Wednesday, April 24, 2013

James Delano : BLACK TSUNAMI : Generosity of Spirit

BLACK TSUNAMI
JAMES WHITLOW DELANO

Cherry blossoms have open on a tree that seems to rise right out of the rubble Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. copyright James Whitlow Delano




As some of you may know I am not always dark  hearted and brittle,over the years I have worked on a number of charity events with the help of many photographers who have one thing in common " a generosity of spirit" I have often wondered about this out pouring of giving and the closest I have come to understanding it ,is that idea of photography preserving our humanness. One of the charities I lend my support to is Friends Without a Border,which was found by Kenro Izu.In the last 4 years an artist has donated a portfolio of prints created especially for FWAB . James Whitlow Delano was our 2012 portfolio contributor.This is a small way for me to thank him by sharing his Kickstater project with you.
BLACK TSUNAMI :
Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a natural and man-made disaster hitting my adopted home of Japan.  By the time we arrived in the tsunami zone, there was snow falling and mud everywhere.   People shuffled almost as in a dream through twisted and tormented debris that suggested the forces at play.  By the time we reached the first evacuation center, taking off our shoes, soaked with frigid sea water, and entered a cold, dark gymnasium, chill had penetrated to the bone, but as much as we felt the cold, the young and old were hit far, far worse.  Survivors huddled around kerosene heaters.  After 20 years in Japan, I looked out at people who could have been my neighbors, friends or even members of my own family.  Never had a disaster been more raw, more real, more personal.
We seek your support to make a permanent record of this event, which changed Japan forever. 
A little help from lots of people can go a long way."Generosity of spirit ",I know it is a cliche ,but it is one I believe in.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2066133663/black-tsunami-japan-2011
www.jameswhitlowdelano.com
http://www.fotoevidence.com/

Saturday, April 20, 2013


Go + See
KEITH SMITH
April 18 - June 1 2013
Bruce Silverstein Gallery
535 West 24th Street
New York, New York



Untitled, c. 1973
Photograph with stitching and pencil drawing mounted to paper
In a Split Second, 1966    
Print emulsion with drawing mounted to paper

  Aatis Lillstrom, 1965    Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1965


1971 for Book 22, c. 1971 
Photo-collage with hand-stitching
After Thought of Book 3, Frontrunner of a page in Book 11, 1968    
Gelatin silver print

Aatis Lillstrom, 1965    
Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1965
About a year ago the Bruce Silverstein Gallery had a surprising and elegant exhibition of handcrafted books by the artist/photographer Keith Smith. A year later the gallery has installed a new exhibit of Mr Smith's photos and photo based creations, which are like his books a delight.

This is a large exhibition which gives the viewer an inside into the creative process. We gets a chance to see the artist return to ideas, themes and motifs that drives his art over time. There is innocence, mystery, magic, humor and well as mastery of craft.

I was thinking about other artists when walking away from this exhibit last evening and the name that came to my mind first was Joseph Cornell an artist that created an intense personal world that still intrigue. One day I would love to see these two artists together
in dialogue exhibition.

Go and see this show in fact make a couple of visits each visit will be rewarding.

All images are copyrighted and used with permission of the artist and Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Bruce Silverstein
535 West 24th Street
brucesilverstein.com/artist/294/keith
212-627-3930

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Raymond Adams AMERICA : WITNESSED

Go + See

Raymond Adams
AMERICA : WITNESSED
photographs by Raymond Adams
essay by Duane Michals

Patriot
New York, New York 12 September 2001 
One never knows what to expect from day to day, so today when I received a call from Ray Adams I was surprised that he found me talkative and revealing. Part of the conversation had to do with the idea of uncertainty. Part of the conversation was about his book America : Witnessed and the unending quest to identify and understand what American is. At one point it seemed so fixed. I feel it will always be more fluid now. That there will be more young people taking there cameras on a trip to answer that question on the great American road trip, It is part of our being to hit the road to see. Looking at a pdf of America :Witnessed, I found myself not wanting to reduce the 47 images down to 5 or 8 .

Is American the cities, the land or its' many people or is it just an illusive dream that inspires ? As I grow older I feel it may be just an illusive dream,that is why I chose this image Patriot ,you may read into this image whatever you want.

America : Witnessed also represents another aspect of the American idea it will be published with the help of many people through Kickstarter ,maybe you would like to participate too .I am adding a link at the end of this post, but before I do here are some of Ray's thoughts about this project

" What is the American Dream? Is it a big house, and a fast car? Is it a right to free speech? Or is it my right to defend myself? Am I constitutionally guaranteed access to a cheap gallon of gasoline? Or am I guaranteed clean drinking water?

These photographs are an effort at tying an anchor to my own notions of these ideas, as they are continually being dragged by the current of time. From what I can tell, I don’t think anything can definitively define the American Dream, and I believe that’s the reason it continues to breathe."

This is what I’ve seen. 

Raymond Adams 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1049083645/america-witnessed

www.raymondadams.net

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

If you are near Asheville North Carolina : Go + See Gerald Slota: Story, at the Castell Photography Gallery

Go+See

Gerald Slota : Story

A Retrospective Exhibition
April 12 - June 28 2013
Castell Photography Gallery
2C Wilson Alley
Asheville,North Carolina
FOUND Family With Still Life

TRUE Screaming Boy
TRUE Untitled Scout Leader
Home Sweet Home
FABLE : Hansel & Gretel.

When I first started to collect,to be honest I preferred formal images with a little
added little that distracted over the years I would like to feel I have grown.One of the artists who has expand my vision with his visceral photographs was Gerald Slota

Story represents a selection of photographs, most of them unique, from five different bodies of Slota’s work beginning in 1998. Gerald Slota, whose entire artistic oeuvre has focused on imagined secret histories and subliminal narratives, often begins work on a new photograph with a sketch in one of his many journals. Much of Slota's work, often torn and marked, is eerily nostalgic-- quirky strange narratives, seemingly referencing other people's dreams, nightmares, and memories. This exhibition explores both Slota's process and his artistic projects. Featured is a selection of photographs, many of them unique, from 5 different bodies of work as well as a selection of Slota's journals.

There will be a reception and book signing at Castell Photography Gallery on Friday April 12 starting at 06:00. his book, Story, was listed as one of The New York Times Magazine’s top photo books of 2012.

All images courtesy of Castell Photography and Gerald Slota

www.castellphotographygallery.com 
828-255-1188