Recently in B&W photography Category
Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard: How to Hunt
Thru Jan 12
Silverstein Photography
535 West 24th Street
(212) 627-3930
Michael Kenna: New York / New Work
Thru Jan 26
Robert Mann Gallery
210 11th Ave
(212) 989-2947
Christopher Rauschenberg: Daily Life
Thru Jan 19
Peer Gallery
West Chelsea Arts Building
526 West 26th Street
(212) 675-9082
Luis Gisbert: El Mundo Es Tuyo (The World Is Yours)
Jan 12 - Feb 16
Zach Feuer Gallery
530 W 24th St
(212) 989-7700
Tamir Sher: After Mars
Thru Jan 5
Point of View Gallery
638 West 28th Street
(212) 967-3936
O. Winston Link: Constructed Images
Thru Jan 12
Danziger Projects
521 West 26th Street
(212) 629-6778
Bart Michiels: The Course of History: The Mediterranean Theater
Jan 10 - Feb 16
Foley Gallery
547 W 27th St, 5th floor
(212) 244-9081
View Larger Map
Meat is Murder 2007, Hrad Kuzyk
Much has been made of the amateur documentation of the Iraq War by soldiers on the ground, particularly in contrast to the professional coverage. The photographic evidence from Abu Ghraib is the most significant, but in the long run, perhaps more important is the day to day vernacular record opportuned by the presence of digital point and shoot and camera phones in the war zone. "Junk Camera Soldier" represents an interesting counterpoint to this phenomenon. Captain Hrad Kuzyk has created an archive of black and white photography shot while on an Iraq tour of duty, using a variety of cheap toy cameras.
Hrad claims these are neither pro- or anti-war. It's hard to look at a photograph of a "Mistake" candy bar and believe there's no point of view behind it.
(via aphotoaday.org)
The photo book review blog 5B4 has posted a review of Bernd and Hilla Becher: Life and Work. If you are unfamiliar with the Bechers' work, this is a good place to start.
Their approach to photographing was to reduce every aspect of personal style in order to emphasize the impersonal aesthetics of the buildings.
I'm not sure I would go along with this description, perhaps I'm misunderstanding the wording. When I look at the various catalogs of forms that the Bechers' created, "impersonal aesthetics" seems counter to the evidence. Most of the structures they photographed had a strictly utilitarian purpose (grain silos, water towers, gravel plants lime kilns etc.) and while there is a consistent familiarity of form across the structures of any type there is also an amazing variation within any particular type.
Two weekends back, I was astonished to find a long and prominent article in the Wall Street Journal (page 1) about the history of a single photograph. The photo depicts the execution of Kurds by Islamic revolutionaries and the article traces the history of the photograph in an attempt to identify its photographer, hidden for years by a shroud of anonymity for fear of retribution by the Iranian government. After being unable to find the article for free online (or the images), Google has helpfully pointed me to other folks more 'Net savvy than me.
Firing Squad in Iran, 1979 by Jahangir Razmi
No real time to comment beyond a couple of thoughts. First, though the article indicates that the photo was reprinted far and wide and generated great international condemnation of the revolutionary government, the lack of real action and change further underlines the limits of photojournalism even as powerful as this. Second, the visceral reaction to this particular image and why it was picked from a couple rolls of film to represent this event seems to be its similarity to "great execution art" of the past, as illustrated below. The aesthetic elements of even repulsive imagery simultaneously attracts our attention while dulling our understanding that such a picture represents a true event.
The Third of May, 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid, Francisco de Goya
The Execution of Maximilian, Édouard Manet
