Cyclops » Juli Lowe

Shelby Lee Adams interview with Brooks Jensen in LensWork

Juli Lowe — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:29:13 +0000

The newest issue of LensWork features the work of Shelby Lee Adams and an extensive interview with Brooks Jensen. Brooks and Shelby discuss the roots of his work, his personal “rule” when making portraits and the publication of his fourth book, Salt & Truth (published in 2011 by Candela Books).

LensWork #98 Jan-Feb 2012

Brooks addresses Shelby’s connection to the Appalachian people he is photographing. Brooks says, “You’re from there – an insider to the community – and you’re photographing your roots, your people, and the place you grew up. What you end up showing us is something that is anything but stereotyped – what we so often get when an outsider goes into that area.” But after the release of Shelby’s first book, Appalachian Portraits in the early 90′s, critics questioned his intentions behind the photographs. Returning year after year to photograph the families, in some cases through multiple generations within one family, has helped shed these concerns. Shelby says in the interview, “Photographs capture surfaces, but at the same time I’m capturing my people – they’re real human beings – and there’s a depth of character, a depth of culture, and a relationship that I have to these people that’s very significant.”

Loyd Dean's Pool Table, 2006 © Shelby Lee Adams

In the interview, Shelby also discusses his personal “rule” when making portraits. He will not allow himself to make any new images until the individual has a copy of an image from his previous visit. It is a rule he strongly encourages his students to get in the habit of doing as well. Through seeing the portraits from the previous session, a new dialog begins. A detail may be noticed for the first time and this detail may conjure up an idea for the next photograph. Shelby shares some of these moments, his peers and subjects looking at the photographs he has taken of them, on his blog.

The Napier's Living Room, 1989 © Shelby Lee Adams

CEG will be exhibiting a selection of Shelby’s work in May 2012. The show will focus on several generations of families photographed by Shelby. Until then, be sure to read the full interview in LensWork.

Lauren E. Simonutti recipient of “b-grant” award

Juli Lowe — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:17:37 +0000

Congratulations to Lauren E. Simonutti and the other winners of the 2012 Baker Artist Awards. The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund created its “b-grant” program to promote and support Baltimore’s local artists. You can see the 2012 winners here.

Admission, 2011 © Lauren E. Simonutti

The Devil's Alphabet: A, 2007 © Lauren E. Simonutti

Ctrl+P: Photography taken offline – Todd Fisher

Juli Lowe — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:13:18 +0000

Ctrl+P: Photography taken offline is an exciting venture at Catherine Edelman Gallery inspired by the hundreds of photographs we see on blogs and online galleries. Started in January 2011, CEG introduces Chicagoans to new artists we find while searching the web, exhibiting a small selection of one person’s work every two months, taking the pictures offline and putting them on the wall. It is our goal that Ctrl+P will provide further exposure for these photographers away from the glow of a computer monitor and without the temptation to click to the next link. We hope you will join us by unplugging from the internet and visiting CEG to see these photographs the way they were intended — in print.

Our first artist of 2012 features the work of Todd Fisher. Todd grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He is a self-taught photographer who has been exhibited and published worldwide. JSBJ Paris published a limited edition monograph entitled “Maledictions Occasionnells” 2010, which has been included in the MOMA Museum library. His work was included in the 2010 Humble Arts Foundation Collectors Guide For Emerging Arts Photography. His second monograph “Someone Cuts My Hair While I Sleep” was just published by PogoBooks, Berlin in November 2011. Todd Fisher has exhibited his work in multiple group shows worldwide, including the 2011 New York Photo Festival and at the 2011 Nofound to New Documents in London.

Untitled, 2009 © Todd Fisher

Untitled, 2007 © Todd Fisher

Todd Fisher´s photography originates from everyday life. He draws inspiration from his immediate surroundings and shoots just at the right moment to capture the mystical momentum rather than the narrative. His motives are of unknown protagonists at non-places. In the moment of taking a picture the situations seem to arise spontaneously, which in combination with his working methods makes Fisher´s photography authentic. Their documentary character is undeniable. Yet there is a clear distinction from photojournalism, because Fisher’s photographs incorporate artistic composition with a shifted and often non-linear focus. Where the street has a clear narrative, his personal view is more abstract and even opaque at times. Context is deliberately absent or left vague, allowing the viewer to create their own reality. His protagonists behave remarkably uniform, staring into nothingness or seem to be engaged in a strange relationship with structural features of their immediate environment. Following Todd Fishers photography is always fascinating; his work is intimate, mysterious, spontaneous, witty, and sad at the same time. –Text courtesy of Todd Fisher and PogoBooks.

Untitled, 2008 © Todd Fisher

Todd Fisher’s second monograph “Someone Cuts My Hair While I Sleep” is available for purchase at PogoBooks.
For more information visit Todd Fisher’s website and Flickr page.

Links:

Zero 1 magazine

If At First – Artist Inverview

Humble Arts Foundation

Photography Blog

Sick of the Radio

Viktoria Sorochinski’s Anna & Eve

Juli Lowe — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:36:52 +0000

Ukrainian born Viktoria Sorochinski spent time in Israel and Montreal, before recently settling in Brooklyn. It was in Montreal, while studying for her BFA in studio art, that she met Anna and Eve, a mother and daughter whose physical presence often belied the lines between adult and child. Started in 2005, Anna & Eve is an ongoing project that casts each participant in different roles, including the protector, the healer and the caretaker. As the artist states, “It was often hard to tell who held the power and control between the two, and who was learning the essence of being a human in this world.” Through these staged scenarios, Sorochinski examines the relationship between a young mother and her child, as both age and mature.

Viktoria Sorochinski
Anna & Eve
January 6 – February 25, 2012

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, January 6th from 5:00 – 8:00pm (artist will be present) and for the artist talk on Saturday, January 7 at Noon.

Paths, 2007 © Viktoria Sorochinski

Learning a Lesson, 2009 © Viktoria Sorochinski

Reflection, 2007 © Viktoria Sorochinski

All images are available as 24 x 24″ and 40 x 40″ digital chromogenic prints made in editions of 10 + 2 APs and 5 + 2 APs, respectively.

For more information and to see additional images visit CEG’s website.

Viktoria Sorochinski selected as PDN Photo Annual Personal category winner

Juli Lowe — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:51:44 +0000

For the second year in a row, Viktoria Sorochinski’s work was selected as a winner in the PDN Photo Annual competition. Her series Anna & Eve was selected as a 2011 winner in the Personal category and in 2010, her project Land of No-Return was selected as a winner in the Personal category as well.

Congratulations to Viktoria!

CEG will show a selection of work from the Anna & Eve series beginning next week through February 25th. Don’t miss the opening reception on Friday, January 6 from 5-8pm or her public artist talk on Saturday, January 7th at noon.

Exchanging Wisdom, 2006 © Viktoria Sorochinski

You can view all the 2011 winning work on the PDN Photo Annual website here.
You can view 2010 winners on the PDN Photo Annual website here.

Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye

Juli Lowe — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:23:54 +0000

Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye is a new documentary directed by Thomas Marino. The documentary takes a profound and introspective look into the life and art of Joel-Peter Witkin. Along with in-depth interviews with Joel-Peter Witkin, the film features interviews from prominent artists, musicians, photographers, and scholars who share insight into the impact of Witkin’s work and influence on modern culture. This film is set for independent release in 2012. For more information check out the website www.witkinmovie.com.

Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye
Directed by Thomas Marino
Executive Producer B.C. Furtney
Written by B.C. Furtney & Thomas Marino
Produced by Sid Wimbish, Shawn Leyva & Thomas Marino
Director of Photography Nickolas Rossi
Audio & Lighting Supervisor Ernesto Galan
Music by Trevin Pinto

Double Life named one of the best photo books of the year!

Juli Lowe — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:36:28 +0000

American Photo published a list of The Best Photo Books of 2011 and Kelli Connell’s book, Double Life, was included on their list of the 50 best books of the year. Congratulations to Kelli Connell & Decode Books!

Double Life
Photographs by Kelli Connell
Published by Decode Books
Signed copies available through CEG’s bookstore

Two new additions to The Chicago Project

Juli Lowe — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:50:27 +0000

We are pleased to announce two new additions to The Chicago Project: Patricia Lay-Dorsey and Joyce P. Lopez. Be sure to visit The Chicago Project online gallery to see more images by both artists after reading about their projects below.

Patricia Lay-Dorsey

Falling Into Place: self portraits
So many stories are told of persons with disabilities from the outside looking in. Often portrayed as tragic and/or brave, it is easy to lose sight of our common humanity. We are seen as other. For years I resisted and resented this attitude whenever I encountered it in person, print or online. In June 2008 I started taking self portraits that would show from the inside the day-to-day life of a person with a disability; that person being myself.

As subject, I was surprised by my feelings of shame and “otherness.” As photographer, my differences were interesting rather than shameful. As viewer of the photos, I saw how hard my body works to do what I ask of it. If anyone had to change their attitude, it was me.

Self Portrait 16, 2009 © Patricia Lay-Dorsey

Self Portrait 6, 2009 © Patricia Lay-Dorsey

Joyce P. Lopez

The Trouble With Birds
100,000 birds die annually on their bi-annual migratory flights and while all the birds in this series are dead, they are beautiful biological specimens worthy of reverence, and visual contemplation.

Climate change is affecting migratory birds, others succumb to accidents, changes in available food, disease, etc. These birds are warning us about our impact on the environment, and to take responsibility. In the illustrative, detailed style of Audubon’s paintings of birds, I am seeking to call attention to their plummeting populations and difficulties.

Ctrl+P: Photography taken offline – Tealia Ellis Ritter

Juli Lowe — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:32:36 +0000

Our latest installment of Ctrl+P features the work of Tealia Ellis Ritter. Tealia was born in Illinois in 1978. She was given her first camera at the age of six by her father. After attending Columbia College Chicago where she completed her BA in Fine Art Photography, she earned her MFA with the highest honors at the University of Iowa. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S., most recently through the Magenta Foundation as a part of Flash Forward 2009, at Humble Arts “31 Under 31” exhibition, in The Collector’s Guide to Emerging Art Photography Volume 1, Silver Eye Center for Photography, The Photographic Center Northwest and in the multimedia project, “Pause to Begin.” She now lives and works in the Chicago area.

The Live Creature and Ethereal Things
The specific genesis of, The Live Creature and Ethereal Things, was my family’s move to suburban Chicago. I found myself an outsider in a town where I knew no one. This created in me a heightened awareness of how I looked and how people looked at me. I began to experience a conscious and constant feeling of being on display.

The images chronicle the people that pass in and out of my daily life, including both friends and family, but are primarily comprised of strangers I approach on the street. My interests lie in exploring, in both a physical and emotional sense, the ways in which people choose to present themselves, and their environment, when they know they are going to be on display. Specifically focusing on the nature of longing, vulnerability, self-consciousness and image as a construction. As a culture now in the age of facebook and social networking, we are aware of our projected selves in a new way and the methods by which photographs can be used to shape people’s perceptions. Stylistically, the images are inspired by European society portraits, which similarly to the modern facebook page, present an idealized version of the individual and convey a sense of the sitter as part of a tableau created to be examined. There exists simultaneously the person that we are and the person we want to be, our self-presentation often dealing more with aspirations than reality. Each subject is allowed to dress in any way they would like and choose a setting they feel comfortable in, but the final image is a negotiation between my vision of the individual and the image of themselves they are working to project. At the end of the photo session, I give each subject the opportunity to write down a dream, although they are not required to do so. The dream statements allow for a parallel declaration to be made solely by the subjects, in the form of words rather than through their image. The meaning of “dream” is left up to the subjects to determine. — Tealia Ellis Ritter

We were fortunate to have Tealia attend the opening. We asked her to introduce the project with a quick video. Check it out below, but be sure to visit CEG to see the work in person.

Links:
Exposure 2011 – 2011

Women in Photography – 2011

Humble Arts Foundation

Wan.der.lust.ag.ra.phy – 2010

Sadie Magazine – Fall/Winter 2010

Culturehall

Conscientious – 2008

Pause, to Begin – 2008

CEG presents the work of Gary Briechle in his first solo exhibition!

Juli Lowe — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:42:55 +0000

The wrinkle of an aging hand; the piercing eyes of a young girl at the edge of puberty; the solitude of a young man resting his head along the water’s edge — these are some of the quiet moments captured by Gary Briechle, who makes Collodion wet-plate enlargements of his family, friends and strangers in the small towns and rugged terrain that hug the Maine coast. With great patience and care, Briechle photographs the details that make us unique, celebrating the beauty and imperfections of the human form. These are luscious photographs made with a 19th century process which forces an intimacy between the photographer and subject, to which the viewer is a privileged witness.

Here’s how Gary describes his relationship with his subjects in his forthcoming book with Twin Palms Press:

“I’ve been in Maine close to eight years now and there are some people I’ve photographed for the entire time. A few have died and I’ve shot their likenesses tattooed on the chests of those they’ve left behind.”

“The last time I photographed Arizona (an eight year-old girl that I’ve been photographing since she was one) I did what I always do: I taped a black Wal-mart sheet to the house, set the camera up on the tripod and got her to lean back with shoulders touching to steady herself. I usually put a little flower by the lens, so she can fix her eyes on something during the fifteen-second exposure. This time, the end of October, it was a small, bright, red leaf. A minute later, as I poured fixer over the glass, an image appeared out of a swirl of watery blue-green. Even though I had done this countless times before, what I saw was an image I never saw before.”

Please join us for the opening reception on November 4th from 5:00 – 7:00pm (artist will be present).

Gary Briechle: Photographs
November 4 through December 31, 2011

All images are 11 x 14″ gelatin silver print made from a Collodian wet plate.
For more information and to see additional images visit CEG’s website.