RAFAEL SOLDI

Art Dubai 2012

2012-02-13T10:06:00.001-08:00

Art Dubai

	Study for "Oil and Water," James Clar and UBIK, 2012, Courtesy of the artists and Art Dubai.

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	ART DUBAI PROJECTSOver 40 international and UAE-based artists included in a dynamic programme of new artists' and curator's residencies, commissioned performances, site-specific works and live radio broadcasts March 21–24, 2012 artdubai.ae/projects
	Art Dubai Projects is a programme of new works that explores the fabric and economy of an art fair, embracing the theatrical nature of such an event. In 2012, this critically-acclaimed, interactive programme at Art Dubai (21–24 March 2012) features dynamic new initiatives: artists' residencies and site-specific projects are joined by live, city-wide radio transmissions; a new Performance Night staged at the fair; plus a unique artist's project for children. Artists commissioned to produce new site-specific and performative works for Art Dubai Projects includeFayçal Baghriche, Yto Barrada, Carlos Celdran, James Clar, Koken Ergun, Rami Farook, Setu Legi,Magdi Mostafa, UBIK and Deniz Üster. In partnership with The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, The Curatorial Delegation—a collective consisting of writer and curator Juan A. Gaitán and Rabat's L'Appartement 22 founder Abdellah Karroum—presentsRadio for Example (R22-Dubai), a live transmission of mobile conversations with leading artistic practitioners, recorded on the move, around Dubai. These interviews will be streamed on Radio Appartement 22 and presented at Art Dubai and The Pavilion. In keeping with the spirit of collaboration, Art Dubai hosts its inaugural Performance Night on March 22, in partnership with not-for-profit artspace Traffic, Dubai. This special event features artists, poets, musicians, academics, curators, and collectors—most of whom are based in the UAE—including Hala Al Ali, Isak Berbic, Jennifer & Kevin McCoy, Anahita Razmi, Lantian Xie and WolfPakistan, a self-styled "native-born Emirati Indian Slash Mexican dance rap group." Art Dubai Projects also presents an ambitious series of commissioned interactive performances. In 2012, selected artists include Manila-based Carlos Celdran, who will perform seven acts in seven different parts of Art Dubai, offering commentary about issues surrounding geopolitics, arts and culture, and Koken Ergun, from Istanbul, whose new project involves surprise performances throughout the fair, employing musicality as a means of communication. Created by renowned Tangier-based artist Yto Barrada with designers Zid Zid Kids, Morocco to the Moon is an interactive, educational installation for families and children. Inspired by 1950s sci-fi, this trilingual space takes visitors on a whimsical trip to outer space and beyond. Other major, site-specific installations include Pseudophobia, an interactive fortress (or refuge)-like structure made from sandbags, textiles, pins and mirrors, by Jogjakarta-based artist Setu Legi. In 2012, Art Dubai, Delfina Foundation, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and Tashkeel launched a new, three-month residency programme, for six artists and a curator. As part of their residency, artists FayçalBaghriche (Paris), Magdi Mostafa (Cairo) and Deniz Üster (Istanbul, Glasgow) have been commissioned to make new site-specific works for Art Dubai Projects. Also part of its special commissions programme, Art Dubai Projects features Prototype for a Dubai Commune by Rami Farook and Oil and Water, a collaboration between artists James Clar and UBIK: both projects use architectural models of Dubai landmarks as a point of creative departure. Dubai-based UBIK will also present Portrait of an Artist through his Statements, an edible project that documents the precarious and symbolic relationship artists share with their bank balance on a daily basis. This year Art Dubai debuts The Hatch, an ordinary stairwell given new life as a screening room. This intimate, innovative space features video programmes curated by Bidoun, plus artists' talks and presentations. The sixth edition of Art Dubai takes place 21–24 March 2012 and features 75 galleries from 32 countries, plus a dynamic projects programme, the unveiling of works by Abraaj Capital Art Prize winners, and the critically acclaimed, six-day Global Art Forum. Art Dubai is held in partnership with Abraaj Capital and sponsored by Cartier. Madinat Jumeirah, on Dubai's beachfront, is home to the event. artdubai.ae via e-flux

San Francisco Bits

2012-02-07T03:34:00.000-08:00

On my last trip to San Francisco we went to a big flea market. Here are a few shots I just scanned.

All Images by Rafael Soldi

Meet Sara

2012-01-30T02:52:00.000-08:00

I've been on wild scanning rampage, going through a year's worth of negatives and trying to get everything scanned and in order, hence all these random images popping up on the blog. On my last post I introduced you to my best friend Daria; now here's Sara, also one of my closest friends in the world. Sara is kind, smart and the best listener I know. She is a curator living in London but this past December I got to spend just a couple hours in New York with her, and they were so worth it. I love you Sara, and miss you dearly. You are so beautiful!

Image by Rafael Soldi

Meet Daria

2012-01-27T23:29:00.000-08:00

This is my best friend in the whole wide world. Her name is Daria and I miss her so so much. She can make virtually any plant grow magically, makes killer baked goods and is a mighty talented painter.

In Progress

2012-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

This shoot didn't go very well, and I need to re-shoot the whole thing. But here's one that came out sort of okay, to give you an idea...

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Future Husband

2012-01-24T11:11:00.001-08:00

New Scans

2012-01-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Finally getting around to scanning these negatives, more to come soon. While I loved the way the digital images came out, the film definitely held up better if you ask me. This is a portrait of the lovely Adam Boehmer.

2012 is the year

2012-01-05T09:15:00.000-08:00

We're only 5 days into the year but already things are looking up.

My brother Gabriel is now engaged to his wonderful girlfriend of 4+ years, Giovanna, and I'm thrilled to welcome her into our family.

The state of Washington is introducing a marriage equality bill and our governor made a great speech about it that is amongst the most moving and effective I've ever heard:

On a more personal note, I've started running again and I feel much better. There are exciting prospects in the horizon and I cannot wait for 2012 to unfold.

Happy new year!!

New Year's Brunch

2012-01-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 everyone!

I started off my first day of the year with brunch at home with two of my favorite people. Every day should start with brunch. It was cozy and unusually warm outside; we drank mimosas, ate breakfast casserole and yummy salad. I hope you all had a wonderful new years.

2011-12-24T22:11:00.001-08:00

Inspiration Overload // Part I

2011-12-24T01:11:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days something amazing has happened, I've had TIME. I've had time to focus on doing a whole lot of mindless internet surfing, going to museums, reading articles and getting lost in beautiful images and writing. Over the next few days I'm going to try to share some of those things, ing hopes that you can too be inspired. I will start my museum visits, and then share some articles, blogs, interviews, videos, books and images. Okay, where to begin...

GERTRUDE STEIN AT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Yesterday I visited the National Portrait Gallery where I saw a Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories. The show presented an unconventional portrait of Stein's life through five different stories: Picturing Gertrude, Domestic Stein, Art of Friendship, Celebrity Stein and Legacies. The first is a great chronology of her life told through photographs of her alongside her famous "Rose is a rose is a rose." Perhaps my favorite part of the exhibition, "Domestic Stein" shares an intimate look at Stein's domestic life and relationship with her life-partner Alice B. Toklas. By bringing more attention to Stein's relationship the curators were able banish much of the myth surrounding Stein's independent, fragmented genius and bring a pleasant awareness to Toklas' role. Stein and Toklas are perhaps one of the most publicly documented gay couple of the twentieth century, and I appreciate the queer undertone the whole exhibition takes on, given that it was an immense part of Stein's life. In 1934 she wrote to a friend, "We are surrounded by homosexuals, they do all the good things in all the arts."

Alice B. Toklas, left, and Gertrude Stein, shot in 1926 by Man Ray in their Paris home.

It takes guts and a lot of character to achieve what Stein did in her era; attending the best universities in the country, relocating to Paris, engaging on a public life-partnership with another woman, befriending the most important artists of the 20th century and eventually becoming one herself. Stein has been known for embracing and encouraging, early on, Picasso's brisk flux from figurative representation to cubism. Which makes a great deal of sense given a lot of Stein's writing is cubist in and of itself. I was not terribly familiar with her writing prior to this exhibition, but listening to her recite her "If I Had Told Him a Completed Portrait of Picasso" is like watching one of his cubist paintings come alive before your eyes.

Gertrude Stein by Picasso

Other sections of the exhibition continue to relate the story of Stein as a taste maker, champion of Parisian Avant Garder, celebrity American writer and source of inspiration and creative legacy. I have known about Gertrude Stein from art history classes, museum visits and my own personal interest in early 20th century French painting, but there was so much that I did not know and this exhibition was a wonderful, wonderful surprise. I will now have to order a few of her books from the library.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Harry Callahan

The National Gallery of Art was the first large museum I ever visited, and it was great to be back. This time around I was tight with time and I went specifically to see Harry Callahan at 100, Harry Callahan remains to this day my favorite photographer of all times. It is quite possible that there are other artists out there whose works excite me more, but Callahan made me an artist. I first discovered his work in a book in my high school's library and it immediately took my breath away. I remember thinking, "this is what I want to do with my life," and continued to write about him in my creative writing class in high school. I then applied to college, studied photography and wrote my History of Photography final essay on Harry Callahan and his disparate obsession with both Ansel Adams and László Moholy-Nagy (I know right? weird). So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to see the work. It was a perfectly curated survey spaning his early years, Chicago, Eleanor, environmental abstractions and then his later years in color at RISD (which I actually quite dislike).

Eleanor, Harry Callahan

Callahan sees with brilliant precision, he places every element in strenuous conversation, edges meet taut and lines run ever so explicit only to be disturbed by the organic of Eleanor. Evident of his paradoxical love for Ansel Adams and Moholy-Nagy, Callahan mastered both the frigid urban landscape and the tender family portrait; it is when these met that I think he made his best work. I did mention above my dislike for his color work; I am a big fan of color photography, in fact, I shoot exclusively in color film myself. But when I see Callahan's color work I sense that it has been seen in black and white. Many of his color images contain tiny figures passing through a ray of light blazing across the asphalt, as many of his black and white images did, and in color they just don't hold up to the dramatic quality of the black and white (example below).

Eleanor and Barbara, Harry Callahan

On my way to the Callahan show I had to walk through an exhibition of the Chester Dale collection. I was not aware of this collection prior to this visit but I was blown away by it. Dale collected primarily late 19th century and early 20th century art, my favorite period in art history. This is amongst the most impressive and beautiful collections of art I have ever seen; Dale was challenged the Cone sisters in Baltimore whose amazing collection now lives at the BMA. Advised by Gertrude Stein the Cone sisters were pioneer collectors of 20th century French painting as well; they met in Baltimore when Stein was studying at Johns Hopkins.

Chester Dale collection on display at the National Gallery

The work shown ranged from impressionism to modernism with a focus on Matisse, Picasso, Corot, Modigliani, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Cassatt, Cézanne, Degas, Manet and van Gogh among others. I was in heaven.

Here's a little video about the Dale's.

I 'm going to share a few of my favorite pieces, but first I have to say that the following two Vincent van Gogh paintings almost brought me to tears. I have never been a big fan of van Gogh but for some reasons these two portraits really touched me and I couldn't get my eyes off of them, I went back twice to each.

Vincent van Gogh

Picasso

Matisse

Picasso

Degas

Renoir

ICI Strikes Again

2011-12-21T07:28:00.000-08:00

Independent Curators International (ICI) / Instituto Inhotim

	Aerial view of Instituto Inhotim.

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	Independent Curators International and Instituto Inhotim announce Curatorial Intensive in Brazil Program Dates: April 22–29, 2012 Application Deadline: February 15, 2012 curatorsintl.org
	Independent Curators International (ICI), New York, and Instituto Inhotim, Minas Gerais, Brazil, are now accepting applications from curators working internationally to participate in a short-course training program. Organized from April 22–29, 2012, the Curatorial Intensive will employ Instituto Inhotim as a case study to explore how curatorial practices negotiate issues of commissioning and adaptation of site-specific works; interpretation and recreation of lost and unrealized projects; and concepts of the expanded museum and exhibition, such as curating through collection building; the spatial expansion of the institution; and new forms of outreach and audience development. The 7-day program will focus on case studies with artists who have produced works at Inhotim, as well as public panel discussions and closed-door seminars relating to context-specificity. Faculty includes Kate Fowle (Director, ICI); James Lingwood (Co-Director, Artangel), Rodrigo Moura (Curator, Inhotim); independent curators Victoria Noorthoorn and Adriano Pedrosa, Allan Schwartzman (Chief Curator, Inhotim), and Jochen Volz (Artistic Director, Inhotim). The Curatorial Intensive at Inhotim is organized in affiliation with a post-graduate seminar at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Application Guidelines: 10–14 applicants working internationally will be selected to participate in the Curatorial Intensive. Individuals must apply with a description of a curatorial project that he or she would like to develop through the program, a resume, a description of a recent exhibition that has made an impact on the applicant, and a cover letter. Applicants must demonstrate at least five years of curatorial experience for consideration into the program. Fees and Scholarships: The program fee is 2,000 USD. Participants are responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. Scholarship packages, awarded based on merit, will subsidize or eliminate the program fees and travel expenses of several participants. For more information and to request application materials, visit ICI's website or contact Chelsea Haines atchelsea@curatorsintl.org or 1-212-254-8200 x126. About the Curatorial IntensiveThe Curatorial Intensive is ICI's short-term training program that offers curators the chance to develop curatorial ideas and make connections to professionals in the field. The program takes place twice annually in New York, and in other locations in conjunction with institutional partners worldwide. The Curatorial Intensive is made possible, in part, by grants from Affirmation Arts, the Dedalus Foundation, the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation; and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, James Cohan, and the supporters of ICI's Access Fund. About Independent Curators InternationalIndependent Curators International (ICI) connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions to forge international networks and generate new forms of collaboration through the production of exhibitions, events, publications, and curatorial training. Headquartered in New York, the organization provides public access to the people and practices that are key to current developments in curating and exhibition-making around the world, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. Since it was established in 1975, ICI has worked with over 1,000 curators and 3,700 artists from 47 countries worldwide. www.curatorsintl.org Twitter Facebook About Instituto InhotimInstituto Inhotim is a unique site, located in the city of Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Inhotim offers a broad ensemble of art works, displayed outdoors as well as in both temporary and permanent galleries, all located inside a Botanical Garden of extraordinary beauty. Decreed a Civil Society Organization of Public Interest, Inhotim offers, in addition to these areas of artistic and cultural enjoyment, environmental research work, educational actions and an important program of social inclusion and citizenship for the local population. The art collection comprises over 500 works by artists of national and international renown, such as Adriana Varejão, Helio Oiticica, Cildo Meireles, Chris Burden, Matthew Barney, Doug Aitken, and Janet Cardiff, among others. www.inhotim.org.br Twitter Facebook

My work on Feature Shoot

2011-12-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

I am very happy to have my work featured on Feature Shoot. Thank you Gabriela Herman for sharing my work, make sure to visit her website- she's a very talented lady herself!!

Shoot with Adam

2011-12-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

All images by Rafael Soldi

This past weekend I got to shoot my friend Adam Boehmer, he is a very talented writer/musician/dancer/artist who also happens to have an epic beard and a handsome face.

You can follow him here and listen to his music here and here.

This shoot was interesting in that it was a little bit different for me, this was the first time Adam and I had ever spent any time together alone, so we got to know each as the shoot progressed. Adam is gentle and insightful, he has a memorable sense of style and flair to match. We talked about relationships, heartbreak and other life things. I asked him to play some of his music for me, I feel like I got to know him more in those few minutes than I did in the two hours we spent together.

As usual I shot with my 6x7 medium format camera, but this time I brought my digital camera as well. I recently bought my first ever "serious" DSLR so I'm slowly starting to get used to making "serious" work with it. Earlier today I found myself cropping my digital photos on photoshop because their longer 35mm format irked me... it was a bit funny. So here I'm sharing some of those digital images; I will be picking up my film tomorrow and when I scan those I will share them. This will be the first time that I have done the same shoot with two cameras so I am curious to see if the images are different, and if so, how so.

There is nothing I love more than a collaboration, so when Adam also asked if I could help him execute and idea for a shoot he had in mind I immediately jumped in. I will let him share those images, but I will mention that they involved putting lots of jingle bells in his mouth (I've included one here).

It's time.

2011-11-26T14:52:00.001-08:00

THANK YOU

2011-11-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

I've tried to make it a tradition every year since I started this blog 4 years ago to take a moment to say thanks around this time. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in the whole year because it is universal and it comes with no expectations. No presents. And what is better than sharing a meal and being thankful for what you have? No religion necessary for that.

This year has been great and I am grateful to have been able to overcome some of the issues that made the last two years so difficult. This time around I'm just going to mention very few things but share lots of pictures instead because it has been a great year. So here we go, I am grateful for.....

My Family. This will always come first, and I am grateful to have them all with me, healthy and supportive as always.

My Friends. It doesn't matter where you live, so long as you are surrounded by people you love, who love you back. I am thankful for those who have made this transition to Seattle so enjoyable.

My Job. I am so lucky to have the coolest job in the world. I love what I do and I work with the most wonderful people I have ever met. Very few people get to say that.

ADELE. She pretty much single handedly got me through this year.

My favorite song is actually One And Only, but there are no good live recordings of it out there.

Seattle. Thanks for taking me in when I most needed it.

I can't wait for this

2011-11-18T21:28:00.001-08:00

On November 29, Adele will release "Live at the Royal Albert Hall," a concert film and live album recorded at the historic London venue earlier this year. The film features the entire 90-minute concert performance alongside behind-the-scenes footage filmed throughout the day of the concert.

I'll take what I can get

2011-11-15T01:30:00.000-08:00

We have now officially entered our dark days here in Seattle. Grey, rainy and cold is the menu for the next months to come. I kind of like it because it means I get to curl up inside in the warmth, but as soon as the sun comes out I'm reminded of what I'm missing.

My apartment gets fantastic evening light when the sun sets over the Puget Sound, I have big West facing windows. Today we had an unusually cold and dark day, until around 5pm when a burst of sun came out and lit my whole living room for 5 minutes, at which point it hid again. 10 minutes later it was night time.

Another one from San Francisco

2011-11-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Rafael Soldi - San Francisco From Twin Peaks, 2011

Still here

2011-11-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

As usual, sorry for the long absence... been extremely busy. Since I last wrote lots of good things have happened.

I am in a portraiture exhibition in Lima, Peru at Galeria Vertice. The show is titled Sujeto/Predicado and it has received great reviews on the local media in El Comercio (below) and Caretas.

I photographed Luke & Jessica Williams' wedding. Luke and Jessica are classmates of mine from MICA and I was thrilled to get to do this for them. Below are a few images from the wedding, which took place in Maryland.

Rafael Soldi

I've been trying to spend lots of time scanning and catching up with the hundreds of frames I've taken over the past year. Here is a shot from a recent trip to Mexico this summer, from my Micaela Maria project.

Rafael Soldi - Untitled (Micaela Maria), Mexico, 2011

I just got back from an amazing trip to San Francisco where I got to see art, hang out with friends, meet new people, relax, and take some pictures. I visited the SFMoMA and saw an amazing exhibition of Francesca Woodman's work, one of my favorite artists. I also visited Pier 24, which is by far one of my new favorite places. It is a 30,000 square foot warehouse that houses and exhibits photography from The Pilara Foundation Collection. Their current show, titled Here, contains 34 artists and 700 photographs about the Bay Area. If you are ever in San Francisco do not leave without making an appointment and visiting this space.

Rafael Soldi - Twin Peaks, San Francisco, CA, 2011

My Work on Soft Spot

2011-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to be included in the latest exhibition over at Soft Spot: The Boa Constrictor and The Golden Retriever: Extremes in Tonality. You can see my image here.

See the press release below:

The Boa Constrictor and the Golden Retriever: Extremes in Tonality at Soft-Spot.net

Still Life Project, 2010. Leigh Merrill.
Clean (Colder Version), 2010. Jeffrey Courtland Jones.

SoftSpot is pleased to present its latest show, The Boa Constrictor and the Golden Retriever: Extremes in Tonality.

Just after we started SoftSpot, Ryan got an email from Kim that read like this:

“...Last night Nick (Kim’s husband) was telling me how excited he is that you and I are collaborating together. He said he always kind of thought we had the same energy, and that if he had to pick one of our friends for me to collaborate with, it would be you. I was like, "Oh, that's cool... can you elaborate on our 'similar energy'?" and he was like "yeah... you know... you guys just put out the same kinda vibe I guess. Like, obviously Ryan is like a chilled out dog, like a golden retriever. And you, you know, you're like a chilled out boa constrictor, so..."

This idea of the chilled out golden retriever and the chilled out boa constrictor stuck in our minds. One thing that is important to us in navigating our way through this SoftSpot project is exploring relationships, connections and dichotomies. In the exhibition The Boa Constrictor and the Golden Retriever: Extremes in Tonality we explore this idea of similarities and differences in energy.

For this exhibition we chose work that lives on opposite ends of the tonal spectrum. The loud and the subdued, the emotional and the logical, the hot and the cold. In bouncing back and forth between these extremes, the individual works, pairings and group of images as a whole create a dynamic experience for the viewer... much like occupying the same space as two animals, a boa constrictor and a golden retriever.

Participating Artists:
Jeffrey Courtland Jones                               Leigh Merrill
Emily Hunt                                                    Alfred Steiner
Meagan Hill-Carroll                                      Eileen Cubbage
Hanna Hur                                                   Rafael Soldi
Tom Burtonwood                                         Johan Rosenmunthe
Troy Hagenbart                                           Adam Beris

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Copyright © 2011 SoftSpot Online Gallery, All rights reserved.

Moving forward

2011-09-07T01:57:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip through the East Coast and 7 days in Mexico. I also just installed my new 27" iMac at home and hooked up my scanner, and loaded Adobe Creative Suite CS5. I finally have a propper working space. I will be scanning lots and lots of images in the coming weeks and keep you all updated.

Here's just a sweet still life from a few weeks ago.

Image by Rafael Soldi

Close your eyes and listen

2011-08-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while life gets really hard and I just close my eyes and listen to this...

Al, 2008

2011-08-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

old portrait...

Al, 2008

So honored to be a part of this

2011-07-15T10:28:00.001-07:00

Caitlin Teal Price, Leslie, 2010

About Face
July 22 - September 10, 2011

Opening Reception:
Friday, July 22, 2011, 6 - 8 pm

Please join us the evening of Friday, July 22nd, from 6 to 8 pm, for the opening reception of About Face. Click here to RSVP

Steven Alvarez	Jen Davis	Serge J-F. Levy	Nadine Rovner
Tina Barney	Martine Fougeron	Andrea Modica	Manjari Sharma
Rita Bernstein	David Graham	Caitlin Teal Price	Rafael Soldi
Donald E. Camp	Yuchi Hibi	Richard Renaldi	Phillip Toledano
Paul Cava	Henry Horenstein	Liz Rideal	Neil Winokur
Kelli Connell	George Krause	Jason Robinette	Davin Youngs
Edward Dimsdale

With About Face, Gallery 339 is pleased to present an exhibition that concentrates on recent portraiture concerned with the face. There are few things more varied and interesting than the face. It embodies our individuality and projects it to the world in a way that nothing else does. Yet at the same time, there are few things more ubiquitous than a face. We are confronted with other faces (and occasionally our own) on such a routine basis that we stop examining them with any great amount of care. Like buildings in a city, only the most striking ones stand out, and the rest blend together as part of the context of daily life. Partly for this reason, there is something that is particularly challenging and fascinating about portraiture that takes the face as its subject. The artist must work with a constrained but complex formula of physical features and expression to unlock something that surmounts the ordinary and connects the viewer to the subject. With this exhibition, we have brought together a broad selection of photographs by numerous artists. While diverse in style, scale, and process, all the images take the face as a primary subject and return to it its deserved mystery, subtlety and individuality.

T 215.731.1530 | F 215.735.2839
info@gallery339.com

339 South 21st Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
http://www.gallery339.com

Directions and Parking:
Gallery 339 is located on the NE corner of 21st & Pine Streets - View Map
Five Star Parking Garage is located between 20th and 21st Streets on Lombard Street - View Website

New Work

2011-07-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a new image from my Sentiment project.

Rafael Soldi
Will You Miss Me Once I'm Gone?

Long Shot Portfolio

2011-07-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I participated in Long Shot 2011, a 24-hr photo marathon to benefit the Photo Center NW. On June 17th through the 18th I set out with my camera and a few rolls of film to document 24 hours in my life. I photographed my friends and other things in places around me. I have created a portfolio of 24 images from these 24 hours. I have been asking people to sponsor my participation in this marathon and support the education and outreach programs at the Photo Center NW. I have raised a little over $900 so far, you can still support me up until July 23rd! If you'd like to make a donation, simply click here.

Click here to check out the Long Shot 2011 portfolio.

Rafael Soldi
Taylor // June 18th, 2011 // 4:43 PM

More from Long Shot

2011-07-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here's another shot from the Long Shot 24-hr marathon...

by Rafael Soldi

Long Shot 2011 UPDATE

2011-07-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All-
I'm sorry I've been gone for a while, life has been very very busy lately. As many of you of know I participated in Long Shot, the Photo Center NW's 24-hr photo marathon in benefit of its education and outreach programs. The Long Shot exhibition is on July 23rd so the fundraising is still happening but we're very excited to have raised roughly $21,000+. I personally have raised a little under $1,000, so THANK YOU to those who sponsored me. And for those who still wish to send in a donation, there is still time (until July 23)! I shot roughly 120 pictures during that weekend so I'm working hard to get them scanned as fast as I can. In the meantime, here's one silly portrait I made in the office...

Juan, 2011 by Rafael Soldi

LONG SHOT 2011- Sponsor me!

2011-06-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know I'm participating in Long Shot 2011, a 24-hour photo marathon to raise funds for the Photo Center NW's education and outreach programs. I am extremely passionate about this cause and am writing to ask for your support in the form of sponsorship and small donations. Donations under my name are very easy to make through this online form. Any small amount helps but I'm asking that you pledge $1 for every hour I shoot, $24 total. Allow me to tell you a little more about what you are supporting and some of the rewards I will be offering in return for your sponsorship. MY GOAL IS TO RAISE AT LEAST $1,000 (raised so far: $700).

If you would like to participate in Long Shot too, click here.

SPONSOR ME HERE

WHAT DOES IT SUPPORT?

On June 17th I will be photographing for 24 hours. This marathon supports the education and outreach programs the Photo Center NW does with the local community and at-risk youth. For the past 25 years the Center has been using photography to address issues that affect the community around us, working with refugee youth in Seattle, homeless teens, offering scholarships to low-income students and artist resources to emerging photographers. 100% of your donation will support these programs. No donation is too small, please consider giving whatever you feel comfortable with.

WHAT WILL YOU GET?

$10 - A personalized thank you card and a 5x7 postcard. + lotsa love.

$24 - Above + limited edition 5x7 photograph + lotsa love.

$50 - 8x10" limited edition print (edition of 10) taken during the marathon + personalized thank you + lotsa love.

$100 - 11 x 14" limited edition print (edition of 10) taken during the marathon + personalized thank you note + lotsa love.

$250 - 16x20" limited edition print, your pick from my website + lotsa love.

$500 - 20 x 24" limited edition print, your pick from my website + lotsa love.

MORE - lets talk.

SPONSOR ME HERE

Thank you SO VERY MUCH in advance for your support!

My Best,

Rafael

NEW WORK

2011-06-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

She Always Knew

Next week marks 1 year in Seattle for me, I will post something then I'm sure, since much has changed in my life in this past year. Of one thing I am sure though, I came here to heal and I certainly feel much happier than I did one year ago. If anything, I feel like I've been slowly putting lids onto overflowing parts of myself. 2010 was a pretty awful year, especially for my work. I think those rough patches are important when making work, but they're certainly no fun while you're riding them. I felt quite lost and it helped to make work, but I didn't know what it meant or how it all fit together, which frustrated me deeply. But now I see the beauty of it; I made pictures at my worse time, and now thatI have clarity and peace I am able to interpret them, decode them, organize them, edit and present them. Now it all makes sense.

I Don't Want To Be Alone Anymore

This year will be very important as I intend to wrap up some projects, which also means getting ready to exhibit them as a body of work for the first time. My project Sentiment, which I have been working on quite intensely for several years now finally feels like it's getting to a place where it makes sense. I have a few more pictures to make but now that my mind is clear I have been going beyond picture-making and looking at things, objects, that informed this emotional journey... I call them evidence. I found journals, postcards and other things that creeped up when I least expected as a reminder that some ghosts never leave, even if you think you've gotten rid of them. I am embracing this evidence and trying to bring it into the work, hoping it will inform some of the existing images. Some objects will exist as objects and some will be scans/prints of them.

Pain Vs. Shame

THANK YOU

2011-05-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for coming to my opening, it was a huge success!

ONE NIGHT ONLY: New Work Preview

2011-05-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

WILL YOU BE THERE?

A Step Towards Something I have Yet To Figure Out, 2011

ONE NIGHT ONLY: PREVIEW OF NEW WORK | PHOTO CENTER NW, SEATTLE

I am pleased to announce a ONE NIGHT preview event featuring my new work alongside my colleague Virginia Wilcox. I will be showing new photographs and self-portraits from my Sentiment project, which present a personal narrative chronicling a struggle to reconstruct a life without the one thing I thought defined me. Virginia’s new work explores the impact of technology and social media in today’s society, often showing her subjects in trance, disconnected and absorbed by their mobile devices. Thursday, May 26, 6:00-9:00 pm at the Photo Center NW.

I'm Here And You're There, 2011

LIMITED EDITION: RAFAEL SOLDI & VIRGINIA WILCOX

As part of our preview event, Virginia Wilcox and I are launching a limited edition print set. Each set includes two photographs, one by each artist, beautifully printed and packaged and calling your name! The prints are 11x14in Archival Pigment Ink Prints in a limited edition of 25. The sales of all prints directly support our practice. PRICE: $125.00. To see the images click here.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

IDENTITIES NOW

2011-05-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that my work will be published in Identities Now : Contemporary Portrait Photography. Identities Now is a book that explores the current state of the photographic portrait around the globe, published by Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art.

Selection Committee:

David Harris, Design Director, Vanity Fair Magazine
David Harris has been Design Director of Vanity Fair magazine since 1995. During this time he has had the privilege of working with many of the leading photographers of the past two decades, including Harry Benson, Brigitte Lacombe, Annie Leibovitz, James Nachtwey, Helmut Newton, Nick Knight, Mary Ellen Mark, Steven Meisel, Herb Ritts, Snowdon, Bruce Weber, and many others. Prior to Vanity Fair Harris was Art Director of D magazine in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and his work has been recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors, the Society of Publication Design, the Society of Illustrators, American Photography, American Illustration, Print Magazine and Graphis.

Laurie Kratochvil, Photography Editor/Director
Laurie Kratochvil is a legendary photo editor. She began her career at the LA Times and went on to join Rolling Stone in 1982. In 1994, Kratochvil became the founding photo editor for In Style Magazine and worked there until 2005, before starting her own visual consulting business, working with magazines such as Self, Men’s Health and Essence. Her book projects include Africa by Herb Ritts, and Cyclops by Albert Watson, as well as Watson's two-volume book on Las Vegas to be published this fall. Kratochvil is a board member of The Society of Publication Design, a jury member of World Press, and on faculty at The International Center for Photography.

Sam Shahid, President and Creative Director, Shahid & Company
Sam Shahid worked with Calvin Klein in the 1980's, and since he has been constructing images for top fashion designers in the world. In 1993 he founded Shahid & Company, his own creative design firm and advertising agency. He has helped reform the images of national retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Banana Republic, while creating original and starkly contrasting images for designers ranging from Versace to Valentino, Gucci to Perry Ellis. He has also designed numerous fine art and photography books for the likes of Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Kelly Klein, Ellen Von Un Werth, and many others.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Photographer/Director
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ portraits are in the collections of numerous museums. In 2004, seven hundred of his art world portraits were accepted into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He is a contributing photographer at Vanity Fair, and has published several books, including: The Black List (2008), Movie Stars (2007), and Face to Face (2006). He also produces and directs films: Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart premiered at Sundance and won a Grammy, Thinking XXX aired on HBO in 2004, and The Black List: Volumes 1-3, which also aired on HBO.

David Schonauer, former Editor in Chief, American Photo Magazine
David Schonauer was editor-in-chief of American Photo Magazine for twenty years. He has worked with and published many of the world's most famous photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, James Nachtwey, Annie Leibovitz, Mary Ellen Mark, Herb Ritts, Ansel Adams, and Harry Benson. David has written for publications as diverse as Atlantic Monthly, Outside, Worth, and The New York Times. He is currently working on a book project about the history of sports photography and writes a weekly blog called "I Like to Watch".

Peter Hay Halpert, Principal, Peter Hay Halpert Fine Art
Peter Hay Halpert is an art dealer, professor, author, lecturer, curator and collector. He has authored numerous books, including several monographs on Hiroshi Sugimoto, as well as over 600 articles on photography. He has been a Contributing Editor of The Art Newspaper, Photograph Magazine and American Photo. Peter has taught at colleges and universities throughout the world. He served on the Guggenheim Museum Photography Committee when it was first started, and work from his collection has been exhibited at numerous institutions in the U.S.

NEW WORK - Sneak Peak

2011-05-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just got some film back and I'm working through it but here a super secret sneak peak at an image I'm working on. It's part of my Sentiment project. PS- this is a scan from the contact sheet so pardon the horrible quality.

Rafael Soldi
"A Step Towards Something I Have Yet To Figure Out"

Double Consciousness at C Street Gallery

2011-05-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Double Consciousness

curated by Michelle Gomez and Elle Perez

Opening Reception, May 5, 2011, 6 – 8 pm

Julie in Bathing Suit, artist: Pao Houa Her

C Street Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of it’s fourth exhibition, Double Consciousness, opening on Thursday, May 5th, 2011. The exhibition explores issues of cultural identity and features works by emerging artists Roman Arevalo, Melis Bürsin, Morel Doucet, Adam Golfer, Pao Houa Her, Paolo Morales, Mario Mutis, Ruth Pettus, Nora America Pinell-Hernandez, and Manjari Sharma. The exhibition was co-curated by Michelle Gomez and Elle Perez.

The artists presented in Double Consciousness use a wide variety of mediums including photography, painting, sculpture and video in order to explore their own personal experiences of transnational identity, cultural assimilation, and ideas of “home.” Each of the artists is influenced by their own personal history; these range from recently immigrating to the United States to being a second generation American. Through direct or suggested use of the human figure in relation to various environments, narratives of vulnerability and strength emerge. While the work often speaks of isolation or alienation, an underlying desire to connect connect the work. The resulting artworks are explorations of the self, inspired by past family history and present experiences.

The exhibition will be on view from May 5 through June, 18, 2011. The opening reception will be from 6 pm-8 pm and is open to the public. Public programming for the exhibit will include community workshops for children as well as a panel discussion with the artists and curators, and information about these events will be available on the C Street Gallery Website.

UPDATES

2011-05-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have a few updates:

1. Please make sure to stop by Nate Abramowski's blog, where he has featured a Q&A with me about my work. Thank you, Nate, for your wonderful questions and bringing exposure to my work.

CHECK IT OUT HERE.

2. If you are in Seattle, I will be hosting a preview of my work alongside my good friend and fellow artist Virginia Wilcox at the Photo Center NW, on May 26th. More details to come.

Mark Morrisroe at ClampArt: ONE WEEK LEFT

2011-04-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Mark Morrisroe, "Self Portrait (Photo Booth Strip)," c. 1986, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Every once in a while there is one show in NYC that I would seriously consider buying a plane ticket to go see. The current exhibition of Mark Morrisroe's work at ClampArt is certainly one of them. The show closes this weekend so I strongly suggest seeing it before it closes.

Mark Morrisroe lived a short life, born in 1959 in Massachusetts and died of AIDS in 1989. In those 30 years he blossomed into a prolific artist driven by an insatiable lust for fame and a magnificent body of work that mused on his disturbing childhood and the life he later made for himself. At age 15 Morrisroe left home and began working as a teenage prostitute to support himself; he put himself through the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he befriended young artists such as Nan Goldin, Jack Pierson (who became his lover), David Armstrong and Phillip Lorca Di-Corcia, all of whom are now known as The Boston School. Morrisroe was a pioneer of the punk scene in Boston in the 70’s and from early on developed zines and manipulated his prints in ways that remain unique today. His photographs are inhabited by junkies and gender-bending youth, artists and punks living on the edge.

Mark Morrisroe, "Self Portrait," 1980/1996, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

When I started interning at ClampArt in 2007 we were preparing for Morrisroe's first solo show at the gallery. At the time I had never heard of him, but I was given a box of his prints and was asked to document them. I spent a great deal of time looking through each delicate print and found myself lost in them. Each told a story, not just through the narrative nature of the subject, but also through the physical and aesthetic qualities of their surface. These pictures had been places; they had been printed, re-printed, torn, toned, spotted, re-photographed and printed once more. The margins showed traces of his own writing: notes, titles and inscriptions, some in pen and some with a sloppy spot toning brush. I flipped through them as I tried to figure out what was it about them that I found so fascinating and overwhelming. He was so present.

Morrisroe’s mark is on every image and his vision is unique. In the midst of a raw portrayal of sex, drugs, illness and death there is a tender honesty that emerges inconspicuously. His images are a portrait of a broken man; a closer look reveals intimacy and moments of silence in what seems like a restless life. At times it is the coarseness of a subject that keeps you from seeing the beautiful pictorial quality of the work. Morrisroe found it important to photograph the naked teenage prostitute or the troubled junkie, to share life on the edge, but somewhere along the line he deliberately chooses to manipulate these gritty images into ones with muted tones and painterly nuances. This is where Mark Morrisroe shines, glimpses of tenderness reveal themselves in his aesthetic choices, dream-like images emerge in the midst of darkness and life unhinged. That’s what keeps me coming back.

Mark Morrisroe, "Self Portrait (To Brent)," 1982, Collection Brent Sikkema

There are only 5 days left to see this show so make sure to stop by ClamArt and see this show. This exhibition is scheduled to coincide wit the comprehensive exhibition at Artist Space in NYC, which draws from work in the estate (Collection Ringier). Morrisroe is also currently featured on Art in America (there is a great slide show of work there too).

Mark Morrisroe, "Eggs," c. 1986, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Mark Morrisroe, "Untitled (Stephen and Jonathan)," 1979/1996, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Mark Morrisroe, "Jonathan (Jack Pierson)," 1982, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Mark Morrisroe, "Lisa" 1982, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Mark Morrisroe, "Paul Fitzgerald (Back)," 1982, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Mark Morrisroe, "Untitled (Mark's Hand #2)," 1988, Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City, © Estate of Mark Morrisroe (Ringer Collection), Fotomuseum Winterthur

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great Easter. I sure did.

photo by Josh Lackey

R.I.P. Tim Hetherington

2011-04-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Tim Hetherington (1970-2010)

I'm very saddened to hear about the death of photographer Tim Hertherington, he's not the first photographer to die in the war zone. My favorite body of work of his was Sleeping Soldiers (below). I am sure that his legacy and work will carry on. You will be missed, Tim!

All images by Tim Hetherington

NEW WEBSITE

2011-04-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

I have put together a NEW WEBSITE. I'm working on a new identity so this website should be up through the end of the year I expect. Send me any feedback if you have it,

Enjoy!

Opportunities At The Photo Center

2011-04-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Ella Morton - Skagastrond Beach #2, 2010 // 2011 Print Sponsorship Recipient

There are several exciting opportunities at the Photo Center NW. The first is a Summer Residency, a printing sponsorship that allows you come to Seattle and print in our facilities free of charge for 100 hours! It's an amazing opportunity for those looking to develop a project. And the second is our call for entries for the 16th Annual Photo Competition, this year the theme is LAND & WATER and it will be juried by Karen Irvine, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. This is a great opportunity to have to work seen by her and displayed in the Photo Center galleries, I can attest to the fact that last year's show was GORGEOUS. More info below.

PRINTING SPONSORSHIP

Deadline: May 1st, 2011

This summer residency program grants you 100 hours of free access to our digital and analogue printing facilities. Seattle is a beautiful place to spend the summer and what a better way to do it than producing a body of work for free! The Photo Center NW offers a fantastic community of artists, collectors, editors, curators and educators. Artist in residence will have access to portfolio reviews with our gallery staff and advice in developing the work, alongside access to our exciting programming, lectures and events. The Photo Center has been around for over 25 years and is the epicenter of photography in the Pacific Northwest, it serves as an incubator for artists and it provides opportunities in the arts and advocacy for emerging artists across the globe.

More info here.

16th ANNUAL PHOTO COMPETITION
Juried by Karen Irvine, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago

Deadline: May 14, 2011

The Photo Center NW is pleased to announce our 16th Annual Photo Competition Exhibition, and our esteemed juror, Karen Irvine, Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. This year the exhibition theme is focused on land and water, and anything related – open to interpretation. Selected entries will be exhibited in Seattle, WA at the Photo Center during the months of August and September 2011. All photo processes are welcome. Maximum frame size is 32 inches on the longest side. Artists will be responsible for shipping their framed work to and from the gallery.

JUROR BIO: Karen Irvine is Curator and Manager of Publications of the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. She has organized over thirty five exhibitions at the MoCP and other institutions and written essays for numerous artist monographs and publications including Art on Paper and Contemporary. Irvine is a part time instructor of photography at Columbia College Chicago. She received an MFA in photography from FAMU, Prague, Czech Republic, and an MA in art history from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

AWARDS: First, second, and third prize winners will take home $1000, $500, and $250 as well as a $75 Blurb Inc. Scrip Certificate for each winner. Photo Center gratefully acknowledges Blurb Inc., Glazer’s Camera, and Panda Lab respectively for their award sponsorships.

To apply go here.

New Work

2011-04-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've scanned 45 images this week... I'm on a roll!

While I edit, here's a sneak peak, an image I shot last year.

Rafael Soldi

I Always Wanted To Be Like You

Another one from Ecuador

2011-04-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Rafael Soldi

NEW WORK: Death Came And Got Me

2011-04-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I was scanning some pictures I took of my sister and I while in Ecuador for the holidays a few months ago. I noticed one frame had a pretty significant light leak but there was a ghostly quality to it so I scanned it. Upon seeing the scan I immediately got chills, it made me think of angels, ghosts and death. The color in this picture was dreadful so I turned it black and white and I liked it much better this way. It wasn't until I was done editing that I it reminded me of the below image by John Dugdale of himself and his sister, one of my favorite pictures.

Death Came And Got Me - Rafael Soldi

John Dugdale

Productive.

2011-04-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been very absent from the blog, but this has been a very productive year. I've been editing, processing, printing, framing, mounting, writing, discussing, critiquing, thinking.... all of that on top of networking, sharing work, doing studio visits, attending conferences and building an infrastructure for myself here in Seattle. I'm very excited about this year and what it will bring, while before all I had was an emotional mess living inside of me that facilitated the creation of powerful work, I feel like now there finally is some clarity in my mind to produce it. I'm slowly coming to terms with the past and accepting it for what it was, understanding losses and appreciating the present for what it offers me.

Here are some pictures to prove my productivity.

Life Support Japan

2011-04-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry that I have been M.I.A. Things at work have been very busy, but I did want to take a minute to address the disaster in Japan. I don't feel like I'm late on this, since there are many years or rebuilding to come. I have been so touched by the hundreds of artists who have continually come together to help people (repeatedly) across the world, individuals they have never met. The news hit me as I entered a very busy couple of weeks so I was not able to contribute to some of the efforts many of my colleagues planned, but I was able to send a picture over to Life Support Japan, organized by Crista Dix of wall space gallery and Aline Smithson of Lenscratch. Below is the image I contributed and some of the other great images you can get for just $50! Click here to purchase my print.

Rafael Soldi - Untitled (Curtain), 2010

Rick Dahms

Baseball Conference

2009

Neta Dror

Breathe

2011

Peyman Azhari

Japanese Flag

2011

Justyna Badach

Requiem

2010

Christopher Dibble

Draped

2010

Help My Best Friend Go to Grad School

2011-04-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Daria Souvorova, got recently accepted into grad school at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She has created a page to raise some funds and in return she will send you all sorts of cool treats! She is super talented so help her raise the funds so she can move to Philly and go to graduate school. See her message below:

Hello friends, family and colleagues,

I was just accepted to the graduate program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts! I am incredibly excited and can't wait to go, unfortunately, it is an astonishing expense.

I am trying to raise money to relieve some of the costs not covered by scholarships. I know it is a tough time all around, and few of us can spare anything, but please consider sponsoring my project and helping me go to graduate school. In return, I give you my love and eternal gratitude as well as some awesome gifts and art!

You can click on the image above to see my page, or just click on this link: Daria's IndieGoGo Page

Thank you so much for your help and support and please forward this page to your friends!

All my love,

Daria

Artist Statement

2011-03-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

All throughout college our professors always put so much emphasis on writing artist statements and learning how to express ourselves in writing. I never thought it unimportant, but I never spent nearly as much time as I should have honing these skills. Now that I am out of school I have been learning how to successfully navigate my professional practice sans the structure and resources that an educational institution offers. As I write grant proposals, exhibition proposals and general support statements I have come to realize the importance of being able to express ourselves eloquently and clearly. It is important that your writing style reflects and even enhances the qualities of your work. However it is important to remember that eloquence is not the tiny poet that lives inside you, the one with the fancy words and complex lexicon but rather your ability to articulate the thesis of your work in way that makes sense to others (the public, grantmakers, clients).

In the last month I have applied to 3 large grants/fellowships. Whether I get them or not, these grants have pushed me to once again get in the habit of writing about my work, proof reading and sharing my writing with others to revise. One grant in particular asked for a 1 page artist statement, not necessarily of a specific project but rather a statement about my work as a whole, about my body of work. I realized I've never had to write such a thing before, probably because I'm not a particularly prolific artist yet and there is only so much to write about. But at the end I was very happy to end up with a document that I think articulates what my photographs are about thus far. I'd love to share it with you since I don't typically write about my own work on my blog. Here goes:

Growing up in a culture that rejected everything that makes up my present-day identity was difficult for me. For a very long time my work has focused on understanding my cultural and physical transition from my native country of Peru to the United States. From the beginning, my work explored the multiple dimensions of identity formed by the merging of two cultures. After a long period of denial, I started focusing my picture making on my family, my personal sensibilities and eventually my romantic relationship with another man. It wasn’t until I moved to the United States and addressed these issues with my camera that an outpouring of revelations, emotional tantrums and self-discoveries surged.

At the onset of this new approach to making work I thought my photographs might be a mere documentation of my romantic relationship but I realized through further exploration that the work was not about him, rather it was about me and the evolution of my identity as a man. This work was especially hard to make for one particular reason: addressing my homosexuality through photography would mean finally coming to terms with it and defying my cultural and religious upbringing. These photographs put my homosexuality out in the open, in frames on gallery walls, elevated.

My relationship became a catalyst for accessing a new way of making photographs, which affected the way I lived my life from that point forward. I photographed intimate moments of my daily and romantic life; I hoped that my pictures would allow others to see my lover through my eyes. These lyrical photographs shared a space with more somber, quiet glimpses into my past and present life.

I titled that project “The Point At Which,” referencing my vigorous search for the tipping point; the point at which my life would find its meaning and I could embrace my true self once and for all. My relationship was the tipping point; it defined me for the first time and became the single most important incident that has touched my life thus far. While I expect to undergo multiple resurgences in my lifetime, the dramatic nature of this first one has been paramount to the fashioning of my present-day identity.

Shortly after completing “The Point At Which” my relationship ended abruptly. Unexpectedly.

My work changed dramatically and it entered a realm of unforeseen darkness and distress atypical of my traditional photographic practice. All of a sudden, I found myself tapping into feelings and personal sentiments that I never knew existed within me: panic, regret, fear and loss. An urge to document this abyss took over me and my current project entitled “Sentiment” surged forth. “Sentiment" emerges from my longing to photograph feelings that are sui generis, manifested uniquely through my person. These images represent my struggle to surface from darkness, panic and hopelessness. For years my work had focused on my cultural transition and its implications as I came to terms with my homosexuality. I had drawn attention to my childhood, my family and the environments that surround me. While my work has always been utterly personal, it has always been projection of myself onto my subjects. Now I turn my camera towards myself, as I fight to reconstruct a life without the very thing that I thought defined it. The use of self-portraiture in the work was instinctual and self-inflicted. They are masochistic attempts to present myself at my most vulnerable, hoping the viewer will feel the same pain I went through as they look at my photographs.

Just as I once escaped my motherland to pursue a foreign one that welcomed me wholly, I now find myself escaping something foreign which has taken residence in my body and have turned my camera on it in hopes of a full exorcism.

Logan Bellew

2011-03-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

While at SPE 2011 in Atlanta a couple weeks ago I met Logan Bellew. Logan's work is beautiful and he was kind enough to send me some images to share. He is also a very lovely person and I look forward to seeing him again in San Francisco next year!

Logan Bellew

Installation shot - Logan Bellew

Ellie Goulding covers Heartbeats, by The Knife

2011-03-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

I could close my eyes and listen to this for hours on end.

SPE National Conference Re-cap [ PART I ]

2011-03-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my first SPE National Conference, in Atlanta, GA. It was by far one of the most amazing experiences of this year. Next year's conference is in San Francisco and the theme will be Intimacy and Voyeurism, now that's what I'm talking about! This year's conference theme was Science, Poetry and the Photographic Image. I'm very grateful to Jill Waterman, editor at PDN who included me in a panel and allowed me to share my work with such an audience. I met some amazing people, learned a great deal and shared some beautiful moments with artists and educators from around the country. I feel so incredibly enlightened and encouraged to pursue my work and I'm happy to be part of an incredibly inclusive community of such talented and kind people. Below are some highlights from presentations I attended, people I met and things I learned.

Johnny and I at SPE 2011

MICA crew at SPE 2011

Keynote Speakers
The keynote speaker was Abe Morell, whom I've looked up to for a long time and whom I had the pleasure to work with while I worked at Bonni Benrubi Gallery in NYC. His lecture was very interesting and I commend him for shutting up the annoying guy who kept on interrupting him. It was great to hear about his work-process.

Abelardo Morell
Camera Obscura: Side View of the Florence Duomo inside Granduomo Hotel (2010)
Courtesy Bonni Benrubi Inc., NYC

I was particularly surprised to learn about Catherine Wagner's work, I'm surprised that I had not heard of her before. Wagner is an extremely prolific and widely exhibited artist who has created immensely challenging work through a series of interesting collaborations with institutions of all sorts ranging from museum to molecular research facilities. I was extremely inspired by her creativity and ability to make something out of nothing. Her clever and sometimes even humorous approach to making and presenting work was inspiring. I particularly responded to the way in which she managed to engage audiences through alternative forms of display.

Catherine Wagner

People I Met
On the first night of portfolio sharing I met Ashley Kauschinger. We talked for a while and into the late evening. I was immediately drawn to her work, aesthetically, and as we talked I realized how similar our approach was. We connected immediately and a really interesting dialogue about our work formed. I was touched by the honesty in Ashley's work, she is exploring ideas of fear in a relationship and the fragile nature of it -you never know when the one you love will slip through your fingertips. She photographs her boyfriend with such gracefulness, as if at any moment he could just break. She addresses fears both real and imaginary, dreams and emotionally charge gut-reactions to the possibility of loss. A really beautiful collaboration between her and her lover.

Ashley Kauschinger

Then I had the pleasure to meet Johnny Picardo, we hit it off right away and immediately discovered many similarities. Johnny's work is really beautiful and I'm very much looking forward to the new work he showed me, which is not yet posted on his site. But of all the work, my favorite is this video titled Holy Spirit, which layers footage from his baptism and current footage from a performed baptism that blurs the line between religious ritual and lustful interplay. Johny was lucky enough to study with David Hilliard in Anderson Ranch and has been the subject of Hillard's photographs. He is a really awesome dude and I'm very happy I met him; good luck in grad school, Johnny!

by Johnny Picardo, Holy Spirit

Johnny Picardo, Voyage: Self

On the second night, at the hotel bar I met Ryan Ball, a really cool guy who surprised me with his amazing work the next day at the Curator's Walkthrough. Ryan shoots with a 4x5 and has an uncanny ability to craft one hell of a picture using narrative, performance and other elements. In his series Hurry up and Wait he explores the difficulties presented by his own ambitions, they display an environment empty of helpful devices as he sets out to solve every-day-life problems through tedious processes fueled by Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. The mechanics of each performance alone are very hard on the body, so it only made sense that he chooses to photograph them through an equally challenging process: using a view camera and himself as the main character. I really enjoyed looking at his prints and he immediately made me feel like a lazy bum, so much effort and care has gone into producing each image- it's very inspiring! I encourage you to read his statement, it's very eloquent and he does a better job of explaining the work.

Ryan Ball

Reviewers
I had the honor to have my work reviewed by the following three wonderful artists. All of whom were extremely constructive and helpful.

Nate Abramowski
The work below is from his project "Quiet Men"

Nate Abramowski

LaNola Stone

LaNola Stone

Javier Carmona

Javier Carmona

New Curatorial Opportunities

2011-03-16T16:32:00.001-07:00

Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA)

Young Curators Program and the Power Corporation of Canada Curatorial Internships Program

www.cca.qc.ca

Steven Alvarez says Goodbye

2011-03-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Steven just did a beautiful and hear-wrenching post on his journal about his grandmother. She is still alive, but he already said goodbye. There is nothing worse that someone you love being there, physically in front of you, but mentally in a dimension far out of reach. He says:

I called the house a couple weeks ago, while I was in Seattle, and she answered the phone. She didn’t know where anyone was. She was convinced everyone had left her and they were not coming back. I even doubt she knew who she was talking to. She wouldn’t say “I love you” to me after I said it to her. Broken up, I let her go and tried to remember that it wasn’t personal. This isn’t the Grammie I once knew, and that I had already said goodbye. And most importantly, it isn’t her fault. It’s no one’s fault.

Grammie’s Descent, Orono, Maine, 2009

Grammie in “Summertime”, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, 2011

Grammie Resting, Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, 2011

Charlton, Coble/Riley and Feuer at Conner Contemporary Art in D.C.

2011-03-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

Zoë Charlton: detail Paladins and Tourists 2011, graphite + gouache on paper.

OPENING
EXHIBITIONS

ZOE CHARLTON:
Paladins and Tourists

MIA FEUER:
Stress Cone

COBLE/RILEY PROJECTS:
Ascension / Immersion

opening: March 19th - 6-8pm

to preview: CLICK CLICK

CONNER CONTEMPORARY ART
Washington, DC 20002
v: 202-588-8750
info@connercontemporary.com
www.connercontemporary.com

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Zoë Charlton: Paladins and Tourists
Mia Feuer: Stress Cone
Coble/Riley Projects: Ascension / Immersion

March 19 – April 30, 2011

to preview: CLICK CLICK

Conner Contemporary Art is pleased to present concurrent exhibitions of “Paladins and Tourists,” featuring new drawings and video by Zoë Charlton; “Stress Cone,” a new sculptural installation by Mia Feuer; and the premier of “Ascension/Immersion,” a collaborative video project by Mary Coble and Blithe Riley.

> ZOE CHARLTON

Zoë Charlton, best known for depicting sexualized bodies of black women, presents a new series of nude white male figures in her second solo exhibition with the Gallery, “Paladins and Tourists.” The themes of these large-scale drawings were inspired by the artist’s interactions with young white male art models. Charlton observed, “It was interesting that some of the men made efforts to define themselves in relation to me as a black female artist. They seemed eager to align themselves with me by telling me about certain interests, like Reggae music, or about causes they support, like Water for Africa.” Charlton’s experiences led her to conceive of her subjects as modern day paladins, or knights - who, instead of going into battle, volunteer and donate money - and as tourists - who sample unfamiliar, exotic cultures.

Charlton adorned her bare, white male models with tokens of their social beliefs, or souvenirs of their cultural adventures. Rather than toting weapons and saddlebags, the “paladins” carry water bottles, and shoulder bags. The “tourists” wear passport pouches and African emblems. To symbolically enhance their male power, the artist posed the models in provocative stances and, in her depictions, increased the size of their sex organs. The theme of dominance interacts with that of exotic souvenir collecting to evoke historical traditions, including European colonization of foreign lands and the collecting culture of the Grand Tour. As these precedents reverberate in the predominance of Western paradigms in today’s culture industry, Charlton’s drawings suggest a cultural critique.

Charlton delves further into a personal examination of colonialism and exotic objectification in “Untitled (Sarah Baartman)” a new video animation about Sarah Baartman (a South African slave who, in the early 19th century, was exhibited for public entertainment in England and France as a specimen of curiosity known as the “Hottentot Venus”). In the video, Charlton reverses the focus from Baartman’s body to her consumer audience, re-imagining the way Baartman felt her difference as crowds of European spectators openly gawked at her on-stage.

> MIA FEUER

Mia Feuer’s “Stress Cone” is a special *gogo art projects exhibition featuring a large, site-specific sculptural installation modeled on electrical transformer stations. Feuer stated that she drew conceptual inspiration for this work from Michelangelo’s depiction of matter receiving the spark of life in the Creation scene on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. By suspending a complex structure of muscular forms from the gallery’s ceiling, the artist created a disarming presence in the gallery that may feel to viewers both familiar and disorienting. Feuer punctuated her industrial imagery, combining protruding vertical beams and pressure tanks, that allude to biological generation, with hot-colored elements and electrical insulators that may trigger emotional associations. She further enlivened the massive structure by representing clusters of water-dwelling leaches that appear to cling to and spread over the electrical structure.

> COBLE / RILEY PROJECTS

Mary Coble and Blithe Riley make their collaborative debut with the Gallery as Coble/Riley Projects in their two-channel video “Ascension/Immersion.” On-site in the woods of Maine, the artist team transformed an abandoned decaying, spring house into a platform for performance by cutting two large holes in the roof, which allowed a sole performer (Coble) to enter the structure from above and then exit from below. We watch and listen as the protagonist repeatedly drops 5 feet into a pool of water inside the spring house, then climbs outside through the roof, to drop in the water yet again, with no explicit goal. The performer’s sequential actions of emergence and ascension are visible simultaneously on the split screen, creating a sense of dislocated time. The continuous unfolding of an unexplained ritual within the format of “Ascension/Immersion” generates an absorbing visual rhythm, while the ambiguity of the video’s imagery gives rise to various possible meanings that can attend the oscillation between internal and exterior states.

>>>>

There will be an opening night reception, Saturday, March 19th from 6 to 8pm. Artists in attendance.

Additional information may be found at: http://www.connercontemporary.com/.
For further information or images, please contact the gallery @ 202-588-8750 orinfo@connercontemporary.com.

Conner Contemporary Art is located at 1358 Florida Avenue, NE –Washington, DC 20002 in the Historic Atlas/H Street
Area. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10-5pm

Updates & New Work at Pun(c)tuation Gallery!

2011-02-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

I have lots of updates and announcements. Let me just start by saying that I had a great weekend, and Adele pretty much took over my life. My friend Steven was in town from Philadelphia and I got Adele's new album. I hung out with friends while listening to Adele, then went to another friend's house and listened to Adele some more. Then I talked about how someone needs to remix Rolling in the Deep by Adele and then Josh showed me a Rolling in the Deep mix. Then I went home and spent some more time with Adele followed by a gorgeous morning run while listening to Adele. Then I went to teach and thought of Adele. Adele, Adele, Adele. This album is out-of-control-bananas... so good.

I also want to congratulate my best friend Daria Souvorova for being accepted into grad school!!! If all goes well she will be attending Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which was her dream school. Go Daria!!!

I'm Here, You're There - currently on view at Pun(c)tuation Gallery

I'm very excited to be sharing some new work at Pun(c)tuation Gallery! The show opens THIS Friday, Feb. 25th. at 8PM. I will be catching a flight that night so I will only be at the opening from 8-9PM, so come by early!

Will You Be My Friend?

Pun(c)tuation Gallery

Opening Reception: Friday, February 25, 2011 8:00PM

On View: February 25 - April 6, 2011

Also, hello east coast!!

I'm very happy that my alma mater, MICA, has invited me to take part in an alumni panel this Monday, Feb. 28th. I will be presenting to the current students in the photography department alongside fellow graduates Madeline Gray and Adam Golfer. Hopefully we will be able to help them get better grasp on what happens after graduation.

Finally, anybody going the national Society for Photographic Education conference in Atlanta this March? I've been invited to present as part of a panel discussing the experience in a photography program at the college level. I'm thrilled to be attending and more importantly, to be presenting! I hope to see a lot of you there, so please find me and say hello.

Oh yeah, and stay tuned because I'm about to roll out a brand new website re-design. With bigger pictures, new projects, new edits, and better design!

ICI Curatorial Intensive

2011-02-21T18:29:00.001-08:00

Independent Curators International

Curatorial Intensive

Program Dates: July 10-18, 2011

Application Deadline: March 18, 2011

www.ici-exhibitions.org
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Recognizing the need to support curatorial talent and provide low-cost practical training in the current economic climate, Independent Curators International (ICI) initiated the Curatorial Intensive—the first major short-course training program for emerging curators in the United States. Last year ICI organized two iterations of the Curatorial Intensive, bringing 31 curators from 14 countries and 13 states to New York to develop ideas for exhibitions and strengthen their curatorial thinking.

This summer, 10-14 curators from around the world will be selected from an open competition to participate in the next Curatorial Intensive for a rigorous 8-day schedule of workshops, discussions, critiques, and presentations, as well as site visits to local institutions, private collections, and artists' studios. Teachers and advisors for this program include independent curators Cecilia Alemani andRegine Basha; Kate Fowle, Executive Director, ICI; Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy, Curator of Contemporary Art, Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros; Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator, White Columns; and Christian Rattemeyer, Associate Curator, Department of Drawings, MoMA.

After the New York phase of the project is complete, ICI will continue working with participants long-distance to finalize their proposals for publication on ICI's website, so broad publics, as well as the hundreds of institutions with which ICI works, can view the final proposals.

Application Guidelines
Please visit ICI's website to apply for the Curatorial Intensive online. Applications must include a 300-word description of an exhibition idea that the applicant would like help in developing. This description should cover an exhibition concept and any artists that the applicant is considering for inclusion. Also required is a current resume, a short letter of intent that outlines why the applicant wants to participate in the program, and an example of a recent exhibition that has made an impact on the applicant.

Fees and Scholarships
The program fee is 1,500 USD. Participants are responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. ICI also offers generous scholarship packages, subsidizing or eliminating the program fees and travel expenses of four program participants.

About the Curatorial Intensive
The Curatorial Intensive is ICI's short-term, low-cost training program that offers emerging curators the chance to develop exhibition ideas and make connections to professionals in the field. It provides the opportunity for peer-group education, forging new networks between aspiring curators internationally. The Curatorial Intensive takes place twice annually in New York, and in other locations in conjunction with institutional partners worldwide.

The Curatorial Intensive was developed by ICI's Executive Director, Kate Fowle, who joined the organization after working as the International Curator at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. Prior to her time in China, Fowle spent 6 years in San Francisco at the California College of the Arts, where she was the director of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice, which she founded in 2002 with Ralph Rugoff.

The Curatorial Intensive is made possible, in part, by grants from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Dedalus Foundation, the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation; and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, James Cohan, and the supporters of ICI's Access Fund.

For more information, visit ICI's website, or contact us at education@ici-exhibitions.org or 1-212-254-8200.

About Independent Curators International
ICI produces exhibitions, events, publications, and training opportunities for diverse audiences. In 35 years, ICI has organized 116 traveling exhibitions, profiling the work of more than 3,700 artists. The resulting networks include 590 museums, university art galleries, and art centers in 48 states and 25 countries. Working across disciplines and historical precedents, the organization is a hub that provides access to the people, ideas, and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art.

www.ici-exhibitions.org
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New Apartment

2011-02-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

I just moved into my very own apartment here in Seattle. It's been a lot of work and still have some finishing touches to put in, but I'm happy with it seeing that I've only been there for 30 days. Here are some photos, I'm fortunate I get beautiful light in the afternoon. Something is wrong with my camera so these images look awful; you'd think that being a photographer I can take better pictures than this.... I will soon I promise.

View of the kitchen from the entrance

LR seen from my workspace/desk

Afternoon light. This picture is from the week I moved in so excuse the crap on the floor.

LR/Kitchen

Kitchen seen from the LR

Bedroom. It needs the most work so I'm not showing the whole thing.

Crappy picture (sorry!) but it shows the pictures in my room.
Also note Carrie and Big on the T.V.... no internet = Sex & The City marathons 24/7.

Film is in the air

2011-02-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!

for those of us who are sans lover, there's always film. This week I picked up 13 rolls, and proceeded to engage in a passionate love affair with them.

Also, thanks to Josh for introducing me to James Blake

Drawn from Photography @ The Drawing Center

2011-02-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Drawing Center
Christian Tomaszewski, "Hunting for Pheasants (Anna Politkovskaya)," 2008. Pencil/ink-jet print, 28 x 21 inches.*		*Drawn from Photography* February 18–March 31, 2011 Opening: Thursday, February 17, 6:00–8:00pm The Drawing Center Main Gallery 35 Wooster Street (between Grand and Broome) New York, NY www.drawingcenter.org
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Drawn from Photography, on view in the Main Gallery from February 18–March 31, 2011, showcases 13 artists who use drawing to meticulously translate images originally received through photo-based media or digital circulation. Drawings feature scenes of social transformation from the last two centuries including scenes of war and protest as well as views of urban landscapes and industrial developments. Whether using found media sources or their own snapshots, the artists share a reconstructive, labor-intensive impulse that counteracts the rapid dissemination of information that defines the media age. More than any other art form, drawing is traditionally understood to be an inherently intimate and direct means of expression. Although recreating images first made by a camera's impersonal lens may appear to counter the drawn gesture's authorial imprint, the work in Drawn from Photography can be seen as embodying its own kind of agency. In this presentation, personal attention and slowing down oppose the experience of alienation in a world increasingly mediated by technological representation. Drawing as translation—at once utterly individual and fundamentally egoless—privileges time spent, care, and attention as forms of commitment in their own right. The artists in the exhibition adopt a variety of approaches to their subjects. Emily Prince and Mary Temple create evolving installations that respond to contemporary events like the war in Iraq; Andrea Bowers, Sam Durant, D-L Alvarez, and Frank Selby replicate iconic photos of political clashes and counter-cultural movements; Fernando Bryce comprehensively redraws historical documents; and Ewan Gibbs and Richard Forster copy their own snapshots of the changing, industrial landscape. In each case, drawing as translation marks a desire for agency coupled with a sense of the distance between “reality out there” and the artist's attempt to comprehend or impact it. LIST OF ARTISTS D-L Alvarez, Andrea Bowers, Fernando Bryce, Sam Durant, Ewan Gibbs, Karl Haendel, Richard Forster, Serkan Özkaya, Emily Prince, Frank Selby, Paul Sietsema, Mary Temple, Christian Tomaszewski PUBLIC PROGRAMS Saturday, February 19, 2pm A panel discussion featuring artists in the exhibition, including Andrea Bowers, Richard Forster, Karl Haendel, and Emily Prince, who will speak about their work. Thursday, March 3, 6:30pm SoHo Night Reading by novelist, Lynne Tillman Tillman will read her Drawing Papers essay, entitled Drawing from a Translation Artist. Saturday, March 5, 2pm Curator Claire Gilman and select artists in the exhibition, including Ewan Gibbs, Frank Selby, Mary Temple, and Christian Tomaszewski, will lead an exhibition walk-through. PUBLICATION To accompany the exhibition, The Drawing Center has produced an edition in the Drawing Papers series. The publication features an essay by Claire Gilman and a new essayistic story by Lynne Tillman. Artist Serkan Özkaya has created a hand-drawn copy of Gilman's essay, which is published along with approximately 50 color reproductions of works from the exhibition. HOURS & ACCESSIBILITY Hours are Wednesday, 12pm–6pm, Thursday, 12pm–8pm, and Friday–Sunday, 12pm–6pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). The Drawing Center is wheelchair accessible. CREDITS The exhibition Drawn from Photography and its accompanying publication are made possible in part by an anonymous donor, Ambassador and Mrs. Felix Rohatyn, The Arginteanu Family, Charlotte and Bill Ford, Donald B. Marron, and Beth Rudin DeWoody. MISSION STATEMENT The Drawing Center is the only not-for-profit fine arts institution in the country to focus solely on the exhibition of drawings, both historical and contemporary. It was established in 1977 to provide opportunities for emerging and under-recognized artists; to demonstrate the significance and diversity of drawings throughout history; and to stimulate public dialogue on issues of art and culture. *Image above: Courtesy of the artist and Michael Wiesehöfer Galerie, Cologne, Le Guern Gallery, Warsaw.

As of late

2011-02-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have yet to even finish going through all my film from 6 months ago, but I'm making headway. Anybody out there want to just show up at my place and scan all my film for me? I'll give you school credit or something... eh?

I just got back tons of film from my holiday visit to my family in Ecuador. Here are a couple scans that I just did...

All images by Rafael Soldi

Katie Thompson sings With Him by Joey Contreras

2011-02-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

Katie Thompson never ceases to amaze me as a performer and this song by Joey Contreras is beautiful. It's about a coffee meeting with a former lover he hasn't seen in a very long time. They are both happily coupled, but as the meeting progresses he can't help but to fall in love all over again with him only to realize his only option is to go back to the man he must love, as opposed to the man he just loves. It's heartbreaking...

Something out there is much bigger than me

2011-02-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

This has happened before.

Every so often I leave my body. I linger above suspended by sheer air and watch myself sense something special. It has always happened in public and I have come to interpret it as a brief moment of unforeseen self-discovery or serendipitous realization. Like a violent ocean wave that travels great lengths to reach my body and momentarily possess it, only to then withdraw silently leaving nothing but the mark of a fleeting transcendent force. Surrounded by thousands of people as I walked through Times Square once, an unexpected sad tune made its way through my headphones. At that very moment the melody took over my whole body and an enormous loneliness settled in. Suddenly I felt as if I was leaving my body and watching myself from above like a movie scene, that same sad song as a soundtrack. I felt as if everybody around me was walking much faster, whilst I moved at a sorry pace, dragging my lonesomeness behind me. I wanted to crouch on the ground and let the crowds stomp on me, knowing that the collision would be as close as I would get ever to any of them. I wanted to cry for help and to desperately connect with the strangers around me. I stood still and closed my eyes, concentrating on every impact my body made against a passer by. I welcomed each touch as an unspoken embrace purposely discharged by fellow forlorn New Yorkers yearning for an intimacy so ironically out of reach. This paralyzing trance lasted no longer than half a minute, and it returns seldom but always like a brutal wave.

Today it returned.

As I walked to my apartment on the top of Capitol Hill in Seattle, another sad tune came upon me as I crossed the park that halves 17th avenue. Suddendly a violent wind picked up and I felt the energy of a forthcoming storm taking over my whole body. I turned my head west and I could see the rooftops of downtown buildings skillfully intercepting threatening cloud formations. Once again I left my own body and watched myself from above, paralyzed by a force much stronger than me. I felt the wind wrap itself around me as if it had human limbs and hold me captive, transfixed, forcing me to watch the clouds as they shifted shapes, traveling viciously and engulfing each other low in the sky. As I stood there watching the storm unravel, tears started rolling down my face and breathless I finally understood that there is something out there much, much bigger than me. I cried silently as the wind released me and I walked home feeling as lonely and insignificant as ever.

NEW WORK - I'm Here, You're There

2011-02-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

After spending a wonderful holidays with my family in Ecuador, I came back with about 20 rolls of film that I need to edit through. Primarily landscapes, family photos and some photos for my project titled Micaela Maria, which chronicles my sister as she enters her teenage years. Well, it seems like after all that shooting I exhausted my batteries; I finally got new batteries for my camera and shot some new film yesterday for a show I'm going to be in at Pun(c)tuation gallery here in Seattle. This photo is from my series titled Sentiment, which documents manifestations -physical and emotional- of the overwhelming pain that continues to haunt me as I learn to live without the person I love most. It is an exploration of a healing process, of regret and self-discovery.

Rafael Soldi - I'm Here, You're There

Coming Up at the Photo Center NW

2011-01-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Every day I feel so very lucky to work at the Photo Center NW, a vibrant non-profit organization for photography in the wonderful city of Seattle. The Photo Center is a fine art photography school and gallery with one mission: to bring photography to everybody through educational opportunities, exhibitions and community outreach programs.

Henry Horenstein, Amber Ray, Los Angeles, CA, 2005

The next couple of weeks are very exciting for us, our staff has been working at full speed to bring Seattle a series of outstanding programs. For starters, I'm lucky enough to be currently sitting in a gallery surrounded by Henry Horenstein's current exhibition at the Photo Center, titled SHOW. Horenstein is one of the most successful photographers of our time and his work is widely exhibited and collected by museums and institutions around the world. His stunning large-format black and white images mark the promising start of a very successful year to come at the Photo Center, I hope that you join us in celebrating it. The opening will include a burlesque show and other surprises!

Henry Horenstein, Prince Poppycock, Los Angeles, CA, 2006

Artist's Lecture: Henry Horenstein, Histories
January 27, 7 PM – Henry Art Gallery
For tickets contact the Henry Art Gallery
This program is in partnership with the University of WA School of Art Photomedia Program & the Henry Art Gallery.

Opening Reception & Burlesque Show: Friday, January 28th - 6-8 PM

Workshop: Shooting and Critiquing with Henry Horenstein
Saturday & Sunday, January 29-30, 10am-5pm | $350

So that's gonna be one hell of a weekend.

Jason Hanasik, Steven in a Bed of Flowers

Next week, the Photo Center be welcoming my friend and very talented photographer/critic/curator Jason Hanasik. Jason will be doing an artist lecture, and offering a workshop: Conteporary Photographic Practices & Portfolio Development, which is open for registration NOW.

Jason Hanasik, Sharrod (headshot)

Jason Hanasik has an MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco,where he now advises students in the graduate program in fine arts. His work has been exhibited widely and published in various journals and publications nationwide. As a lecturer, Hanasik has delivered talks on his work and/or artistic practice at SFMoMa, various colleges and universities nationwide, and during the Society for Photographic Education’s West Conference in 2008. This past spring a portfolio of his project, “He Opened Up Somewhere Along the Eastern Shore,” was published in the Society for Photographic Education’s journal Exposure and selected by Aperture Magazine for their Portfolio Prize Competition.

Todd Hido, 1951

And if that wasn't enough, following Henry Horenstein and Jason Hanasik, photographer Todd Hido will be paying us a visit. Hido will be curating Across the Divide: Critical Mass 2010 exhibition and offering a portfolio review workshop. Hido is one of the most respected contemporary photographers, we're excited to welcome him and are looking forward to what he's bringing to our community as an instructor and curator.
Workshop: Portfolio Review with Todd Hido
Thursday, March 3, 5-9 PM
Todd Hido will review and critique artists’ individual portfolios in a group discussion to bring a greater understanding to personal vision and the editing process.

Lecture: Todd Hido, A Year of Books: 7 Titles
Friday, March 4, 7:30 PM
Todd will discuss seven recent book projects he released in 2009/2010. Bio: Todd Hido is a San Francisco Bay Area-based artist whose work has been featured in Artforum, The New York Times Magazine, Eyemazing, Metropolis, The Face, I-D, and Vanity Fair. His photographs are in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, New York, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. He has five published books, the latest being A Road Divided (2010).

Reteaching Gender & Sexuality

2011-01-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

This group of Seattle youth are some of the most organized, mature, smart people I've met. They're onto a great cause, bringing youth as educators around the country to Reteach Gender & Sexuality. This is a fantastic program that I hope gets funded, they have one week to raise $6,800 and every contribution helps! Check out their Kickstarter page to contribute.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Reteaching Gender & Sexuality was generated to contribute additional queer/trans youth voices to the national conversations about queer/trans youth lives; and it's just the beginning. Our education team is addressing heterosexism through creative media and educational strategies. With queer/trans youth voices at the forefront, we believe that together we can shift the conversation about gender and sexuality.

ABOUT US
Our educational team of media makers and educators are working together to prioritize young activist voices and conversations about intersecting identities, popular culture, and systemic change. Collectively, we’ve trained practitioners and students of education, social work, mental health and counseling, public health, medicine, law, recreation, social science, and the humanities. We’ve worked with hundreds of organizations and schools training about gender and sexuality, and have specific expertise in community-building. You can find out more about our team on our website at: www.putthisonthemap.org

THE TOUR
The Reteaching Gender & Sexuality Tour is a journey that intends to steer the conversation beyond the symptom of bullying, to address systemic issues and deeper beliefs about gender and sexuality that impact queer/trans youth. Our Reteaching Gender and Sexuality web-video (on our site at www.putthisonthemap.org) received over 100,000 views after launching in November. Each day, we receive emails asking us to bring Reteaching Gender & Sexuality to campuses and communities - from Salt Lake to Wilmington to Montreal! Our team will be hosting screenings and leading workshops across the country and collecting media at each stop to contribute to a global conversation about reteaching gender and sexuality. Email info@putthisonthemap.org to schedule a tour stop in your town!

OUR BUDGET & YOUR SUPPORT
Over the last year, we’ve been working as all-volunteer group in Seattle. We’re humbled and excited about how many invitations we’ve received from groups across the country, but need your support now in order to make our training affordable to schools and community-based organizations. We're raising $10,000 as a base of the support we'll need to support the cost of logistics, supporting young people traveling as educators, and acquiring critical equipment. The funding will also help us provide screenings and trainings for schools and organizations with limited resources! Your donation at any level helps us meet this initial goal! Minimum pledge is $1!

Project location: Seattle, WA

Reminders

2011-01-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Karine Laval opens at Bonni Benrubi Gallery in NYC tonight!

Please join us for an opening reception on Thursday, January 13, 2011 6-8 PM
Bonni Benrubi Gallery, 41 East 57th Street, 13th floor, New York, NY

Bonni Benrubi Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by gallery artistKarine Laval, entitled MISE EN ABYME. In this exhibition, Laval revisits the subject for which she has become best known, the swimming pool. Although continuing to employ a highly saturated palette with tightly composed imagery, this new series marks a departure from her previous work in both tone and depth. Here, Laval takes us through levels of dream-like reflections, painterly layers that oscillate between abstraction and representation. These large-scale tableaux serve not as mere illustrations of the physical experience of the water or the leisure it usually represents, but rather use form, color and texture to depict a world on the edge of the real and surreal.

“I see the pool more as a metaphor, a mirror whose surface reflects the surrounding world but is also a gate into another – dreamlike – world, a sort of mise en abyme.” says Laval. Consequently, the distorted bodies and landscapes begin to echo physical dissolutions and shifting states of mind as the water blurs the threshold between the mundane and the sublime.

This is Laval’s third solo exhibition at Bonni Benrubi Gallery. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, The Sunday Telegraph,Le Figaro Magazine, The New Yorker and many others. Laval’s photographs have been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe.

For further information or press inquiries, please contact the Bonni Benrubi Gallery.

Exhibition dates: January 13 – March 19, 2011 Opening reception: Thursday, January 13, 2011, 6-8 PM
Gallery Address: 41 East 57th Street, 13th Floor – New York, NY – 10022
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday , 10-6 PM

t: 212.888.6007 | www.bonnibenrubi.com | benrubi@bonnibenrubi.com

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Also, there are only 2 days left to submit to Identities Now: Contemporary Portraiture Photography. This is a great opportunity and I cannot wait to see the final book.

Click here for more details.

The League of Imaginary Scientists at MOCA

2011-01-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of League of Imaginary Scientists		MOCA Welcomes The League of Imaginary Scientists to Engagement Party First Event… Thursday, January 6, 2011, 7–10pm MOCA Grand Avenue 250 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012 moca.org/party moca.org

*The League of Imaginary Scientists bring their Evolving Contraption* to MOCA's Engagement Party on the first Thursday evenings of January, February, and March 2011 The Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to announce The League of Imaginary Scientists** as the winter 2011 participants in Engagement Party, MOCA's program that presents new works by innovative Southern California–based artist collectives and collaborators. The League of Imaginary Scientists is a non-exclusive society for creative scientists, mechanically-inclined artists, absurdist inventors and self-proclaimed quacks. The collective will bring The Evolving Contraption, a morphing art apparatus and stage for interactive adventures, to MOCA for a series of unique public interventions on the first Thursday evenings of January, February, and March 2011. For their three-month residency at MOCA, The League of Imaginary Scientists will present the following projects. All events are FREE to the public and no reservations are required. Cash bar. For further information, please visit moca.org/party or contact 213/621-1745 or education@moca.org. *Wormholes* THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 7–10pm MOCA Grand Avenue Wormholes is an exploration of space and time activated by audience participation. As it turns out, the science of wormholes is very simple, and rests on the bilateral symmetry of worms. The League of Imaginary Scientists harness this science, transporting viewers to other points in the universe. The collective claims, "The League of Imaginary Scientists can get you there from here, if you don't care where you're going, and you don't need to get back." *The Automatoggler* THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 7–10pm The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA For their second Engagement Party event, The League of Imaginary Scientists will unveil the greatest invention ever: The Automatoggler! In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. In 1875, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Now, this machine could potentially save humanity from all other machines. So, grab on to The Automatoggler to help save humanity, and, incidentally, make toast. *The Zephyr Experiment* THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 7–10pm MOCA Grand Avenue The League of Imaginary Scientists invite you to explore the science of floating and flying with The Zephyr Experiment. Their residency concludes with a look backwards at antiquarian attempts at buoyancy. Beginning with the most basic attempts to float, up through rocket propulsion, they will invite the audience to grab onto their hats and take that leap of faith. THE LEAGUE OF IMAGINARY SCIENTISTS By conflating imagined and real space, inventing characters, and concocting science, the collaborative research conducted by The League of Imaginary Scientists can be characterized as a series of dream experiments. The League explores scientific notions through creative play and reverse engineering. League projects borrow and lend ideas, own and earn nothing, develop science (sometimes), and create community. Their works might involve genomic imaging via network transmissions, incorporate ecological data as sonar signals, or present collaborative performances among distinct animal species. The League reinterprets established doctrines and exercises play as process. Past projects include The Irish Rover: Looking for Mars off the Northern Coast of Ireland at the Letterkenny Regional Cultural Centre, Ireland (2010); Waterways at Conflux in New York City (2009); X, Y, Z, and U at Outpost for Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2009); The Conversation Contraption at Casula Powerhouse, Australia (2008); and The Childhood Machine at Babel Art Space, Norway (2007). Engagement Party MOCA's Engagement Party presents new artworks in the form of dynamic social events and performances by LA–based artist collectives. Engagement Party is made possible by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. MEDIA CONTACTS: Lyn Winter Tel 213/633-5390 lwinter@moca.org Jessica Youn Tel 213/633-5322 jyoun@moca.org

Manjari Sharma @ Paul Kopeikin Gallery in LA

2011-01-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

My good friend Manjari Sharma is having a solo show at Kopeikin Gallery. Water will open on January 8th and run through February 12th, and Steve Fitch will be showing simultaneously. This exhibition is a culmination of two projects, in both Sharma blends traditional Indian ideas of water as being holy, cleansing, renewing and imbues her images with an overwhelming sense of calm and beauty.

I was recently photographed in the shower by Manjari and it was a fantastic experience, she is a beautiful person and mighty talented photographer. Manjari will be flying in from Mumbai, India for the closing of the exhibition and an indian food truck will be present, how fun?? If you are in the area, make sure to stop in!!

MANJARI SHARMA – WATER
Dates: January 8 – February 12, 2011
Closing reception: Saturday, February 12th, 2011
Kopeikin Gallery

Holidays in Ecuador

2010-12-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm currently at home in Ecuador with my family for the holidays. We just spent 4 days in paradise, disconnected from the world. We travelled North and crossed the Ecuador Line to two different beaches named Chirije and Mompiche (and everything in between). We just got back from the latter tonight and will be heading out to another beach named Salinas tomorrow for new year's. The weather is wonderful and I'm tan for the first time in a long time! Here go a few shots from our trip, more to come once I download/develop/scan...

Also these are all from my point-and-shoot, amazing what this tiny things can do.

All Images by Rafael Soldi

New Work

2010-12-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my friend Jack. Many more scans to go through, but AFTER the holidays! it's vacation time right now. Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank you, Mirna!

2010-12-22T13:38:00.001-08:00

Adam Szymczyk Named 2011 Recipient of the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement

2010-12-20T14:10:00.001-08:00

Adam Szymczyk Named 2011 Recipient of the
Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement

Menil Director Josef Helfenstein has announced the 2011 recipient of the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement: Adam Szymczyk, director and chief curator of Kunsthalle Basel. Established in 2001 in honor of Menil Founding Director Walter Hopps (1932-2005), the award recognizes curators in early to mid-career who have made significant contributions to the field of contemporary art. The Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement carries a stipend of 15,000 USD.

A distinguished panel of three arts professionals made the selection: Iwona Blazwick, director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London; Donna De Salvo, chief curator, the Whitney Museum of American Art and former senior curator at Tate Modern, London; and Hamza Walker, director of education and associate curator for the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago (and the 2005 recipient of the Hopps Award). "In his dedication to the untested," said the panelists in a joint statement, "Adam Szymczyk has provided a critical framework for a generation of artists and curators."

Born in Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland, in 1970, Szymczyk studied art history at the University of Warsaw. In 1997 he was among the co-founders of Foksal Gallery Foundation in Warsaw, established with the aim of supporting artists and promoting contemporary art in Poland through exhibitions and publications. He continued working as curator and writer in Warsaw until 2003, when he assumed his current posts at Kunsthalle Basel, where he has organized numerous exhibitions, including Rosalind Nashashibi: Over In (2004); Artur Zmijewski (2005); Nairy Baghramian: Es ist ausser Haus (2006); Micol Assaël: Chizhevsky Lessons (2007); Alexandra Bachzetsis: Show (2008); Danh Vo: Where the Lions Are (2009) and Moyra Davey: Speaker Receiver (2010). In 2008 he co-curated with Elena Filipovic the 5th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art under the title When Things Cast No Shadow. In addition to authoring exhibition catalogues, Szymczyk has also contributed to such publications as Parkett, Frieze, Flash Art, Fluid, Kunstbulletin, and Spike.

"To receive the Hopps Award is an honor," said Szymczyk. "The award is named after a curator who was an inspired, forward-looking and unconventionally thinking individual. The joy of receiving it must be shared with my friends, artists, and professional colleagues whom I was lucky to meet on my way."
Walter Hopps began his career in Los Angeles, where in 1957 he co-founded the Ferus Gallery and was instrumental in bringing the first postwar generation of the city's artists to international prominence. Among the seminal exhibitions he organized as curator and director of the Pasadena Art Museum were the first retrospectives of Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Cornell; he also mounted the first exhibition devoted to Pop Art, 1962's "New Painting of Common Objects." Over the years, as director of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Menil Collection in Houston, and as commissioner and curator of the São Paulo Bienal and Venice Biennale, Hopps presented work by such artists as Barnett Newman, Frank Stella, Robert Irwin, James Rosenquist, and Diane Arbus. In 1997 Hopps organized a Robert Rauschenberg retrospective for the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (where he held the title of adjunct senior curator of twentieth-century art).

Said Josef Helfenstein of the 2011 recipient of the Hopps Award: "It is a pleasure and a privilege to recognize Adam Szymczyk's work in this way. Like the award's namesake, Adam is a great innovator. His intelligence, curiosity, and engagement with artists honors Walter's memory and furthers the importance of this award for excellence in the curatorial field."

Adam Szymczyk will deliver a public lecture at the Menil on May 17, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

For further information: press@menil.org
www.menil.org

(via e-flux)

JOHN ARSENAULT: A GHOST IS OCCUPYING MY HEART at Clampart

2010-12-19T00:09:00.000-08:00

About 4 years ago I moved to NYC for the first time and started as an intern at Clampart, in Chelsea. On my very first day of work we installed John Arsenault's solo show of self portraits titled Filthy Gorgeous. At the time I was very much learning how to come to terms with my sexuality; I was also avoiding making pictures about it, because I knew the moment I did would be the moment I would have to actually address the issue. John's self portraits rendered glimpses into intimate moments of love, heartbreak and celebration often engorged by a tongue-in-cheek quality that is characteristic of most of his work. It was then that I realized how imperative it was that I address my issues through my own work.

John has a new body of work titled A Ghost Is Occupying My Heart, which will be on view at Clampart from January 6th through February 12th. I am so very excited to see the work because, one, it is so beautiful and honest and, two, I can relate to it in so many ways. I recently moved to 3,000 miles cross country to Seattle in hopes of escaping the break up of my last long-term relationship. I have been dealing by making pictures, mostly self portraits, that attempt to translate the abstract, horrifyingly puzzling feelings that often engulf me into images that hopefully release them. John Arsenault relocated from New York City to Provincetown, MA for a year of self-discovery after the end of his nine-year romantic relationship. The work that came out of this period of healing is arresting; the self portraits take on a darker sort of painful elegance driven by the ways of heartbreak. These are beautifully complimented by subtle still life imagery that serves as much needed punctuation -they feel like whispers, sweet and faint but mournful and plaintive.

I've written about the relationship between love and pain before, both feelings eternally codependent and capable of manifesting themselves in the most surprising of ways. Together these new photographs by John Arsenault present an honest portait of a period in the artist's life that is clearly governed by pain, which in turn yields a group of photographs that are far more powerful than his former more light-hearted work. I am happy that some of the theatrics of the previous work can be seen in the image titles for the new work, but the images themselves remain autonomous. Where I would generally argue against the need for so much nudity, in this case I am not bothered for it is subdued by a somber, unresolved narrative that is beautifully and painfully relatable.

Make sure to check out the show at Clampart, also John is a pretty awesome dude!

John Arsenault: A Ghost Is Occupying My Heart

January 6th-February 12th

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 6th, 6:00PM

PRESS RELEASE

Dancers

2010-12-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

Watching Black Swan this past weekend brought me back to the years in art school when I photographed dancers. I was browsing through some of those pictures today since I've realized my site needs a long overdue makeover/update/redesign/ bigger images. I found these, which never made the cut but are so sweet.

All Images by Rafael Soldi

New Work

2010-12-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

As I waited for my bus I realized someone left their bible behind.

All Images by Rafael Soldi

Black Swan

2010-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

GO SEE IT.

Best film I have seen in a very very long time. Natalie Portman was fantastic, Mila Kunis surprised me and the film was exquisitely done.

Someone Like You

2010-12-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

This hits so close to home for me, perhaps too close. This brought me to tears this morning.

And yes, Adele is back! What a beautiful performer, my god.

I heard that your settled down.
That you found a girl and your married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
It ain't like you to hold back or hide from the lie.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I hoped you'd see my face & that you'd be reminded,
That for me, it isn't over.

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said:-
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.

You'd know how the time flies.
Only yesterday was the time of our lives.
We were born and raised in a summery haze.
Bound by the surprise of our glory days.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I hoped you'd see my face & that you'd be reminded,
That for me, it isn't over yet.

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said:-
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead", yeah.

Nothing compares, no worries or cares.
Regrets and mistakes they're memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said:-
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you.
I wish nothing but the best for you too.
Don't forget me, I beg, I remembered you said:-
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah.

2010-12-02T07:57:00.000-08:00





3rd Ward has just announced the launch of this season'sOpen Call – an international call for innovative, dynamic and exciting works in Sculpture, Installation, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Design, Illustration, Film, Video, Animation, Performance, and Sound (conceptual proposals also accepted). Each participating artist will be considered to receive the ultimate artist's experience – a 3-month live/work residency in New York City, a $5,000 cash grant and access to the resources to help create a body of work that is larger than the city itself, to present in his/her very own New York City solo exhibition. The Deadline is Friday, December 17, 2010 11:59pm EST. Click here to submit your best work now. Let New York City be the home of the solo show that garners you the attention you deserve. The opportunity to showcase your own exhibition, complete with a massive opening reception, is right here. New York City is yours, if you want it. Click here for full details. (via Humble)

Independent Curators International
		Curatorial Intensive Program Dates: July 10-18, 2011 Application Deadline: March 18, 2011 www.ici-exhibitions.org www.twitter.com/curatorsintl www.facebook.com/curatorsintl
Share this announcement on: Facebook \| Delicious \| Twitter
Recognizing the need to support curatorial talent and provide low-cost practical training in the current economic climate, Independent Curators International (ICI) initiated the Curatorial Intensive—the first major short-course training program for emerging curators in the United States. Last year ICI organized two iterations of the Curatorial Intensive, bringing 31 curators from 14 countries and 13 states to New York to develop ideas for exhibitions and strengthen their curatorial thinking. This summer, 10-14 curators from around the world will be selected from an open competition to participate in the next Curatorial Intensive for a rigorous 8-day schedule of workshops, discussions, critiques, and presentations, as well as site visits to local institutions, private collections, and artists' studios. Teachers and advisors for this program include independent curators Cecilia Alemani andRegine Basha; Kate Fowle, Executive Director, ICI; Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy, Curator of Contemporary Art, Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros; Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator, White Columns; and Christian Rattemeyer, Associate Curator, Department of Drawings, MoMA. After the New York phase of the project is complete, ICI will continue working with participants long-distance to finalize their proposals for publication on ICI's website, so broad publics, as well as the hundreds of institutions with which ICI works, can view the final proposals. Application Guidelines Please visit ICI's website to apply for the Curatorial Intensive online. Applications must include a 300-word description of an exhibition idea that the applicant would like help in developing. This description should cover an exhibition concept and any artists that the applicant is considering for inclusion. Also required is a current resume, a short letter of intent that outlines why the applicant wants to participate in the program, and an example of a recent exhibition that has made an impact on the applicant. Fees and Scholarships The program fee is 1,500 USD. Participants are responsible for covering travel and accommodation expenses. ICI also offers generous scholarship packages, subsidizing or eliminating the program fees and travel expenses of four program participants. About the Curatorial Intensive The Curatorial Intensive is ICI's short-term, low-cost training program that offers emerging curators the chance to develop exhibition ideas and make connections to professionals in the field. It provides the opportunity for peer-group education, forging new networks between aspiring curators internationally. The Curatorial Intensive takes place twice annually in New York, and in other locations in conjunction with institutional partners worldwide. The Curatorial Intensive was developed by ICI's Executive Director, Kate Fowle, who joined the organization after working as the International Curator at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. Prior to her time in China, Fowle spent 6 years in San Francisco at the California College of the Arts, where she was the director of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice, which she founded in 2002 with Ralph Rugoff. The Curatorial Intensive is made possible, in part, by grants from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Dedalus Foundation, the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation; and by generous contributions from Toby Devan Lewis, James Cohan, and the supporters of ICI's Access Fund. For more information, visit ICI's website, or contact us at education@ici-exhibitions.org or 1-212-254-8200. About Independent Curators International ICI produces exhibitions, events, publications, and training opportunities for diverse audiences. In 35 years, ICI has organized 116 traveling exhibitions, profiling the work of more than 3,700 artists. The resulting networks include 590 museums, university art galleries, and art centers in 48 states and 25 countries. Working across disciplines and historical precedents, the organization is a hub that provides access to the people, ideas, and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. www.ici-exhibitions.org www.twitter.com/curatorsintl www.facebook.com/curatorsintl

RAFAEL SOLDI

Art Dubai 2012

Art Dubai

San Francisco Bits

Meet Sara

Meet Daria

In Progress

Future Husband

New Scans

2012 is the year

New Year's Brunch

Inspiration Overload // Part I

ICI Strikes Again

Independent Curators International (ICI) /Instituto Inhotim

My work on Feature Shoot

Shoot with Adam

It's time.

THANK YOU

I can't wait for this

I'll take what I can get

Another one from San Francisco

Still here

My Work on Soft Spot

Moving forward

Close your eyes and listen

Al, 2008

So honored to be a part of this

New Work

Long Shot Portfolio

More from Long Shot

Long Shot 2011 UPDATE

LONG SHOT 2011- Sponsor me!

NEW WORK

THANK YOU

ONE NIGHT ONLY: New Work Preview

IDENTITIES NOW

NEW WORK - Sneak Peak

Double Consciousness at C Street Gallery

Double Consciousness

UPDATES

Mark Morrisroe at ClampArt: ONE WEEK LEFT

Happy Easter

R.I.P. Tim Hetherington

NEW WEBSITE

Opportunities At The Photo Center

New Work

Another one from Ecuador

NEW WORK: Death Came And Got Me

Productive.

Life Support Japan

Help My Best Friend Go to Grad School

Artist Statement

Logan Bellew

Ellie Goulding covers Heartbeats, by The Knife

SPE National Conference Re-cap [ PART I ]

New Curatorial Opportunities

Young Curators Program and the Power Corporation of Canada Curatorial Internships Program

Steven Alvarez says Goodbye

Charlton, Coble/Riley and Feuer at Conner Contemporary Art in D.C.

Updates & New Work at Pun(c)tuation Gallery!

ICI Curatorial Intensive

Independent Curators International

New Apartment

Film is in the air

Drawn from Photography @ The Drawing Center

The Drawing Center

As of late

Katie Thompson sings With Him by Joey Contreras

Something out there is much bigger than me

NEW WORK - I'm Here, You're There

Coming Up at the Photo Center NW

Reteaching Gender & Sexuality

Reminders

The League of Imaginary Scientists at MOCA

Manjari Sharma @ Paul Kopeikin Gallery in LA

Holidays in Ecuador

New Work

Thank you, Mirna!

Adam Szymczyk Named 2011 Recipient of the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement

JOHN ARSENAULT: A GHOST IS OCCUPYING MY HEART at Clampart

Independent Curators International (ICI) /
Instituto Inhotim