Raciel CATRO - nipple and pec king of them all and now getting wet and near naked for us - porn is next I hope
(Source: gay-legion)
“One day Paula (my daughter) came back from horseback riding. She took off her cap and I was struck by the image of her hair held together by a hair-net. It reminded me of the portraits by the Dutch masters and I portrayed her in that fashion.” Hendrik Kerstens
Hendrik Kersten’s photographs, particularly this noted series of his daughter, “Paula Pictures,” are known for referencing the work of Vermeer and other great Dutch masters of the 17th Century, while maintaining their delicate sense of light.
Lots of artists have used their families as models, and of course all of us take pictures of our own kin, but Kersten’s daughter Paula is an engaging subject on her own merits. We see her direct gaze and participate in the performance revealed through an economy of dress and styling—all under gentle, luscious light.
This collaboration results in stunning, humorous, and idiosyncratic portraits with a wonderful dash of Dutch Art History thrown in for flavor. For those who have two minutes, here is a lovely video of the series. And for those of you in New York, I encourage you to visit the Danziger Gallery to see these large-scale prints for yourself. —Lane Nevares
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” —Carl Sagan
One of the four artists recently shortlisted for the prestigious 2013 Deutsche Börse Prize is the Spanish photographer, Cristina De Middel, whose self-published book, “The Afronauts” takes us into the world of the Zambian space program of the 1960’s. Yes: the Zambian space program.
Known as the “Zambia National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy,” the unofficial organization, lead by an ambitious man named Edward Nkoloso, wanted Zambia, despite it’s Russian and American competitors, to be the first to Mars. Now that’s ambition for you.
Cristina De Middel carefully reveals the story through a brilliantly crafted photobook that creates an experience of both history and imagination. I have only perused a copy, but found the enigmatic photographs, charts, letters, and layout to be first-rate. De Middel, who is also a photojournalist, is skillfully blurring truth & fiction. None of these photos were taken in Zambia. And none of them are “real” in their depiction of actual events. De Middel is challenging our unwarranted belief in the photograph: the idea that what we see is somehow true, real, and authentic. When, after all, it’s just a photograph. —Lane Nevares
“I felt that children smoking would have a surreal impact upon the viewer and compel them to truly see the acts of smoking rather than making assumptions about the person doing the act.” Frieke Janssens
Last week, I attended the preview for, “Smoking Kids,” by the Belgian photographer, Frieke Janssens. I was impressed at how much fun an opening could be. Rather than a stuffy affair, it was packed with well-dressed Belgians out in support of one of their own, enjoying live music and good drink. In essence, a party.
Frieke Janssens images of smoking children may, on first take, seem real, but they’re not. With any photographic work, much lies in what we bring to the moment of engagement with the image. Understanding a photographer’s intent, therefore, can sometimes be a little ambiguous. With these beautiful portraits of children, I find that to be the case. Janssens is asking us to question the viewer’s relationship to smoking, and then what? Do these portraits transcend their stylized appeal?
Janssens is an accomplished photographer bold enough to follow her imagination wherever it may lead. She understands how to produce good work, and I salute her. I suspect that despite some finding her depiction of children controversial, much of the work will sell here, as it has in Europe. The exhibit is up until the 8th of February at the VII Gallery in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Stay tuned, you’ll be hearing more about Frieke Janssens. —Lane Nevares
“Beauty is a term that is always in development, it’s not a fixed thing and is very much subjective, so to me, it’s a perception.” Erwin Olaf
“It all begins with a dream,” Erwin Olaf told a group of us last Saturday. His latest show, Berlin, currently on view in NYC at Hasted Kraeutler and in London at Hamiltons Gallery is true to form for Olaf: sumptuous images layered with narrative, rich with details, and perfectly executed.
Using his dreams as surrealistic launching points, Olaf described his process of finding themes, unifying them, and working with his design team to bring them to fruition. This latest series, Berlin, took him outside of his Amsterdam studio and into a city steeped in history, where he could shoot his tableaux inside noted buildings, some of which have notorious histories. (Indeed, the stairs Olaf climbs in his self-portrait are the same that Hitler mounted into the Olympic Stadium.) These particular interiors, and the tales they contain, become part of the new story. Olaf’s Berlin series takes us into an enigmatic world where no one is telling us what to believe, but rather engaging us to conjure these stories ourselves. —Lane Nevares
“We are drowning in images. Photography is used as a propaganda tool, which serves to sell products and ideas. I use the same approach to show aspects to reality.” —Martin Parr
Just in time for summer, the noted British, Magnum photographer, Martin Parr’s, latest exhibit, Life’s a Beach, opens tomorrow at Aperture Gallery here in NYC. Mr. Parr, who enjoys immense popularity and recognition, has done much for Photography. In addition to his signature work, he’s a lecturer, collector, filmmaker, and all around disciple for the medium.
Parr’s work has always had its detractors asking whether he is taking the piss and exploiting the public for his own amusement and needs, or whether he is a serious artist revealing ourselves through color, composition and fill flash. Like most things, I think the truth lies somewhere in between. Martin Parr is doing things his own way.
“Life’s a Beach” is a color parade around the world. Parr’s keen interest in beaches (although not a sun bunny himself) and people takes us from the shores of India to Latvia to Thailand to Mexico and onwards, transforming banal scenes into ironic, humorous, curious and sometimes dispiriting riffs on people at the beach. It’s all classic Martin Parr.
In addition to the show, which will be a crowd-pleaser, there’s also a new mini-edition of the monograph available, as well as a video of Parr presenting the book. All great stuff. Martin Parr once signed my notebook not with his name alone, but rather inscribing,”Martin Parr was here.” Indeed, the same holds true for his images. —Lane Nevares
