Inspired by the recent photography book Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, commercial illustrator Bryan Christie has begun posting some new recreations of NYC storefronts on his blog. The illustrations are done in his familiar style – very slick and clean 3D stuff, which creates an interesting disconnect from these stores’ urban environments. There are three of them so far, hopefully more to come.
This series, entitled Babel Tales, is a recent work of Danish photographer Peter Funch. To create each photograph, he sat at an NYC street corner with a tripod and snapped away, eventually finding common elements amongst all the pictures and compositing those elements into one shot. The result is something familiar yet very artificial – feeling almost as if each photo is staged.
Ranier Valley, Washington
New York-based photographer Oliver Wasow works mostly with digital photography, having taught it at Bard and SVA. He creates hyperrealistic, crisp landscapes that at times can look like portals into another world. And while he’s refrained from it recently, his composite work from the late 90s is my favorite.
In these difficult economic times, with decreased support from corporate America, Gen Art is looking to its loyal supporters of the past 15 years to help it celebrate its successes while looking forward towards insuring another great 15 years of programming. This is your chance to personally help save a company we hope you believe in.
I ♥ Gen Art: 15th Anniversary Benefit will feature an exhibition of the works of over 60 of today’s most exciting emerging/mid-career artists working in mixed mediums who either are Gen Art alumni artists or have been affiliated with or supportive of Gen Art programming over the years. Artwork will be exhibited and available for sale.
All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Gen Art Foundation, whose ongoing mission is to support undiscovered talent and providing a platform for emerging artists to garner increased exposure to a loyal audience of consumers and media.
June 24, 2009
7-11pm
*7-8pm VIP Preview
7 W. 34th St.
11th Floor
NY, NY
Brea Souders, New York photographer, is opening up her studio for the public while she takes part in the Bushwick Open Studios and Arts Festival on June 7th. The image above is from an older series in her portfolio that explores the human desire to develop superstitions as a reaction to their “need for control in an uncertain world.” Each photograph plays on this theme through candid and staged scenes, where Souders believes her subjects are mentally returning to a “childhood sensibility,” what she believes is the root to superstition. I think her photographs carry an interesting feeling of stillness; they all feel quiet and calm, but also a little haunted.
Jess Douglas is in her last year at the University of Plymouth, UK, where she studies Illustration. In her About Me section, she states the following: “Everything I discover around me has potential… urban detritus, peeling paint and filthy concrete structures. I find the ugly and mundane to be beautiful, its character and stories inspiring.” These are photos mainly of her screen prints and drawings from her sketchbook. I feel they definitely capture the beauty in the mundane in the way that they isolate the objects and structures, translating them into solid lines and eliminating the daily clutter that usually surrounds them.
I love the use of color in Tasha Kusama’s work. The Soft Sculptured Dolls piece remind me of some sort of urban resident aliens because of the bright converse combined with striped tube socks.
