Amidst the endless sea of photographs hanging on partitioned walls at the Paris Photo fair this week, presentations of clusters and grids of photos seemed to multiply the attraction to some works of art.


Stopping people in their tracks, this approach forces one's gaze to bounce around the grids, and then to hone in on one image then another, eyes concentrating with intensity, then moving on again and back.


Three such grids include a series of self-portraits by Lee Friedlander; jam-packed Japanese commuters in Michael Wolf's series Tokyo Compression; and a collection of anonymous cheesecake photos selected by Alec Soth and framed in wooden boxes that echo the feeling of the cheap wood paneling one would find in the motel bedrooms where many of these images seem to have been made during furtive affairs.

Posted by jimcasper at 1:20 PM

These impromptu portraits feature ordinary and eccentric Parisians wearing vintage hand-painted Carnival masks. Fine-art photographer Vee Speers made this series just for fun — with her iPhone — over the course of a few dinner parties with friends.

The effect of the cartoon-like painted faces on 3D human bodies flattens and expands the images, playing tricks on the eye in a dizzying manner.

See more photos, and read more, in Lens Culture.

Posted by jimcasper at 12:46 PM

For people who love photography, Paris is THE place to be in November.

There are literally more exhibitions, events, conferences, lectures, and booksignings than anyone can possible see in one month during the citywide celebration of the photographic image. Here we show a preview of the biennial Month of Photography. We also preview the upcoming exhibitions of the fringe festival, Mois de la Photo OFF, as well as a comprehensive overview of the photography art market and fair Paris Photo.

Lens Culture is pleased to host the 3rd annual Lens Culture FotoFest Paris international portfolio review November 12-14, including a Meet the Artist evening that features emerging photographers from 35 countries — an amazing evening that is free and open to the public, November 13.

Posted by jimcasper at 3:11 PM

Lens Culture is pleased to present a high-resolution slideshow preview of 276 photographs that will be featured at Paris Photo 2012 in November. This is the largest and most important photography art fair in Europe — so in many ways, this is what the international art market looks like right now for photography.

Posted by jimcasper at 2:19 PM

Jeff Cowen Photographic Works, Artist Talk, Köln 2012 from Jim Casper on Vimeo.

Photographer-Artist Jeff Cowen spoke about his work and approach to art in a conversation recorded at Michael Werner Kunsthandel in Köln Germany. Art Historian Jennifer Crowley and Lens Culture Director Jim Casper participated in the conversation with Cowen.

Cowen makes original mural-size, sculptural, painterly photographic works that are visually stunning and beautiful but defy easy categorization. His comments offer insight into his working methods and goals.

This video is a 13-minute edit that contains excerpts from the public conversation that ranged over a wide range of topics.

Jeff Cowen and Jim Casper will conduct a 5-day Masterclass for Photographers, in Paris, October 18-22, 2012. For more details, and to register, see bildernordic.no/en/archive/register-for-the-5-day-photography-masterclass-in-paris-with-jeff-cowen-and-jim-casper-october-18-22/

Posted by jimcasper at 9:18 AM

Yay! An all-new issue of Lens Culture is online now, free.
Contemporary photography.
Since 2004.

This edition saunters through digital narcissism and ignorance; a celebration of Queer love and expression in America; Portraits of Rwandan children born of rape; fairy tale stories of a very young Russian mother and her daughter, growing up together in fantasy-reality; Grandmothers' favorite ethnic recipes from around the world; trying to picture the "psychology of an occupied culture" in the West Bank, Palestine; a celebration of uniformed flight attendants high in the skies; God's-eye views of Mexican laborers in pick-up trucks commuting to work in wealthy suburbs; self-portraits of a naked young woman in public crowds of New York City; photo crime mystery book Gomorrah Girl from Naples Italy; Russian art museum Guardians who become like chameleons around the art they protect; satellite images of global capitalist centers stitched into patterns like Persian rugs; the last remaining Boikos in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains; 1,000 Buddhas, and more...

lensculture.com

Special thanks to C.A. Strand, Sam Pribish and Millie for splendid production, design and proofing. Now rest your bleary eyes for a few hours.... And very special thanks to all of the talented and generous photographers, artists and writers who contributed to this issue!

Enjoy!

Posted by jimcasper at 12:37 AM

Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America is an ongoing photography / biography archive project by Molly Landreth. It is rich with imagery, honesty, humor, and individual stories. It's a celebration of life and love, and it avoids the usual clichés.

Here's the story about this photo of Stella and Sterling, written 5 years after it was taken:

STELLA 2012:

"Basically, when this photo was taken, me and Sterling had recently broken up. Well, of course, that’s what gives this photo such a strange undertone. I look angry. Well, my choice in eyebrows doesn’t help the situation. Our mattresses had been pushed apart prior to the photo I believe. That was a big deal. I was waiting to hear back about a new apartment and we were awkwardly living together after the break up in a one bedroom. And then the “happy valentines day” box, pinned above our beds. It looks so empty and lonely up there. I remember being excited to be featured in your project and I’m still glad I did it but I also remember thinking we were fooling everyone that we were still together in the photo that so many people who didn’t know us at all would be viewing. Looking back at it years later, I see we weren’t fooling anyone. Though it was an uncomfortable time in my life, I’m happy that you were able to capture the situation so perfectly."

See many more portraits and related stories from this series here in Lens Culture.

Posted by jimcasper at 11:48 AM

Gabriele Galimberti is a talented, ambitious photographer, always traveling the world in search of adventure, good stories, interesting people and ... great local food.

And because he’s an Italian who loves to cook and eat, it’s no surprise that one of his “side projects” is now becoming a unique photobook: Grandmothers from around the world, sharing their most popular recipes.

Not only did this project give him an excuse to photograph inside home kitchens all around the world — he also got delicious home-cooked meals at every stop!

Discover 18 wonderful grandmothers and their favorite dishes
in the latest issue of Lens Culture.

How to prepare Lambi in creole sauce:

Ingredients:

4 big Lambi
One onion, garlic, one leek, two Haitian chillies, one lime, a bitter orange, one tomato, parsley, salt, pepper and seed oil
Haitian rice
One plantain per person
One coconut and some Haitian mushrooms
Black beans
Dried river and saltwater shrimps

Preparation:

The first thing to do is fish the lambi from the Caribbean Sea. Lambi (Strombus gigas) is a big shellfish, 30 cm in length, from which you can pull out the fish by making a hole in the upper edge of the shell. Wash it properly and cut the claw as well as the other hard parts. Cut it in thin slices.

Crush and strain the garlic, leek, parsley, chilies, bitter orange juice, lime and salt. Add some tomato puree and seed oil.

Add the lambi to this mixture, and bring to boil, pouring continuously more water and a juice made with grated coconut and water.

On a side, prepare some rice (Haitian, and not American, rice). Wash and fry some local black beans (pois congo). Prepare the spices for the rice: leek, parsley, garlic, pepper, chillies, tritri (dried baby river shrimps), dried saltwater shrimps, jonjon (local mushrooms), grated coconut, oil. Wash the rice and add it to the beans and spices. Cover the pan and let the water evaporate.

In another pan, heat some seed oil and fry the plantains cut in thick slices. Take them off the oil, crush them and then fry them again.

Serve everything on a dish, but be careful to keep the three elements (rice, lambi and plantains) separate.

You can accompany this dish with an ice-cold Prestige (Haitian Beer).

Posted by jimcasper at 4:55 PM

While we are planning our photography Masterclass in Paris with Jeff Cowen (October 18-22, 2012), and our 3rd annual photography portfolio review, Lens Culture FotoFest Paris 2012 at Spéos (November 12-14, 2012), we are reminded of some of the many photographers who captured the romance of Paris during the 20th century. It's wonderful to say that Paris has not changed much — it is as lovely and as visually romantic as ever.

Gallery owner Anna Walker Skillman from Jackson Fine Art in Georgia USA shared a dozen of her favorite Paris photos culled from the gallery's flat files, with a note that she's very eager to discover some great new contemporary photography when she returns to Paris to meet photographers during FotoFest Paris in November. Thanks, Anna!

Posted by jimcasper at 12:21 PM

Congratulations to British photographer Michael Marten. His remarkable new photobook Sea Change: A Tidal Journey Around Britain was just published by Kehrer Verlag. The book features diptychs taken from the same point during high tide and during low tide (often just 6 hours and 20 minutes apart).

He met his publisher last year at Lens Culture FotoFest Paris portfolio reviews. And, coincidentally, earlier in 2011, Marten won the Grand Prize in the Portfolio Category of the Lens Culture International Exposure Awards.

He also has a one-man show coming up at gallery@oxo in London on 26 September. Cheers!

YOU can still enter your photographs and multimedia to win one of Lens Culture International Exposure Awards 2012: lensculture.com/awards. Deadline is September 16, 2012.

AND you can still register for portfolio reviews in Paris (November 12-13-14, 2012): fotofest-paris.com.

Great work deserves to be seen all around the world!

Posted by jimcasper at 12:06 PM