MELANIE PULLEN: Ace Gallery

Pullens, Headlights Flare. Plexi Face Mount 2004.

Pullen, Red Stockings. C-Print, Plexi Face Mount 2005.
Pullen, Phones. C-Print, Plexi Face Mount 2005.

Melanie Pullen's collection of more than one hundred photographs that comprise High Fashion Crime Scenes is based on vintage crime-scene images she mined from the files of the Los Angeles Police Department, the County Coroner's Office, and other primary sources. Drawn to the rich details and compelling stories preserved in the criminal records, she began re-enacting the crime-scenes, outfitting the "victims" (her selected models) in current haute couture, and photographing them in staged settings.

Pullen's images are repulsive and lovely all at once. Each scenario seems real as though one has seen it before whether they have or not. That they are in color heightens this sense of them being real. Yet, many have a staged quality that renders them false. Either way, they suggest strong narratives that are uncomfortable, eerie, and mysterious. As a viewer I want to know what happened to each of these women, I want to know the story, the history.

3 of my images: week 8

These photographs are about textures and marks that have been left behind either naturally (rust) or man made (graffiti). They mimic the human condition which is flawed and transient.

ANNETTE MESSAGER: The Hayward Gallery; Southbank Centre

Annette Messager: The Messengers at The Hayward marks the first major UK retrospective of this celebrated French artist.

I really enjoy Annette Messager's artwork, particularly her photography. The way she fragments things and puts them back together again to create larger wholes is really interesting. As a viewer I feel like I am never seeing the whole piece, and this is desirable sometimes as it leaves the mind open to fill in the blanks with their own narrative.

BEATE GEISSLER + OLIVER SANN: Several Silences; The Renaissance Soceity (Univeristy of Chicago)

Geissler and Sann, Personal Kill #13, 2007 C-print 41"x 53"

Titled after an essay by the late philosopher and literary theoretician Jean-Francois Lyotard, Several Silences is a group exhibition exploring various kinds of silence. As a discourse, the aesthetic of silence has been thoroughly domesticated within the visual arts. Although silence as a discourse in art arose out of conditions calling for the negation of art, it has subsequently become familiar subject matter no longer operating as the avant-garde ideal it once was. This is not to say silence has lost significance. If anything, it has become a more potent antidote to a culture of distraction. Silence, however, is not the absence of communication. It is dialectically opposed to communication, so that one sustains and supports the other. Inextricably bound to communication, which it tacitly evokes, silence itself is a form of communication with many meanings. There are voluntary and involuntary silences--some comfortable, others not. There is Cage's silence, which calls for the distinction between clinical and ambient silences. There is silence as conscious omission or redaction. And then there is memorial silence.

I think this exhibition is great conceptually. Its ideas relate directly to a culture that is overstimulated, bombarded, and busy. The idea of "silence as a form of communication with many meanings" opens up infinite ideas to be expressed and exlpored. Geissler and Sann's image Personal Kill #13 is very 'silent' in that it is an isolated, empty space, void of human life, but its meaning is anything but silent. A lone wooden chair at the end of ta dirty, wet, confined corridor surrounded by heavy bare concrete walls with two small windows giving the smallest glimpse of life outside penetrates the viewer and a strong sense of death and abandonment are experienced.

ROBERT GOBER, MATTHEW BARNEY + OTHERS: Strange Bodies: Figurative Works from the Hirshhorn Collection

Robert Gober, Untitled, 1990, from the Hirshhorn's collection.

Robert Gober. Untitled. 1991. Wax, fabric, leather, human hair, and wood, 13 1/4 x 16 ½ x 46 1/8".

An important strength of the Hirshhorn Museum is its holdings in figurative art. Strange Bodies brings together some of the most praised and popular examples of figuration from the collection to show how expressionistic and surrealistic impulses toward human representation have evolved from the early and mid-twentieth century to recent decades. The tension between the enthusiastic response that figuration often receives from general audiences and the loaded, at times dark content it can carry is also explored. Moreover, the installation allows an assessment of past collection building.

I really like the idea of this exhibit more so than the actual art presented. That we have tendencies/desires to distort the human figure is an interesting subject in itself to ponder. It made me think about my own reasons for depicting and fragmenting the human body in my own photographs. Likewise, the beauty/enticement/repulsion of the human figure is again looked at, this time in a more contemporary sense.

3 of my images: week 7

These photographs are about the passage of light and the illumination of objects. Aesthetically they are concerned with texture, color and rhythm. Each is shot with a macro lens which confines the object itself, or fragments it. At the same time the viewer is confined to the space with little depth of field. In this way the fragmented objects take precedence and allow the viewer to focus on their subtle details.

HAROLD EDGERTON: Walker Art Center; The Quick and the Dead

Edgerton, Bullet through Balloons 1959. Gelatin Silver Print 11 3/8" x 18 7/8"

Surveying art that tries to reach beyond itself and the limits of our knowledge and experience, The Quick and the Dead seeks, in part, to ask what is alive and dead within the legacy of conceptual art. Though the term “conceptual” has been applied to myriad kinds of art, it originally covered works and practices from the 1960s and ‘70s that emphasized the ideas behind or around a work of art, foregrounding language, action, and context rather than visual form. But this basic definition fails to convey the ambitions of many artists who have been variously described as conceptual: as Sol LeWitt asserted in 1969, conceptual artists are “mystics rather than rationalists.” Although some of their work involves unremarkable materials or even borders on the invisible, these artists explore new ways of thinking about time and space, often aspiring to realms and effects that fall far outside of our perceptual limitations.

Strangely enough, I am drawn to the image of the bullet shooting through balloons not because of any deep concept or theory that I see within the piece. Instead I am attracted to it by the way it makes me feel. There is a sense of strength, destruction, fragility and then in the end, peace.

BORIS SAVELEV: Michael Hoppen Gallery

Savelev, Broken Slide. Mutlti-layered pigment print on gesso coated aluminum, ed. of 3

The environment in this photograph is mysterious, as the land seems to be destroyed in the background, it is a sea of dirt and concrete. Two human figures grace the scene and stand in opposition to one another, separated by a black pole. They both appear to be waiting for something, yet not necessarily the bus.

Savelev, Principe Pio Madrid. Multi layered pigment print on gesso layered aluminum, ed. of 3

At first, Boris's images seem to have a meloncholy that can be seen as a reflection ofa specifically Russian sensibility. On deeper reflection it is their humour and playfulness, their delight in moments that occur momentarily that characterize his images; odd details of human life in its urban setting are presented in a highly deliberate but off hand way. His use of color and light is masterful: each photgoraph functions as a powerful abstract statement as well as a fragment of reality.

The area of light highlighted in this photograh is isolated yet intimate as though it is the only thing existing. Everything else looks dead, including the firgure walking through the gate/doorway. The mood is somber but peaceful.

Interesting Photos-Body as Object

A friend of mine emailed me these photographs, however he forgot the name of the artist, so I am waiting to hear back from him. I thought they were great examples of the body as object-a mound of flesh, a contortion of limbs, etc.

ANDREW BUSH: Julie Saul Gallery

Andrew Bush. (possible air conditioner malfunction)

Andrew Bush. Man Heading South at 73 mph...

Woman gliding...

Andrew Bush eventually devised a method of working whereby he attached a large format camera to the passenger side of his car and using a shutter release captured fellow drivers as they sped along the freeways.

The subjects of the portraits represent a cross section of the American public; a middle-aged man happily cruising along the coast in his white Porsche, a young Hispanic male behind the wheel of a decommissioned Yellow Cab, and a sexy young blonde woman in a blue car, her head thrown back in a twilight landscape. The car becomes an extension of the portrait.

Andrew Bush's idea of taking portraits of people in their cars is unconventional yet telling. That some of the subjects are aware of the photographer's presence while others are oblivious creates humor. As a viewer I am trying to 'read' both person and car, trying to figure out something about their identity in the same way I would a portrait.

3 of my images: week 6

The projecting wire creates visual interest against the blurred, chaotic background. There is an openness or ambiguity to this photograph in which meaning is not fixed.

The numerous and varied things that people leave behind for others to see or come across interests me. Telelephone poles full of stickers, flyers, etc. can be understood or 'read' as public messages communicating with whoever encounters them. The vast amount of staples points to the volume of messages that have been displayed and removed over time. There is a sense of process, communication and perhaps community.

Each of these photographs consists of something left behind or abandoned by someone. This photograph was taken in an alley near a house that had been evicted. Furniture, plates, notebooks, clothes, toys, and family photographs were left behind. Entering this space and then photographing the discarded objects was emotional and disturbing yet lovely in a really strange way that is not easy to explain.

RAY K. METZKER: Laurence Miller Gallery

Ray K. Metzker Philadelphia, 1992 11"x14" silver print edition 8

Wanderings emerged as pictures that did not fit into any previously categorized body of work. They represent discoveries that were made or visions that were revisited while Metzker was more focused on a different but singular project. Throughout his career, Ray K. Metzker has maintained a rigorous approach to photography, both in his way of seeing and his way of making pictures. Several “intentional” bodies of work have made him one of the premier photographic artists of our time: early street scenes in urban Chicago; “composites” of carefully made and constructed film strips; couplets of dual images carefully laid side-by-side, or unique photographic collage abstractions. In these and several other series, Metzker’s intense focus as to method, material, and aesthetic has resulted in compelling bodies of work unified by a consistent vision.

The sillouetted human figure becomes a part of the background as the nearly transparent leaf is lightly illuminated in the center of the frame. The leaf's crisp serrated edges are a nice contrast to the soft, granular background. The abstract quality of this photograph lends to its curiosity.

LUCAS FOGLIA: The Houston Center for Photography

Lucas Foglia Cora in Camouflage Dress, Tennessee 2008 Digital C-Print from the series Rewilding
An unsettling tension surfaces between the young woman on the sidewalk in a conservative dress and the manniquin in the window surrounded by more contemporary dresses. It is a clash not only of fashion but of culture, tradition, and perhaps time. The woman appears uncertain and nervous as though she is questioning her identity.


Lucas Foglia Scarecrow 2008 Digital C-print
from the series Rewilding

I grew up with my extended family on a farm in suburban Long Island. Influenced by the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960's, my parents maintained an agricultural lifestyle as malls and supermarkets developed around us. We heated with wood, grew and canned our food and bartered plants for everything from shoes to dentistry. Through a family friend, I was introduced to a network of people in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia who have responded to environmental concerns and predictions of societal collapse by moving to the wilderness. Most of my subjects live off-the-grid, build their homes from local materials, obtain their water from nearby streams and hunt, gather or grow their own food. I am intrigued by their desire for self-sufficiency and by the complexity of their relationship with the natural world. Rewilding: the process of creating a lifestyle that is
independent of the domestication of civilization.

The depth of field in this image is visually intriguing as the eye follows the rows of corn but is interrupted by a light pink dress flowing in the wind. The dress resembles a human female body and as a viewer I cannot help but feel the presence of a woman walking through this field. In other words, the object triggers or signifies something else than that which is actually present in the photograph.

HELMUT NEWTON: Museum für Fotografie (Berlin, Germany)

Helmut Newton, Elle 1969 copyright Helmut Newton Estate

This photograph presents the viewer with an interesting, somewhat destabilizing perspective. The half naked woman appears standing on the bed and is reflected in a mirror above her. The figure at the bottom holds a camera pointing to photography as well as the idea of spectatorship. The woman looks like an object who is posing not only for the photographer but for the viewer as well. The framed picture hanging on the wall somewhat mimics the woman's action, posing as an object to be looked at.

3 of my images; week 5

With these three photographs I really wanted to confine the space so that full attention was on the objects themselves while the background were made unclear. The close perspective of the macro lens allows a different way of seeing while also emphasizing subtle details that may go unnoticed with the human eye.

MIYAKO ISHIUCHI: Michael Hoppen Gallery

Miyako Ishiuchi, Mother's 8 Silver Gelatin Print

Miyako Ishiuchi, Mother's 39 C-type print

Miyako Ishiuchi, Mother's 35, C-type print

Miyako...began to photograph her mother systematically and intimately in the last years of her life until 2000, when she died suddenly. Although their relationship had been strained, Ishiuchi was deeply affected. She proceeded to document her mother's possessions in order to come to terms with her death, and in an attempt to understand the bond between them.

It is interesting to think about what people's objects may reveal about them. On the other hand, such objects can be thought of as merely materialistic in that they may actually tell nothing about who a person really is. Although each of these objects are intimate in nature, they reveal very little to the viewer about the owner of the objects themselves.

JODIE LYN-KEE-CHOW: Queens International 4

Jodie Lyn-Kee-Chow, First Strike, Last Dance (2006-2009). DVD, performance, mixed media installation, dimensions variable.

Queens Museum of Art inaugurated Queens International, a biennial exhibition of artists from around the world who live and/or work in Queens. Celebrating the most recent artistic achievements of Queens with 42 artists, collaborations and collectives from 18 countries working in a broad range of traditional and unorthodox media, the exhibition examines the boundaries of culture, tradition, heritage and nationality.

My work revolves around a tension between images that are pastoral and familiar. Much of my curiosity stems from objects and natural occurrences encountered domestically or within nature. Some of these objects whether manufactured, intentionally altered or specifically created are often combined with performance to create new contexts. These objects become props and part of a narrative in which I investigate their uses or their traditional functions and reinterpret them. Ultimately, my work may read as sensual, romanticized and idiosyncratic versions of the feminine perspective.Surprise transformations seem to be a common link in my work from sculptures to videos, to performances. I wish to portray an ambiguous relationship between fantasy and reality while questioning the subject, the object and the interplay between the two.

This image made me think of a lot of different scenarios. Why is this body face down in a corner partially covered with what appears to be a trash bag? The dark ground and trash bag combined with the blooming yellow flowers and bright white tights presents an eerie juxtaposition that begs to be questioned.

BLAKE OGDEN: Griffin Museum of Photography

The compositions include old family snapshots, dolls, uniforms, advertisements, postcards, and sentimental objects, which, Ogden says, are "meant to be read metaphorically."
"My work does not fixate on the original purpose of this ephemera or its original meaning," he says. "These poignant photographs are a commentary on the passing of time and the transience of all people and things."

I like how Blake Ogden chose to illuminate this dress against a stark black background in a way that makes it appear alive and ready to move. This illumination makes the dress seem more important than it probably is. Instead it becomes magical and a little eerie as the viewer feels the presence of someone.