, 2012)
May 18, 2012 – New photobook presentations: Handbook to the Stars by Peter Puklus, Metalheads by Jörg Brüggemann, and The Present by Paul Graham.
Contemporary European Photography
Roberto Boccaccino
May 17, 2012 – “Beirut is a city that lives on present, and it’s in the present that it seems to project itself. It’s probably a short-term but, at the same time, very solid projection. The pursuit of immediate fullness is evident everywhere, in the uninterrupted urban growth, in the economic and cultural boosts and, of course, in the youth-life, constantly in search for emancipation, amusement, fulfillment. There is no doubt that the city (probably the most open-minded city of the Middle East) offers the possibility to satisfy all that.” - Roberto Boccaccino about On the Side
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Conscientious Extended
Longer articles and interviews about fine-art photography and extended interviews with its leading practitioners.
Photography and Place: Appalachia
I thought it might not hurt to address the thoughts I recently outlined in Photography and Place, using a specific location as an example. Given the photographic representation of Appalachia has been very heavily discussed over the past few weeks (c.f. the Perpetuating the Visual Myth of Appalachia posts on Roger May’s blog) I figured this particular region might provide a good jump-off point. (more)
By Joerg Colberg | May 21, 2012