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Musée sat down for a chat with two photographers whose works are featured in the current exhibition at The International Center of Photography located in New York City. We asked them three common questions that our readers are curious about.
Perspectives 2012 January 20 - May 6, 2012 at the International Center of Photography in New York City.
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NOMAD: TWO WORLDS
Created by world renowned photographer Russell James, NOMAD TWO WORLDS is a collaborative art project with Indigenous artists. In the last decade it has evolved from James' individual attempt to understand the clash of ancient and modern cultures he witnessed growing up in Australia to what it is today - a powerful expression of partnership and reconciliation in action through art, music and film that has become a global example of true collaboration across deep cultural divides.
In his well-crafted photographs, Anthony Goicolea explores the concepts of youth, homoeroticism, and identity. He serves as his own model, playing multiple characters who all appear in the same photograph. Goicolea uses digital manipulation in a way that does not call attention to itself but rather reflects his aesthetic and conceptual vision. In his art he has also explored the themes of environmental destruction and displacement. A retrospective of his work, titled “Alter Ego,” is now at the North Carolina Museum of Art, in Raleigh. Beside photographs, it also features his paintings, video, and mixed-media installations. Goicolea lives and works in New York City.
Sara Greenberger Rafferty's photographs hit or startle the viewer with an emotional force that never seems to settle down. Her photos primarily of food, women, actors, and comedians exhibit a painterly quality. They are appropriated and manipulated, with such techniques as blurring and water splashing. The effect, in painting terms, is a combination of Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. And the results are usually fascinating and unsettling.
In the last 10 years, Raffertys work has been exhibited all over the United States, at dozens of galleries and museums. In New York, her work has graced the walls of the Museum of Modern Art P.S. 1., Gagosian Gallery, the Rachel Uffner Gallery, and many others. Rafferty spoke to Musee Magazine about her art, technique, inspiration, training in sculpture, and her views on grad school for young artists.
Go inside the pages of the magazine's first issue and explore the works of many talented photographers.
Instructor: Alice Sachs Zimet
March 6 – April 17, 2012
(8 sessions)
Tuesday evenings
Some Saturday afternoons
Part I
Part II
Part III
Highlights gallery openings as well as events through out Manhattan, giving readers a peak in to the world of art and style.
Artist, fashion icon and a dear friend of Musée, Bob Recine presented a fun and interesting exhibition of his creative works. Recine's show Alchemy of Beauty kick started Fashion Week at the Hole gallery with a fashion forward crowd.
Curated and Produced by Jacqueline Miro for RIPP&co., the works presented highlight both Bob Recine's personal sketches and ideas, as well as his years of collaboration with Mario Sorrenti, Robbie Fimmano and Steven Sebring.
Signed copies of Bob Recine's newly published book "Alchemy of Beauty" published by Freeman-Damiani and art directed by Fabien Baron, were on sale durin the presentation. Make sure to grab a copy!
Collecting Photography II: Building a Collection
March 6 – April 17, 2012 (8 sessions)
(Tuesday evenings; some Saturday afternoons)
Dear Photography Enthusiast,
Over the past year, I’ve been fortunate to have taught a new class for the Camera Club of New York. Collecting Photography: Beginner Basics sold out three times in the last 12 months, and we were thrilled!
Now, in response to feedback, CCNY has asked that I teach a more advanced class called Collecting Photography II: Building a Collection. We thought you might be interested in this next iteration.
The class launches Tuesday, March 6 and will run for 8 sessions, concluding on Tuesday, April 17 – with a combination of Tuesday evenings and some Saturday afternoons.
We’d love to hear from you and hope that you’ll join the class! Please forward this email to anyone else you think might be interested.
All the best and hope to see you March 6th ~
Alice Sachs Zimet
March 6 – April 17, 2012 (Tuesday evenings; some Saturday afternoons)
Cost: $600 (includes AIPAD admission) This class is limited to 12 students.
Prerequisite: CCNY’s Beginner Basics or commensurate experience.
This class is geared to those aspiring or seasoned collectors who understand the photography marketplace and want to now build a collection. Assuming the collector understands the due diligence needed (see CCNY’s Collecting Photography 101: Beginner Basics) in order to buy, the following issues come into play: What is the value of having a collection focused on a particular theme or school or period or specific set of criteria? How do you balance individual taste/politics with investment considerations? Whom should one consult for advice, if anyone – a gallerist, art adviser, or trusted friend? For whom is the collection being assembled – the collector or for posterity? How should it be framed, displayed, or stored? What should happen to it after you ’re gone? How does it impact artists, the market, galleries? Do you want to be a leader or follower? There are no right or wrong answers to some of these questions, but the class will engage students in a personal and open way.
Collecting Photography II, taught by a veteran collecting pioneer, is sure to get you well on your way to creating a thoughtful, distinctive photography collection. The Advanced class includes a visit to the annual AIPAD photography fair (Association of Independent Photography Art Dealers), discussions with a private collector, a museum curator, and behind-the-scenes visits to galleries, both uptown and in Chelsea. Assignments will include building your own (hypothetical) collection within a given budget and then presenting it to the class and in front of select dealers for feedback.
Alice Sachs Zimet began to collect photography in 1985, and her collection of roughly 150 images reflects both personal taste and passionate enthusiasm. Alice is a member of the Collections Committee of the Harvard Art Museums, one of two non-photographers who sit on the board of the newly established Magnum Photos Foundation and is a member of the International Center of Photography’s (ICP) Acquisitions Committee. Alice began her career in the museum world (Metropolitan Museum of Art, ICP) and soon moved to the corporate world where she ran the worldwide Cultural Affairs programs for The Chase Manhattan Bank. Today, Alice is the president of Arts + Business Partners, a boutique that specializes in corporate sponsorship (www.artsandbusinesspartners.com).
Winter/Spring 2012 Registration:
by email at info_cameraclubny.org by phone at 212–260–9927
Full payment deposit needed to register for any class, lesson, or workshop. Deposit is fully refundable if cancellation occurs two weeks prior to first class session, 25% cancellation fee applicable if less than two weeks notice is given before the first class session.
CCNY accepts cash, checks, and all major credit cards.
Perspectives
Perspectives is an exhibition series that focuses on emerging young artists working in photography and video. The small group exhibitions in the series are nonthematic, highlighting the individual ideas and achievements of an engaging and eclectic group of new faces. Those presented within Perspectives have not been widely exhibited, inspiring conversations on contemporary art, broadening ICP's audience, and revealing work that may otherwise not be seen outside of a small gallery setting. Above all, Perspectives will highlight global contemporary artists who have not yet been shown in New York, and who may not conventionally be considered photographers. ICP Curator Christopher Phillips organized this second exhibition in the series, which includes work by Chien-Chi Chang, Greg Girard, and Anna Shteynshleyger.
Artist interviews and photographs by Marsin Mogielski
Greg Girard
Q: What inspires you to photograph?
A: The work from the featured project is the result of noticing something that is hidden in plain sight. A place that is there and nothing secret about it. Its been there for decades, either in a physical presence or a situation that has existed for a while, is what appeals to me. In my work there is something constant, even though the subjects very a lot.
Q: What advice do you have for emerging photographers?
A: If you dont take yourself seriously, nobody else will. If you feel strongly about something, there is usually a way to get it done. Take what you are doing seriously, and that will give you every right to do it. Whether it has something to do with access, someone saying that you are not allowed to do something, it may teach you how to negotiate, which is so much of what certain type of photography is about. There are hardly any technical obstacles now to making pictures, so much of it comes down to your point of view and again in a certain kind of photography access to what we are trying to photograph. Thats one thing.
I would say its also very useful early on to get your pictures out in to the world in some fashion to have them looked at and responded to. Thats easier now than it ever used to be, which is both a good and a bad thing.
Q: How did you become part of the exhibition at ICP?
A: These things are random. Christopher Phillips had included some of the work I had done in Shanghai, at an exhibition in Canada about 4 years ago, so that kind of established our relationship. He then became aware of other things I was doing and I am very grateful for his attention to this project.
www.greggirard.com
Anna Shteynshleyger
A: The world inspires me to photograph.
A: Keep shooting. Keep photographing. Never stop emerging.
A: Christopher Phillips, the curator, invited me to take part of this exhibition while I was in Chicago and I happily accepted the invitation.
Anna next to a self portrait featured at the ICP exhibit.
www.shteynshleyger.com
Perspectives 2012
January 20 - May 6, 2012
International Center of Photography
1133 Ave of the Americas
New York, NY
(212) 857-0000
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Over the past decade photographer Russell James images have become synonymous with provocative, unique perspectives of many of the most prominent women of our time in the worlds of entertainment, fashion and beauty. His works have appeared in leading publications such as Vanity Fair, W, American Photo and Sports Illustrated, and have been published in several fine art books by world leading art-book publisher teNeues Publications, including the three-hundred page retrospective Russell James (2009) and his sequel V2 (2010). In August of 2007 Russell was awarded the Hasselblad Masters Award, and in 2009 Russell joined the prestigious ranks of Irving Penn and Helmut Newton as a resident artist of Camera Work, the worlds leading gallery for contemporary photography and vintage master works. In September 2010 a series of James images was inducted in to the fashion museum tour along side such greats as Richard Avedon, William Klein, Peter Lindberg and many other master photographers of our time.
Russells diverse photographic achievements range from exhibiting for brands such as Hermes in association with Guggenheim to breakthrough advertising campaigns for global brands, such as Rolex, Victorias Secret and Revlon, to emotional portraits of many of the worlds leading celebrities, musicians and supermodels, such as Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Faith Hill, Barbara Streisand and a host of others. He has been the subject of solo photographic exhibitions in New York, Berlin, Sydney and Knokke (Belgium).
Two of the Projects Indigenous Australian Artists Now Performing on Broadway with Hugh Jackman
Limited Editions Exhibition at CATM CHELSEA Gallery
NOMAD TWO WORLDS, the sweeping, multi-media collaborative art project conceived by contemporary art and fashion photographer Russell James, returns to New York with two of its Indigenous Australian artists appearing in a special Australia segment of Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway, and a Limited Editions Exhibition opening at CATM CHELSEA Gallery. The exhibition focuses on the works of Nathan Mundraby and Clifton Bieundurry, the two artists performing alongside Jackman, runs from December 8, 2011 to January 8, 2012 and benefits the Nomad Two Worlds Foundation. Jackman and Donna Karan co-hosted the original star-studded launch of Nomad Two Worlds in New York in January 2009.
Inspired in 2008 by the Prime Minister of Australias Apology to its Indigenous people for their "profound grief, suffering and loss caused by past governments culturally destructive policies and actions, Australian-born James set out to create a collection of truly collaborative art, music and film with Indigenous Australian artists. He hoped that Nomad Two Worlds would become what it is today a powerful expression of partnership and reconciliation through art across deep cultural divides.
Every picture in the collection tells part of a storyof the clash of ancient civilizations with the modern world, said James. Whether its a person, the ocean, a rock each photo I take represents something I have seen in the subject, thought about or learned because of it. And each collaborating artists creative contribution furthers that story.
Following the success with Australian artists, James began working with Native American and Haitian artists to include other disadvantaged cultures. This year he established the Nomad Two Worlds Foundation to support Indigenous and marginalized communities, raise awareness for the importance of cultural preservation and create opportunities for artists like Mundraby and Bieundurrys to appear on Broadway.
At the center of Nomad Two Worlds is a stunning collection of James photographs of breathtaking landscapes and some of the worlds most beautiful and interesting people including Heidi Klum, Jackman and a bevy of Victorias Secret model friends like Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel and Miranda Kerr. The photographs, printed out on canvas, are then embellished with acrylic art reflecting traditional, cultural stories from the Indigenous artists point of view that further the narrative and the intent behind James photographs. Many of the stories told in the overlay art can be sung painting and singing are often the way culture, tradition and the story of family are handed down from generation to generation.
Q: Is the goal consistent with each new collaboration for Nomad Two Worlds?
A: The first journey is the one of understanding from a local perspective and what does culture mean to that region from as many authentic sources as possible. The second part is to take the completed photographs and create an art opening. Over the next weeks well lead educational initiatives about the different cultures were supporting. Well also collaborate with the music industry. For example in Somalia we partnered with Knaan, who is an amazing new emerging artist, and explored the world through his eyes and through the eyes of the local people he introduced to us.
Q: How do you feel about the controversy over your Donna Karan AD that was shot in Haiti?
A: Its always about context, a picture speaks a thousand words, and at the same time it doesnt. Donna Karan is probably the most passionate person about culture overall and has thrown her whole weight into supporting Haiti. When we did the Haiti production, she used all of her resources and did not want anything in return. It was in collaboration with the Haitian people. We wanted to use as much Haitian talent as we could which was discussed with the President of Haiti, the local artisans and the producers. The mission was very clear, not focusing on the devastation, but showing the beautiful artistic parts of the country and culture.
I believe the controversy was around, Adriana Lima wearing a beautiful dress with two Haitian men in the background. The men were a part of the production team and wanted to jump in the back of the shot. So I said how about it, at this point we were just a great team of people with one thing on our minds lets re-brand Haiti and show how cool it is. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, a picture tells a thousand words, in this case it didnt tell the whole story. Someone asked, should thousand dollar dresses be advertised in a place like Haiti? My answer is that were bringing business to Haiti, which aligns with our initiative, and this project is supported by the Haitian community. We hope to bring a lot of new photographic business to the country.
Q: So how did you get your first break?
A: There's an old saying: The harder I try, the luckier I get, so my first break in photography came in the mid-90s. I got a break from an amazing creative director with an agency called David Littman. They gave me the opportunity to meet people in New York and I ended up shooting two projects in the same week. I shot a story for W magazine and I also shot on the ultra-commercial side Sports Illustrated with Tyra Banks. The two projects led to series of fashion and commercial campaigns, which led to the partnership with Victorias Secret. Working with Victorias Secret has enabled me to pursue my passion with Nomad Two Worlds and with other fashion brands along the way from fragrances to cosmetics to pure fashion brands like the Donna Karan Company.
Q: So what would your advice be for young photographers just starting out?
A: First, Id recommend staying current. Digital has enabled you to explore your creativity with fewer expenses. Pay attention to details and to lighting. Use social media to promote yourself. The hardest thing in photography is to get exposure. Richard Avedon, who Ive had a great connection with, spent several days teaching me his approach to retouching and lighting in his lab. Seek out a mentor, theres plenty out there, utilize social media to connect. Dont think you have to pick your style of photography in the first five minutes. Let it play out for a couple of years until you find what it is youre passionate about, and then start to develop that portfolio.
Musée Magazine premieres with over 50 photographers more than 100 pages, and includes interviews with figures involved in the photography industry.
Blanch, who serves as the Magazine's founder and Editor-In-Chief, is a New York-based award-winning fashion, fine art and conceptual photographer. Referred to as "the woman who knows how to capture a woman," her work has been published in Details, G.Q., the French, English, American, German, Australian and Italian issues of Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Marie Claire and Rolling Stone. For more details visit Andrea's website at www.andreablanch.com
Blanch currently teaches at the International Center For Photography and is a member of APA.
NEW YORK noted fashion and art photographer Andrea Blanch is excited to announce the publication of the inaugural issue of Musée Magazine, a visually-driven photography magazine dedicated to displaying the work of international emerging photographers.
Musée Magazine, seeks to provide a venue for new photographers, with the necessary exposure to launch their future careers.
The online publication is going to be released 4 times a year. Available on the website.
Every Musée edition is going to have a different theme, with the purpose of providing an interactive and dymanic plattform as well as an inspirational guide for those who are looking for new talent.
Editorial Office
Editor in Chief / Andrea Blanch
Editorial Director / Ellen Schweber
Creative Director / Marsin Mogielski
Design Director / Alessandro Sisto
Production Manager / Lauren Wylie
Consultant / Beatrice Dupierre
Editor's Letter
M y entry in to the world of fashion photography was rarified and magical. And much of it started out of mere coincidence through house sitting for a friend at the right place and the right time. Although I was a painter, I had never picked up a camera before, and never had any aspirations to do so. But it just so happened this house I was in was being used by Richard Avedon for a photo shoot. As I watched him work I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From there I began as Avedons unpaid trainee, he then became my mentor after which; American Vogue became my first client.
While working at the studio one afternoon, a flash of inspiration came to mind to create a photographic magazine that provides exposure to emerging photographers from all over the world, who wouldnt necessarily have a platform to display their work, that is when Musée Magazine began. Every Musée issue will include interviews and profiles with guest photographers, artist, writers, collectors and gallerists. Guest curators will lend their expertise to selecting the photographs. There will be works of fiction inspired by the photographs in the issue, also created by emerging writers. Unlike our inaugural issue, in which the artists could submit work on any subject matter, our subsequent issues will be theme inspired. It is incredibly important for Musée to have broad appeal and community support.
In our premiere issue guest artists Anthony Goicolea and Sarah Greenberger Rafferty are featured along with their work. Diane Echer, an emerging writer inspired by Tucker Friends photograph wrote a work of fiction. And finally there is Dmytri Kippers interview of Ann Schaffer (art consultant, collector, curator and board member) which provides Anns advice and experiences as a collector.
I want to welcome Ellen Schweber as Musées Editorial Director. Her contribution and collaboration has been invaluable in making this issue as diverse and interesting as it is. Being an art consultant and collector Ellen's knowledge and scope of emerging art is comprehensive. Her unerring eye and intuition in spotting new talent is uncanny. We are lucky to have her!
I am pleased to introduce to you the first issue of Musée Magazine, and hope you enjoy the incredible work our artists have created. The magazine is released quarterly, and the ART OUT section is updated on a need to know basis, so keep checking in!
Andrea Blanch
Photographed by Marsin Digital
Began as a visually-driven online photography magazine, Musée is dedicated to displaying the work of international emerging photographers. Musée Magazine and Musée Online seeks to provide a venue and resource for new photographers, with the necessary exposure and guidance to launch their future careers. Musée is the brainchild of noted fashion and art photographer Andrea Blanch.
General:
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Submissions:
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My philosophy on collecting is multi-layered. One: I have an encyclopedic collection from the early 1980's to the present. Two: I buy the works of artists that are very special to me as far as embodying my philosophical, visual, and conceptual needs. Three: I buy something that has a unique vocabulary that if I saw it in someone elses house, I would recognize who did it based on something that is unusual in the photographic process or some use of colors on a palette or a way of readjusting the truth. Another way of saying this would be a unique vision.
Q: At what age did you get into photography? And who were some of the photographers you admired?
A: I first learned manual photography when I was about 6 or 7, at a day summer camp called Adventures in Learning at a local elementary school. We made pinhole cameras and learned how to operate 35 mm cameras and develop our own film and print black and white prints. It was kind of funny to spend those lovely summer days at that age in a basement darkroom. After that, when I was about 8, I got a beautiful Nikkormat camera and a few lenses from my parents. I sort of knew how to use it.
I don't remember knowing about photographers at that time, but when I was in high school, my favorites were Richard Avedon, Roy DeCarava, and, later, Nan Goldin. DeCaravas picture of a black man in a dark window from across the room it looks like a monochrome black picture-killed me.
Q: After getting a BFA in photography from the Rhode Island school of design, you then went on to earn an MFA in sculpture from Columbia. Would you recommend grad school to young artists and photographers? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages?
A: I think grad school is an individual choice. Certainly I don't think you need an advanced degree to be a good artist. Some of the advantages include the connections you make among peers and faculty, the investment in two or three years of intense focus on your work, and official credentials to teach college. The main disadvantage is the cost, but that's not the only negative. I think the whole model could be rethought and retooled while still being in dialogue with MFA programs of the past 40 years. Theres also a tendency to focus unfortunately on career over work among MFAs. And, especially, I think the division between media or discipline is increasingly becoming outmoded.
Q: Any other advice you can give to young artists and photographers?
A: If you have any integrity, don't lose it. You don't have to do anything but make your work.
Q: Why did you get a degree in sculpture?
A: Even though I was in the photography department at RISD, I always made objects and installations. I never really showed a straight photograph until my exhibition in late 2009. I continued doing sculpture, performance, installation, and ephemeral works when I first moved to New York. For grad school, I had only one requirement that I not have to leave New York. I didn't want a summer camp experience. I wanted to keep my job and apartment and life outside of grad school. Columbia was a good fit for me, and I applied under the rubric of Sculpture and New Genres, which made more sense for my work. I would have never gotten into a straight photo program with my work.
Q: The other photographer were featuring in this issue, Anthony Goicolea, also studied sculpture in addition to photography. Your work is of course very different, but how has sculpture benefited your approach to photography?
A: Actually, when I first saw Anthony's work, I was at a random Miami art fair (pre-Basel) in 1999. It was at the RARE gallery booth. I became quite obsessed with his work and got all of my classmates interested in him too. It was the early days of websites, and Anthony had a website. So even though he didn't have a catalogue or slides in the slide library, we could see his work. As a side-note: for most of my youth and education, we only had access to artist's work via catalogues in the library, major art magazines, and slides our teachers showed us. It's very different now. Anyhow, I emailed Anthony and we met somewhere close to the music venue Irving Plaza, near 14th Street. I think I was trying to convince him to hire me as an assistant after I graduated.
Back to your original question: I guess the best way to describe my relationship to both sculpture and photography is to say that when I see an image on a screen, I see the computer hardware, and the space where its installed, and how people interact with it as well.
Q: When you are at the early stages of a project, do you already know 100 percent how your photos will look like? Or does the creative process serve as kind of guide, letting you tweak your ideas along the way?
A: I rarely know what form my work will take. I often try things in different ways, as photos, sculptures, videos, prints, etc. I usually start with a few notions, like some source images, or a relationship, or a feeling, or in the case of my current show [at the Rachel Uffner Gallery] some literature and then the work comes out of a lot of trial and error and a lot of staring at the wall.
Q: Please discuss your creative process for making photos like Rodney, United Artist, and Stage (Gilda).
