On the Chaos of Bodies: David Grubbs and John Sparagana in Conversation
April 22, 2018
On the Chaos of Bodies: David Grubbs and John Sparagana in Conversation h/t Julie Thompson
Photographer of Marlboro Ads Exhibits Photos Richard Prince Copied
April 5, 2018
Photographer of Marlboro Ads Exhibits Photos Richard Prince Copied
“Clasen says, “It just dawned on me how much work [ad agency] Leo Burnett and the various photographers…had put into this campaign.” He shot his ad assignments on film, following real cowboys who had been selected and cast for the ads, and spent long days shooting on location. He explains, “I thought of all the pride the cowboys, the agency, the photographers put into this, and then for someone to sit in their living room and take a picture of it, crop part of it out and sell it for a million dollars, finally sort of got to me. I thought: If this isn’t morally, ethically and legally wrong, what is?””
Two observations:
- Photographer of images still not even named in headline. Prince has taken Clasen’s images, but also his likeness as an artist in a way.
- Interesting for Clasen to speak about the morality of “taking” a photograph and recontextualizing it (as well as materially altering the composition) without speaking about the morality of the situation under which the photograph was commissioned. Is a picture using the likeness of cowboys made to sell cigarettes really to be treated so preciously? Does the labor of the photographer (which he emphasizes) involved justify the work as valid? I noticed this a lot while working in photojournalism – equating the physical effort and time spent making the images, getting access etc as justification for ownership/publishing.
Hyperallergic Reviews of Mark Bradford and Cy Twombly
March 28, 2018
Hyperallergic reviews: Mark Bradford / Cy Twombly
Nina Chanel-Abney
March 26, 2018
The work of Nina Chanel-Abney
“The art that I’m drawn to and find the most impactful has a certain level of ambiguity that forces me to answer many questions for myself”
On a personal note, seeing her work in person (Royal Flush at the Nasher in 2017) was one of those experiences that changed how I thought about my own work. I was lucky enough to have her visit my studio last week, and I’m even more of a fan after that.
Away with Green Aesthetics
March 22, 2018
“Ecological impact seems to be an abstract scientific fact that is measurable though not necessarily palpable; something discussed by experts and not felt by ordinary people on a daily basis. When a city tree is felled, hardly anyone considers the annual loss of cubic meters of oxygen. Yet on a sunny day, many inhabitants will definitely regret the disappearance of its refreshing shade. Second, appreciating green spaces for their ecological significance is risky because it amounts to considering solely their instrumental value, which may result in appreciating them in terms of efficiency. From this perspective, one might rationalize replacing a tree with some equally effective “ecological device.” For now, nature stands protected but only because it is less expensive than its ersatz counterparts. Were costs to reverse, it could become extremely difficult to persuade technocratic societies to protect nature for its productive potential alone.”