Lets get the party started

Well if you have been living under a rock you might be unaware of the photo fest happening in New York City next week. Yes the big one is finally here the inaugural New York Photo Festival: The Future of Contemporary Photography aka NYPH 08 and it kicks off in Dumbo on Wednesday the 14th and runs through Sunday the 18th.

What can we expect ? Who knows as this is the events first outing but it seems the essential ingredients are all in the pot. I won't bore you with all the details but go here for the schedule. Its not exactly free either so go here for the pricing structure and here to purchase tickets. It looks like $45 should get you into just about everything including the opening party on the 14th so that's not so bad over the 5 days although be sure to check the fine print as some of the events are limited by capacity.

The evenings are going to pretty jammed with happenings, some of which haven't made it on to the main calender. 'Various Photographs' the exhibit curated by Tim Barber of Tiny Vices is also holding an opening reception on the 14th from 7.00pm to 10.00pm at 70 Front Street. Good news is this event is free and open to the public. Expect this to be a mob scene, you have been warned.


I am pleased to say I will have one picture in the festival as part of Portraiture: An Exhibition by Getty Images one of the many satellite shows that will circumvent the main pavilions, full list here. There will be an artists reception on Thursday the 15th at 81 Front Street from 6.00pm - 8.00pm.

Also that evening there will be a giant book signing extravaganza over at the powerHouse arena from 9.00pm - 10.00pm. An hour seems like a ludicrously short amount of time considering the line up: Lili Almog, Roger Ballen, Juliana Beasley, Harry Benson, Kevin Bubriski, Julia Calfee, Vivian Cherry, Livia Corona, Valdir Cruz, Lalla Essaydi, Larry Fink, Brian Finke, Ron Galella, Stephen Gill, Arlene Gottfried, Christopher Griffith, John Gruen, Alice Harris, David Alan Harvey, Henry Horenstein, Ellen Jong, Leora Kahn, Seth Kushner & Anthony LaSala, Christopher LaMarca, Wassink Lundgren, Jeff Mermelstein, Slava Mogutin, Rachel Papo, Martin Parr, Nigel Parry, Mark Peterson, Thomas Roma, Steve Schapiro, Joachim Schmid, Jamel Shabazz, The Snorri Bros., Michael Spano, Peter Sutherland, Linda Troeller, Victor Vazquez, Veronique Vial, Nathaniel Welch, and David Yellen.

If you entered the festivals New York Photo Awards and haven't heard anything from the organizers yet you will have to try again next year. Looks like they have gone ahead and whittled down all the entrants into manageable groups. Full list of those nominees in the running here. And a ticket to the awards show on the Friday night gets you access to yet another party at the powerHouse arena right after.

Speaking of competitions/parties PDN are getting in on the weeks acivities as they will be hosting their annual Photo Annual party on Tuesday the 13th. Yeah sorry there too if you hadn't heard from them by now you didn't make the grade here either. This event is by invitation only and there is always a pretty strict door policy so if you didn't get the heads up you might want to save yourself any velvet rope embarrassment. In case you were wondering though its at the same venue as last year.


Dumbo residents VII Photo Agency have stretched their involvement and added another on site event to the offerings with a 3 day seminar 16th thru 18th including keynote speakers, show and tells with all the main players incl. Greenfield, Kratochvil, Ladefoged, Morris & Nachtwey, book signings, portfolio reviews etc etc. The price of this event is separate to the cost of admission to the main festival. Full details here.

Fuck I am worn out already just try to get my head around all the possibilities and permutations. I think my liver is just as concerned considering all the opportunities for liquid refreshment. Fingers crossed for some fine Spring weather especially with the organizers expecting 100,000 over the four days. Have a feeling most of the gatherings will be pretty chock a block so the streets might be the best bet for a little extra curricular mingling. Hopefully the event lives up to its potential and wont turn in to too much of a circle jerk. The Jackanory will be in situ throughout to keep an eye on proceedings, more to come on that Monday.

Coming Attractions: this week / next week

Its really starting to heat up here in NYC and in an attempt to help you navigate the way and keep that calendar in order heres a heads up on some of the coming attractions. This is whats on my radar:

Thursday April 10

The AIPAD Photography Show New York

Opening today thru Sunday April 13

Park Avenue Armory
67th Street & Park Avenue

Show hours will be:
Thursday - 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday - 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday - 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday - 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The admission is $25 daily and $35 for the run-of-show, and includes a show catalogue. No advance purchase is required. Tickets will be available at the door.

More than 75 of the world's leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum quality work by contemporary, modern and 19th century masters at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The 28th edition of The AIPAD Photography Show New York will open with a Gala Preview on April 9 to benefit the John Szarkowski Fund, an endowment for photography acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The AIPAD Photography Show New York is the longest running and foremost exhibition of fine art photography.

Gala Benefit Preview:
The AIPAD Photography Show New York will present a Gala Benefit Preview on Wednesday, April 9, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The evening will benefit the John Szarkowski Fund, an endowment for photography acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The fund was established to honor John Szarkowski, one of the most influential curators in photography and a photographer in his own right. Ticket information is as follows:

Benefactor 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ($7,500, 5 tickets)
Patron 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ($1,500, 1 ticket)
Sponsor 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ($500, 1 ticket)
Friend 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ($100, 1 ticket)

To purchase tickets online, please click here. Or, for more information, please contact The Museum of Modern Art, 212/708-9680 or specialevents@moma.org.



Benefit Auction: Celebrating 15 Years of BLIND SPOT info here

Hosted by David Zwirner

533 West 19th Street NYC
bet 10th and 11th avenues

Live & Silent Auctions of Original Artwork

6.00 - 7.00pm: Exclusive Champagne Preview - $ 100.00 Donation

7.00 - 9.00pm: Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction - $ 25.00 Suggested Donation

8.00pm: Live Auction

Benefit Committee: Jen Bekman, Debra Bosniak, Stephen Frailey, Darius Himes, Rhiannon Kubicka, Molly Logan, Peter MacGill, Robert Ransick, Yancey Richardson, Anna Walker Skillman, Rick Wester

Participating Artists includes a veritable whos who: Edward Burtynsky, Roe Ethridge, Jason Fulford, Paul Graham, Katy Grannan, Todd Hido, Ari Marcopoulos, Richard Misrach, Matthew Monteith, Jack Pierson, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth, Larry Sultan, Brian Ulrich and many many more.



powerHouse Books and Mansion New York are pleased to announce the launch of:

Brian Finke - Flight Attendants

The powerHouse Library

starting at 10pm

Mansion New York
530 West 28th Street
between 10th and 11th Avenues


Monday April 14

Photo © Victoria Hely-Hutchinson

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents 'Mentors'

6.00 - 8.00pm

Visual Arts Gallery

601 West 26th Street
15th Floor
bet 11th and 12th ave

An exhibition of works by nearly 80 photography students inspired by their year-long mentorship with key figures in the arts community. Drawn from the ranks of New York City’s best-known photographers, curators, art directors, publishers, art dealers, critics and writers, SVA’s mentors are paired with students based upon their field of expertise and the student’s area of concentration. The 2007 – 2008 program mentors include Rolling Stone director of photography Jodi Peckman, photography critic Vince Aletti, illustrator Maira Kalman, gallerist Edwynn Houk, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, and photographers Lorna Simpson, Tina Barney, and Gregory Crewdson, among others.

The Mentors program at SVA was established in 1992 to introduce new talent to the New York City arts community and to cultivate relationships between established and emerging artists. Stephen Frailey, chair of the BFA Photography Department and curator of the exhibition, explains, “Our mentors come from the forefront of their fields and the advice they can offer our students is invaluable. It inspires them to take their work to a new level and to grow as professional artists.”

At the School of Visual Arts, undergraduate students are offered a full range of options in the study of photography: commercial, fine art, fashion and documentary. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art technical facilities; a faculty of nearly 100 members, including not only working photographers but photo editors, critics, publishers and photography dealers; and a curriculum that integrates photographic genres, identities and ambitions, removing the traditional barriers between “art photography” and “commercial photography.” SVA’s diversity in curriculum and the faculty’s wealth of professional experience offer students the freedom and support to explore different directions in photography.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. >From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.


Tuesday April 15


Parsons The New School for Design Artists Lecture: Stefan Ruiz - one of my most favorite photographers I strongly recommend attending plus George Pitts will be providing the introduction

6.30 p.m.

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor

As part of the ongoing lecture series hosted by Aperture and presented by the department of photography, Parsons The New School for Design, Stefan Ruiz will discuss the work from his recently published monograph, People (Chris Boot, 2006), which gathers striking portraits of Mexican soap stars, Cuban mental asylum residents, Texan cowgirls, and Rwandan refugees. Ruiz’s subjects reveal themselves and their vulnerability through his raw and edgy vision. While serving as Creative Director for COLORS magazine from 2002 to 2004, Ruiz also taught art at San Quentin State Prison. His work has been exhibited at the Havana Biennale, 2003; PhotoEspaña, Madrid, 2003; and an exhibition of the Televisa Studios series is now traveling around Europe.

Coming attractions

Heres what got me all hot and bothered in New York this week. Just a warm up for whats coming next week.

Tuesday April 1

© Todd Hido

Parsons The New School for Design Lectures Present:
Todd Hido : Artist’s Lecture

6:30 p.m.

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor

As part of the ongoing lecture series hosted by Aperture and presented by the department of photography, Parsons The New School for Design, Todd Hido will discuss the spirit of his work. Hido’s recently published monograph, Between the Two (Nazraeli Press, 2006), features photographs of anonymous models in motel rooms, interiors of abandoned houses. He will also discuss his other series, including exterior views of homes at night. His work has been widely exhibited throughout the United States and Europe, and is included in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; the Cleveland Museum of Art; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Thursday April 3

© Ryan McGinley

Ryan McGinley 'I know Where the Summer Goes'

Opening reception

6.00pm

Team Gallery

83 Grand Street bet Wooster & Greene

Ryan McGinley’s “snapshots” have been evolving steadily since his guerilla show at 420 West Broadway in 2000. In the intervening eight years he has moved away from an artistic practice that was the soul of casual and towards an elaborated production schedule that raises the ante on “being there.” McGinley has gone from being perceived as the hottest young photographer in town to being considered a serious artist with a rare gift for creating enduring color photographs — photographs that show us the best of youth.

The title of this exhibition, taken from an early B-side by Belle & Sebastian, is more than just a piece of poetic musing. McGinley does, in fact, know where his summers go. In the summer of 2007, for example, he traversed the United States with sixteen models and three assistants, shooting 4,000 rolls of film. From the resulting 150,000 photographs, he arduously narrowed down the body of work to some fifty images, the best of which are on display here at the gallery.

The inspirational images for the project were culled from the kinds of amateur photography that appeared in nudist magazines during the 60s and early 70s. McGinley would sit with his models and look through all of the ephemera of the period that he had collected, discussing with them the mood that he was hoping to capture that day. McGinley had chosen a very specific itinerary that would bring his troop through the incredible range of landscapes that are available across the US and carefully planned a battery of activities, sometimes orchestrating the use of special effects. He has always been quite fond of fireworks and fog machines and in this new work they play a major role.

The very artificial constructedness of the project allows for situations in which the models can both perform and be caught off guard. The resultant pictures of nude young men and women playing and living in the great outdoors are innocent yet erotic, casual yet calculated. Courtesy Team Gallery

© Sze Tsung Leong


Sze Tsung Leong: opening reception 'Horizon Series'

6.00 - 8.00pm

Yossi Milo Gallery
525 West 25th street

Horizons is an ongoing series of photographs, begun in 2001, that depict expansive but detailed views of a broad spectrum of environments throughout the world. The locations of the images may be distant in geography (including Mexico City, Cairo, Banaras, Lisbon, Isle of Skye, Tokyo, and Inner Mongolia, for example), and diverse in subject matter (ranging from pastoral landscapes, to monuments, to everyday spaces, to rivers, to industrial zones, to cityscapes), yet the photographs are linked by a horizon which continues in the same position from image to image. When placed side by side, the images form an extended landscape composed of an accumulation of varied continents, cities, terrains, situations, textures, and colors: an unfinished asphalt cul-de-sac lies before a line of tract houses in Victorville, California (2006); a boat drifts past icebergs in Jökulsárlón I, Iceland (2007); clumps of desert sand collect in front of a remote skyline in Dubai I (2007); red stone buildings seemingly hover over an opaque expanse of water in Canale della Giudecca I, Venezia (2007); beachgoers tread through mud on their way to the shore in Dungeness III (2003); boys play cricket in a clearing among electrical poles in Allahabad I (2008). Courtesy Yossi Milo

Please join Ari Marcopoulos and David Strettell at Dashwood Books for a book signing of Dashwood's inaugural publication “The Chance is Higher” by Ari Marcopoulos:

6.00 - 8.00 pm
Dashwood Books
33 Bond Street bet Lafayette & the Bowery

“The Chance is Higher” is a 72-page book featuring 40 black-and-white images by legendary Dutch photographer Ari Marcopoulos, all of which were printed on a Xerox machine. For years Marcopoulos has worked with Xeroxes as sketches for books, zines, and exhibitions. In love with the simple direct beauty of this low-fi technique, the artist turned to that medium to create this new body of work.

The book is designed by the Swiss team Gavillet and Rust who worked with Marcopolous on his landmark 2005 book “Even the President of the United States Sometimes has got to Stand Naked” (JRP Ringier), their cool elegant style subtly emphasizes the immediacy of the work.

”The Chance is Higher” by Ari Marcopoulos numbered limited edition of 700 copies. Price $85(Deluxe edition signed and numbered in an edition of 50 copies). Order books online.