For the third year in a row, the New York Photo Festival promises to push the boundaries of contemporary photography, this year expanding programming and pre-festival activities – for the first time – into other parts of New York. It will also include extended exhibition hours, reduced fare and open attendance hours for the public, and new presentations.

NYPH ’10 will feature exhibits curated by Lou Reed, Vince Aletti, Erik Kessels and Fred Ritchin. Each will take place in the main pavilion in DUMBO, Brooklyn, May 13th-16th. New details on these 4 exhibits came out today – check them (and some powerful photographs) out below…

Bodies in Question
Curated by Fred Ritchin

Ritchin’s pavilion considers the ways bodies are newly placed into question as humans become virtual and are under constantly increasing surveillance. The show looks at a crucial crossroads in human consciousness and survival, a moment when new forms of media are powerfully emerging as much of the planet struggles to advance. The artists and image-makers comprising Bodies in Question comment on these transformations in media and society, and on the identities and struggles of people who may be left behind.

A major element of Bodies in Question is the first U.S. exhibition of Marc Garanger’s controversial 1960 portraits of Algerian women (see the three below!), taken under French Army orders for French identity cards given to Algerians during their mid-20th Century War of Independence. Garanger forced the women to show their faces in public, often for the first time, and turned an act of cultural imperialism into a raw depiction of beauty and sublime dignity. Garanger returned to Algeria four decades later to foster a discussion within the same communities around these photographs.

Other featured artists include Benjamin Busch, Robbie Cooper, Luc Courchesne, Raphaël Dallaporta, Tina Enghoff, Jessica Ingram, Alexandre Maubert, James Pomerantz, Joseph Rodriguez, Linn Underhill, Deborah Willis, Michael Wolf and Lim Young Kyun.

*above photograph by Marc Garanger, featured in Richter’s exhibit, Bodies in Question

Hidden Books, Hidden Stories
Curated by Lou Reed

Hidden Books, Hidden Stories is a personal exploration of myriad imaginative and compelling visual narratives. Some are in books, and some are presented in impressive, larger-than-life scales of projection and display.

Part one is an audiovisual presentation premiering Thursday evening, May 13, during the festival’s debut Night of Photography. Lou Reed‘s image selections will be projected in an outdoor setting directly beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. After the premiere, the projection will be screened at regular intervals during the festival on the presentation stage at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Part two is a collection of participating artists’ books in a custom-built display that will give the visiting public an opportunity to experience each artist’s narrative in its entirety.

Part three consists of a new installation of photos and videos by Doug and Mike Starn of their monumental architectural performance, Big Bambú, which they are constructing as a site-specific work for The Metropolitan Museum of Art Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. (The Met exhibit will be open April 27—October 31, 2010). To build Big Bambú—an ever-changing sculpture made from thousands of fresh-cut bamboo poles—the Starns are working as high as 50 feet from the ground, directing a team of rock climbers.

Artists include Alice O’Malley, Antoine D’Agata, Carl de Keyzer, Daido Moriyama, Ed Van Der Elsken, Emi Anrakuji, Henry Darger, Ken Kitano, Lieko Shiga, Masuhisa Fukase, Miguel Rio Branco, Morton Bartlett, Naoki Ishikawa, Naoya Hatakeyama, Nicolas Wormull, Osamu Kanemura, Oto Gillen, Paul Kooiker, Sakiko Nomura, Scott Irvine, Sergey Bratkov and Doug and Mike Starn.

*above by Marc Garanger, featured in Bodies in Question

Object Lesson
Curated by Vince Aletti

The history of photography is that of the still life, a staple of artwork throughout the modern era that has been reinvented with the introduction of photography. From the beginning, virtually every important photographer has contributed to the genre, and their names evoke an immense range of images and approaches: Henry Fox-Talbot, Paul Strand, Edward Steichen, Josef Sudek, László Moholy-Nagy, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, Man Ray, Walker Evans, Robert Mapplethorpe and Wolgfang Tillmans, among others. With this long tradition in mind, Vince Aletti has taken this occasion to reexamine the still life today. Object Lesson, according to Aletti, “pays homage to one of its masters, Irving Penn, whose work sets a standard few can match.”

Featured photographers in Aletti‘s show include Yanimi Nayar, Jiro Takamatsu, Jeff Bark, Bill Jacobson, Sharon Core, Laura Letinsky, Andrea Modica, Richard Learoyd, Sally Gall, Roy McMakin and Adam Bartos.

*above by Marc Garanger, featured in Bodies in Question

Use Me, Abuse Me
Curated by Erik Kessels

Use Me, Abuse Me begins with Kessels’ a posteriori observation that easy access to photography tools and software results in quicker, more facile modes of image production, consumption and disposal. Perhaps a condition of this state, a plethora of photographers and image-makers are experimenting with pre-existing images and using them within their own work on an unprecedented scale. Photographs are variously collected, reinterpreted, cut, copied, pasted and generally abused.

Kessels’ show is about how images and image-making technology influence
artists and photographers. It explores several questions, including: Where will image-making take us? Will all existing photography be endlessly recycled? Will we soon see more photographers taking fewer photographs? How far can we stretch the medium of photography? Use Me, Abuse Me features work by a new wave of artists and photographers, including Ruth Van Beek, Batia Suter, Paul Kooiker, Lucas Blalock, Linus Bill, Renato Leotta, Gwon Osang, Marcel Gaehler, Eva-Fiore Kovacovsky, Claudia Sola, Asha Schechter, Joachim Schmid, Chantal Rens, Sanja Médic and Thomas Mailaender.

For more information, visit nyphotofestival.com. Curator biographies below.

Curator Bios:
Fred Ritchin: Ritchin is professor of Photography & Imaging at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is director of PixelPress, an organization that has created websites, books, and exhibitions that promote human rights and documentary experimentation. He is the former picture editor of The New York Times Magazine and Horizon magazine, former executive editor of Camera Arts magazine, and the founding director of the Photojournalism and Documentary Photography fulltime educational program at the International Center of Photography. Ritchin was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in public service by The New York Times for the 1996 website, “Bosnia: Uncertain Paths to Peace,” which he co-created with photographer Gilles Peress. He also created the first multimedia version of the daily New York Times in 1994. Currently, he is working on a new book, Outside the Frame, concerning contemporary imagery and social change.

Lou Reed: Reed is a playwright, poet, musician, and photographer whose photographs have been exhibited worldwide. His third photography book, Romanticism, was published by Edition 7L in 2009. The French government has named him Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. He is a founding member of the legendary band, the Velvet Underground. Currently, Reed is working on several projects including a collaboration with artist Lorenzo Mattiotti on a graphic novel based on his album, The Raven; a book of essays on Chen Tai Chi called The Art of the Straight Line; and continues to co-host a weekly radio show with producer Hal Willner called The New York Shuffle.

Vince Aletti: Aletti reviews photography exhibitions for The New Yorker’s “Goings On About Town” section and writes a regular column about photo books for Photograph. He is the winner of the 2005 Infinity Award in writing from the International Center of Photography, where he where he was an adjunct curator in 2009. Aletti co-curated “Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now” with Carol Squiers and is the curator of “This Is Not a Fashion Photograph.” He and Squiers worked together on “Avedon Fashion 1944-2000,” as well as on the catalog published by Abrams. Male, a book of photographs and other artwork from Aletti’s personal collection, was published by PPP Editions at the end of 2008. The Disco Files 1973-78: New York’s Underground, Week by Week, a compilation of record reviews and club scene roundups by Aletti, was released by DJHistory.com in 2009.

Erik Kessels: Kessels is co-founder and creative director of the communications agency KesselsKramer in Amsterdam. He has curated many photography exhibitions, including “Dutch Delight” at FOAM Amsterdam, “Loving Your Pictures” at Les Rencontres dʼArles and “Confrontation Histoire(s) Parallèlle(s)” at Institut Néerlandais, Paris. Mr. Kessels has made commercial work for national and international clients such as Nike, Diesel, J&B Whisky, Oxfam International, Ben Mobile, and the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel, and has won an Effie and the Cannes Press Lion (silver) for Ad Agency of the Year and Ad Director of the Year.

*All images courtesy of New York Photo Festival.

British designer Tom Dixon offers us a sneak peak at his new wares for May’s ICFF 2010: INDUSTRY and Flash Factory. INDUSTRY is Dixon’s latest line of lighting and furniture (scheduled to appear at ICFF’s booth 1804), and was inspired by industrial processes. At Dixon’s Flash Factory (booths 1900 and 2000), visitors will be able to make and buy limited-edition pieces directly from the stand.

INDUSTRY’s lineup includes:
- Void, an almost musical-looking lighting object inspired by the vacuum flask, with a double wall construction.
- Peg, a minimalist stackable café chair in sold birch.
- Offcut Bench, a flat-packed design made from the waste generated by standard wooden furniture manufacture.
- and the return of Jack, the polyethylene ‘sitting, stacking, lighting thing’ now available in black for the latest generation.

Also launching Is the first in a series of self-published Tom Dixon books. Starting with the orientation for this year’s collection, Industry, the paperback outlines a critique of various production formulas followed by Dixon’s own proposal for a Future Industry. In the same spirit of Etch and Flash Factory, this publishing venture hopes to cut out the middle man by employing new, innovative printing systems. We’ve got an exclusive look at the cover below!

INDUSTRY can be bought from the stand at ICFF and at www.tomdixon.net.

*above, Tom Dixon’s Void lights

*above, Jack lights

*above, Jack lights

*above, Offcut Bench

*above, Peg Chairs

*above, Dixon’s new INDUSTRY book cover

*All images courtesy of Tom Dixon.

Combining modern style with authentic, vintage accents, Lulu Frost reinterprets materials like forgotten keys, rare Victorian watch fobs, Art Deco dress clips, Cut Steel shoe buckles from the 1860′s, and long-lost room numbers from the legendary Plaza Hotel for cool, contemporary jewelry pieces. 27-year-old American designer Lisa Salzer (aka Lulu) – a Dartmouth College grad who studied art history and fine art – launched her company in 2004, and since then her collections have appeared in everything from The New York Times, WWD and Vogue, to Daily Candy and the Chicago Tribune. Her pieces are available at Bergdorf Goodman, Barneys New York, Isetan, Fred Segal, Takashimaya and other fine retailers.

*above: Cut Steel Cuff, made of bound Art Deco rhinestone buckles (c. 1920) fastened with brass chain, brass lobster closure ($530-$625)

*above: Deco Earrings, made from vintage dress clip earrings (c. 1930), brass chain, and gold-filled wire ($300-$380)

*above: necklaces from The Plaza Collection, featuring large room numbers from the original Plaza Hotel doors, coupled with brass chains, lobster closures, and bows. (about $300-$400)

*All images courtesy of Lulu Frost. For more info, visit LuluFrost.com.

Established in 2000, the Vilcek Foundation aims to raise public awareness about the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts, and culture in the US. This year, the winners of the Fifth Annual Vilcek Foundation prizes will get an extra treat – in addition to a $50,000 cash award, they will receive a special new sculpture created by designer Stefan Sagmeister (an ArtSlope favorite!).

For a Foundation dedicated to honoring the contributions of immigrants in the arts and sciences, the Sagmeister trophies are a particular point of pride. An immigrant from Austria himself, Sagmeister’s impact on both the American and international design has been immense over the years – evident in everything from his Grammy-award winning images for musicians like The Rolling Stones, the Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and Aerosmith to his iconic AIGA posters.

The trophies’ design was informed by America’s collective history of immigration and opportunity. Placed on its base, the trophies form a pyramid, evocative of the upward opportunities available to immigrants in America. When placed on its side, however, the base reveals the individual name of the honoree and the way the name directly shapes the four sides of the pyramid, celebrating the individuality of each immigrant’s achievements and the diversity they bring to American society.

The process by which the trophies were created is also symbolic, a physical example of the fusion between the arts and sciences promoted with the dual-category prizes. The trophies are created via stereolithography, an additive manufacturing process usually reserved for industrial engineering
applications. Using a model generated with CAD software, a stereolithography machine builds 3-D structures using liquid UV-curable resin and a UV laser to carve and adhere cross-section layers. The structures are built a single layer at a time, typically at a width of 0.5mm to 0.15mm each. The use of stereolithography machines has become more accessible and affordable in recent years, creating opportunities for its usage for design purposes.

The Vilcek Foundation was established by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the Foundation was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history, as well as their personal experiences and appreciation for the opportunities offered them as newcomers to the United States. In addition to awarding annual prizes in the biomedical sciences and the arts, the Vilcek Foundation showcases the work of immigrant artists, filmmakers, and others, at its headquarters at 167 East 73rd Street, New York City. Notably for design fans, The Vilcek Foundation’s visual identity was created by designer Abbott Miller and his team at Pentagram, and is based on early twentieth-century Czech typography, in acknowledgement of founder Jan and Marica Vilcek’s origins.

*All images courtesy of The Vilcek Foundation.

Late last week, Milk Studios, Fotorelief and ROSE Charities hosted “A Picture Saves a Thousand Lives,” a one-night exhibit and silent auction fundraiser featuring 100 works by world renowned fine art and fashion photographers. All proceeds from the auction went to ROSE Charities to provide long-term care and rehabilitation for the survivors of the Haitian earthquake. In addition, a numbered, limited-edition book of all of the photographs from the auction was available at the event, all proceeds going to the cause.

Noot Seear – model, actress and the President of ROSE Charities US – commented, “After the attention wanes and the media has decamped, there will still be years of rehabilitation and reconstruction needed for the Haitian people. The doctors, therapists and volunteers that generously donate their time and purpose, through ROSE Charities, have a history of that dedication.”

Photographers who donated their works to the event include Annie Leibovitz, Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Ellen Von Unwerth, Mark Seliger, Mario Sorrenti, Alessanda Sanguinetti, Ben Watts, Steven Klein, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Sante D’Orazio, Hiroshi Watanabe, Brian Ulrich, Paolo Roversi, Vincent Peters, Diego Uchitel, Alexei Hay, Greg Kadel, Walter Chin, Craig McDean, David Sims, David Armstrong, Richard Kern, Javier Vallhonrat, Margaret de Lang, Kurt Markus and Tierney Gearon…

At last tally, the event had raised over $70,000, not including book sales. To learn more, please visit www.rosecharities.info.

*above photo by Platon

*above photo by Julien Capmeil

*above photo by Sante D’Orazio

*All images courtesy of Fotorelief.

There’s a great new talent in our midst. Though he’s currently enrolled as a sophomore at Seattle University, one look at young photographer Antonio Ysursa‘s work, and it’s pretty clear he’s an old soul. His intimate portraits and haunting landscapes – some can stop you right in your tracks -capture the myriad fleeting and beautiful dimensions of youth.

Describing his approach, Ysursa says, “I’m inspired by my subjects and my home. Whether it be my sisters, cousins, close friends, the maple tree in my backyard, or the hazy summer light. But it’s mostly the people I love who bring me the most inspiration.”

Asked who his photography heroes are, Ysursa responds (not so surprisingly, given his subject matter and aesthetic) : “Hands down, Sally Mann. She has changed the way I approach my subjects and the way I think. Her work has made me more conscious of what I am actually doing with my photography. Before I was simply taking ‘pretty’ pictures, but now I am realizing that it is much more of a personal narrative. She is unafraid in her approach and I aspire to be that way. I’m also very inspired by Ryan McGinley, Richard Avedon, Gregory Colbert, Nick Brandt. I’ve recently become a fan of Keith Carter and Margaret M de Lange.”

So how did Ysursa’s love affair with photography begin? “Ever since I can remember,” he says, “my mother took snapshots of the family with an old pentax, so I think this had a way of triggering my interest in the medium. In the eighth grade, I purchased my first point and shoot camera. I did not know what I was getting myself into, but I instantly fell in love. In high school, I bought my first DSLR, and it sort of spiraled from there. My passion for photography began once I understood it could be used as a form of art.”

*Above: “Gleam of Fires,” inspired by a quote from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: “We live in the flicker.” According to Ysursa, “I found those words very moving and powerful for some reason. We hang these lights on the porch over the summertime. The set up for this was very primitive: I hung the lights from a broomstick and had my sister hold them above my cousin’s head.”

*Above: “The Unknown World.” Says Ysursa, “This image has come to mean a lot to me. It is a portrait of my cousin Sophia who, since the photograph was taken, has dealt with various brain tumors. The images has become symbolic to me on many levels. For instance, her vision was affected after the removal of her first tumor. Ironically, the revealed eye in this image is the one that was less affected of the two.”

*Above: “Cocoon.” “This is simply a photograph of my cousin in a hammock; there is nothing too special about it. But my family has spent a lot of time in that hammock, so I figured I would photograph him in it,” says Ysursa.

*Above two photographs from the “Windstorm” series.

*Above: “Boy with a Lamb.” Says Ysursa, “This was … inspired by an Irving Penn photograph. I have grown up on a very small farm, and sheep have always been in my life. Every winter lambs are born, and I wanted to do something with that. On one hand, this is simply an image of my cousin holding a lamb. But it’s funny because meaning often emerges after I take the image. I can’t help but see this series as something representative of innocence.”

*Above: “Light and Lashes” “I took this photograph while we were camping,” Ysursa explains. “My cousin found a toad, so I wanted to shoot him with it. I placed him in front of a tree, under this soft sunlight; I took a few shots and the shadows were bothering me so I had him move. It wasn’t until months later that I looked back at this folder and decided to edit this photograph, which was an outtake. I wish I had worked more under this light, because I ended up really like its effect.”

*Above: “Into the Rabbit Hole”

*Above: “Maria’s Little Warrior”

*Above three photographs from the series, “Death of Something,” which Ysursa sees as a turning point in his work thus far. “I took this sequence of images the day before my sister turned thirteen. Conceptually, the images mean a lot to me, as they mark the beginning of where I think my photography will diverge. I photograph my family, and loved ones, but specifically my younger sisters and cousins. They are growing older, and I want to take images that tell of their youth and departure from childhood.”

*All images courtesy of Antonio Ysursa.

Opening tomorrow, Volume Gallery, Chicago’s new cutting-edge design gallery, debuts “THE NEW,” an exhibition of works examining urban infrastructure by American designer Jonathan Nesci. For the show, which runs March 19 – 23, Volume Gallery will take over the Andrew Rafacz Gallery. This is the first in an ongoing Volume series highlighting commissioned work from American contemporary designers, each asking critical questions about what it means to be an American designer in a culture that is rapidly becoming global in scale, while simultaneously examining the American experience.

“THE NEW” is the Chicago-born designer’s first U.S. solo show, and the exhibited minimal pieces reveal Nesci’s translated observations of the world around us and the banal designs that inform our lives, forms many of us never stop to consider– the edge of a curb, the base of a street light, etc. Describing his design approach, Nesci says, “I am informed by the work that has preceded me and aim to add a building block in the continually changing landscape of product and process.” He goes on, “Considered objects reveal where we are in our history, our culture, and are a reaction to our unique individual stories.” Using industrial materials – concrete and metal – the finish on each piece is matte white, to absorb the light and its surroundings.

Jonathan Nesci (b. 1979, Chicago) and his company HALE have created a wide range
of products and received recognition from leading design publications such as
Wallpaper, Dwell, Metropolitan Home, Surface and Art + Auction. HALE has won the
annual Wallpaper Design Award for the “Library Bookcase,” a minimalist shelf sculpted
in aluminum. Jonathan’s designs have been viewed in numerous exhibitions including
New York’s ICFF, Paris’ Pavillon des Arts et du Design, Design Miami, Design Art
London (Pavilion of Art & Design London) and Milan’s Salone del Mobile.

“THE NEW”
Volume Gallery at Andrew Rafacz Gallery
835 West Washington Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60607

Hours:
March 19 – 23, 2010
11 AM – 6 PM, daily

*From top, Jonathan Nesci’s Sol Daybed, New Mirror, Seattle Planter and General Desk. All images courtesy of Volume Gallery.

Brooklyn-based photographer Bill Wadman – the mastermind behind 365portraits.com, a portrait series completed each day during 2007 – has a playful new series called “Drabbles.” Marking a departure from his more traditional portraiture work, “Drabbles” call to mind film stills, his subjects and settings leaving plenty of room for viewers’ interpretations. As Wadman says, “You get to make up the story in your head.”

Explaining the story behind the “Drabbles” series, Wadman says, “Most of the work I do is more traditional portraiture, so I wanted to try something more deliberate, more constructed. Less about the people and more about the final image. When I’m between personal projects, I tend to experiment in a few different directions and then hopefully stumble upon something that piques my interest. So late last summer I was up in Connecticut for the weekend and took some pictures set in the back of my late father’s old Chevy, which was sitting in a garage.” Here’s the pic:

He goes on, “I liked the way it looked and felt. More like film still and less like a portrait. So I setup rules for myself. They had to be landscape (wider than tall), all with the same 28mm lens, all had to use some additional lighting (not just available), none of the subjects would be looking at the camera.”

“I put out a call for subjects … most of them are strangers or distant friends of people who knew my work and such. They’re musicians, and office workers, and furniture builders, and baristas, and every other thing you can imagine. All taken in NYC. Many in Park Slope, where I live.”

“Most of the time, there wasn’t a clear idea going into it, just sort of came as we worked, which made it fun. I think the connection between them all, besides them being technically similar in look and angle of view and such, is that each kind makes you say, ‘What’s going on here?’ or, rather, ‘What just happened or is about to happen?’ And most of them are not explicit, so they lend themselves to interpretation by the viewer. You get to make up the story in your head.”

Below are a few great shots from the resulting “Drabbles” series. To see the complete collection, check out williamwadman.com/drabbles/.

*above: Ivy Ermert

*above: Brent Whitson

*above: Helena Fitzgerald

*above: Chris Berger

*above: Carolina Mardones

*above: Portia Evans

*above: Frank Basile

About Bill Wadman:
Brooklynite Bill Wadman’s editorial portrait work has been featured in TIME, BusinessWeek, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Improper Bostonian, POZ, and others. Subjects he’s had the pleasure of working with include Buzz Aldrin, Malcolm Gladwell, Imogen Heap, Tucker Carlson, Jhumpa Lahiri, James Burke, and Mo Rocca.

Educated as a musician, it was only after a decade as an Art Director in the advertising industry that he picked up a camera. Notoriously obsessive and rarely satisfied, Bill drinks out of a 500ml beaker, prefers Windows to Mac, and perhaps most ironically, does not like getting his picture taken as a general rule of thumb.

*All images courtesy of Bill Wadman.

Debuting next month, Kim Gordon’s new monograph- Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling - presents the Sonic Youth founder’s energetic watercolor series, mixed-media collages and personal lyrics. Inspired by on-stage performances where faces in the audience become dreamy, ethereal blurs of color, Gordon uses newspapers, words and photos as canvases for stains and slashes of color.

Reflections about Gordon and her work from artist Jutta Koether and writer Hilton Als add to the personal tone of the book. In one offering, Hilton writes, “…one is struck, again and again, by the depth of feeling behind her brushwork.”

The first printing of the book will be limited to 3,000 copies, each containing a signed print by Kim Gordon. Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling comes out next month, and is available for pre-order at Amazon.

KIM GORDON PERFORMING/GUZZLING
By Kim Gordon
Contributions by Jutta Koether and Hilton Als
Published by Rizzoli and Nieves.
Hardcover / 8 ¾” x 11 ¾” / 144 pages / 140 color and b&w illustrations
US $60.00 / Can $73.00 / UK £40.00

*Images courtesy of Rizzoli. © Kim Gordon from Kim Gordon Performing/Guzzling by Kim Gordon, Rizzoli New York, 2010.

London-based fashion designer Lu Flux presents “Dame & Knight,” a fairytale-inspired Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. Working with salvaged, vintage and organic fabrics, she applies traditional techniques like knitting and patchwork to create contemporary mens and womenswear collections. Her aim is to make something new out of something old, consuming less and reducing waste. Check out Lu Flux’s “Damsel in this Dress” (top) and other looks below…

*All images courtesy of Lu Flux.