- Joe Johnson
The goal of so many photographers is to capture the essence of a place, using the camera to reveal the shaded strangeness within environments. This endeavor is often tricky due to the familiarity that the viewer may have with a specific subject or location. If these factors don’t already seem daunting enough, try throwing religion into the mix!
© Joe Johnson
In Joe Johnson’s series titled “Mega Churches”, environment and the commercial shaping of religion are investigated through sometimes dizzyingly complex photographs. I think what makes Johnson’s series so compelling is that he realized the true subject he was trying to capture. Instead of focusing on the people who attend these churches (who I assume are equally as interesting), and even their relation to their places of worship, Johnson noticed their treatment of Christianity.
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
These are gaudy temples of flash and pizzazz, spaces where conviction is spewed out like a rock concert and showmanship is paramount. Nothing is left out of “Mega Churches“. From the cheesy movie theater/hotel like patterns adorning carpet and seating, to the control rooms that would rival the best television studio, Johnson has captured a religion gone off the deep end, radical faith in the most ‘Americanized’ sense.
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
© Joe Johnson
- Stuck in the middle with you
I read a post on Tim Briner’s blog (HYSMD) that got me thinking. How does one ethically profit from emerging artists? Considering that so many of us photographers are constantly teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it seems like an obvious question.
I’ve always thought that if the institution, gallery, curator, publisher, etc, truly wants to promote emerging talent, and declares that they believe in a said artist, they shouldn’t initially be asking for so much as a penny. I tossed around the idea early on, the notion of requiring a submission fee, and I just couldn’t stomach it. This is not to say that all submission fees are bad, in fact, a project like Pause, to Begin uses these fees ethically by stretching them out (Ethan and David’s road trip wasn’t exactly a ‘private jet’ affair) to try and produce an interesting and innovative end result. The fact remains that too many projects, spaces, and individuals, are sucking money out of emerging artists without any sense of history building.
Let’s throw the issue of commerce out the window for a moment. One thing I realized early on from the having a blog is that exposure, the promotion of an emerging talent, gives an artist both the confidence and self-respect to believe in their work. This is crucial to not only the development of his/her practice, but the evolution of the medium itself. It affords the artist a venue to be both explored and acquired commercially. The barrier here is the patron to artist relationship, one where the “middleman” takes over and becomes a sort of “art messiah”, a signifier whom the public assumes is the only individual enabled to point out both talent and authenticity.
This odd relationship so frequently becomes skewed by the way work is sold, particularly on the Internet. Where the initial action of a primary deal (artist-to-dealer-to-consumer) seems promising, the end result is usually more like a secondary transaction (dealer-to-consumer) by way of fees. I have to ask, does the emerging artist benefit from sustaining the dealer’s commercial interests under the guise of harmless promotion?
However, I want to point out here that we cannot totally place the blame on these “middlemen”, curators, or gallerists. As artists we need to take matters into our own hands. The constant complaint that we lack fair outlets, particularly in a time where promotion and connectivity are so easily accessible and affordable, is laughable. It takes less than $200 Canadian per year (around $16 per month) to sustain The We Can’t Paint Network (without ads by the way), so there is really no excuse for artists to declare that opportunities are few and far between. With a small investment, some self-education (tutorials are everywhere), a bit of creative networking (get off your butt and talk to people), and hard work, we can change this situation into something where both artists and the creative individuals who support us (curators, critics, etc) can all benefit.
Nonetheless, I think Tim is on to something (although I do believe what Jen is doing is wholly beneficial to the artists involved; as I’m sure Tim somewhat does too). He is asking the same and important question that most of us photographers are - Is there a better way, for all of us?
- Surgery
The We Can’t Paint Blog will be quiet for a couple of days as I try to bounce back from surgery. The good news for you readers is that I need about a month to fully recover providing you with plenty of good content to counter my absolute boredom.
This week look forward to a great Non-Photography Friday, a few amazing photographers, and, due to a handful of “male nudity hate mail” (see my “Various” post; specifically Ryan Pfluger’s work), a giant post titled “An Ode to Cock: The Penis in Contemporary Photography”.
- New Matthew Sleeth Website
Matthew Sleeth got in touch with We Can’t Paint to let you know that his new website is now online. Formatted like a Google’s search page, Sleeth’s portfolio is an interesting mix of “artpage” and online promotion; it works perfectly.Sleeth also has a show coming out soon:
I’d like to let you know about my new show ‘Pattern Recognition’ which is part of the 2008 Melbourne International Arts Festival. The full exhibition will be seen at Sophie Gannon Gallery from Tuesday 30 September to Saturday 25 October and individual series will also be seen on billboards, video screens, tram stops and public displays around Melbourne.
If you’re unfamiliar with Sleeth’s work, check out my brief review of his latest book Ten Series / 106 Photographs I did back in February here.
- Tim Briner in Review Magazine
In the most recent issue of Review Magazine We Can’t Paint favourite Tim Briner has a few new images from his yet to be released “Boonville” Project (check out my interview with Tim here)
Download the PDF here.
- Various
All is relatively quiet in the blogosphere and that can only mean one thing, summer has tightened its grip. These months are some of the hardest times to blog (as are holiday breaks) and I’m sure you the readers are feeling the pinch. In fact, We Can’t Paint has been less than desirable as of late so I apologize.
So in light of these dog days of summer and the busy schedule, I thought I would try something different. Today I’m going to briefly go through some of the things I’ve been checking out on my three-minute breaks. Think of it as (yet another) Non-Photography Friday but only this edition is slimmer, without a strict core focus, and includes some photography.
Fantastic Man
It has been a long time since I’ve picked up a fashion magazine and even longer since I bought one. They, particularly men’s magazines, are relatively dull, often showcasing the usual light content within a tight and unchanging template.
A couple months ago I was handed something called Fantastic Man. After flipping through the publication I was hooked, this was the first magazine I have ever read from beginning to end. The design is top notch, surprising when you consider that much of ithe magazine is in black and white and the core font used is Times (the original Times New Roman), and the articles and photo shoots are clever, creative, and insightful, never taking themselves too seriously.
Fantastic Man is the brainchild of designer, publisher, and editor Jop van Bennekom, so if you’re interested in a similar publication, the humorously named BUTT Magazine is a must read. People are only born this clever. For more information on Van Bennekom check this nice post by style guy Glenn O’ Brien.
Other fashion related material of note are Swarta, a unique take on the idea of a fashion magazine, The Sartorialist (it’s funny how a simple concept generates fresh and interesting results), and the AFG Photo Agency (David Benjamin Sherry, Roe Ethridge, etc).
Two Beatles Covers
Fiona Apple
Across the Universe
Franco Battiato
Ruby Tuesday
BBC
While the CBC has become a bit of a mirror of the corporate stations, the BBC remains one of the best, if not THE best, places to catch documentaries and cultural programing. Building upon Blue Planet and the massive Plant Earth series, BBC has produced another gorgeous documentary called Galapagos. If you’re lucky enough to know someone who has a Blue-Ray player I highly recommend you check out this little known film, the visuals alone are worth the trouble.
If you missed it the last time around I also recommend you check out the The Genius of Photography. While the content isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking, the series is immensely enjoyable and a great way to fall in love with the medium all over again.
See it on You Tube here.
Torrents available here.
Ryan Pfluger
While looking over an incredible submission to Wassenaar Magazine (you know who you are) I stumbled across Ryan Pfluger’s ”Men I’ve met” series. Aside from the obvious issues the project brings up, I was struck by the raw beauty and mastery of portraiture which is so constant throughout Pluger’s photography.
© Ryan Pfluger
© Ryan Pfluger
© Ryan Pfluger
© Ryan Pfluger
© Ryan Pfluger
Also worth a look is Pluger’s series “Not without my father“.
Director File
I’m a big Chris Cunningham fan so every couple of months I revisit the Directors File to graze upon some missed media. The website was started around eight years ago by an Ohio University student named Kevin Holy. Unfortunately due to the lack of news as well as his diagnosis with Asperger syndrome, Holy has ceased updating the mammoth tribute. You can still access this amazing archive and check out the work of Michael Gondry and Cunningham.
- New Nocturne and Stuff
Skull, 2008 © Noel Rodo-Vankeulen
I’ve uploaded a few new photographs into my Nocturne series, check the project out here.
Left: Moon-face, 2007 Right: Chelsea, 2008 © Noel Rodo-Vankeulen
Great Grandfather and Freemasons, 2008 © Noel Rodo-Vankeulen
Also, thanks to everyone who is submitting work, keep those selections rolling in! The final date to submit is August 1st (click here for details) so mark it on your calendar.
I’m going to resume posting on Thursday (due to the heavy work load and other stuff resting on my shoulders) so be sure to visit.
Since I’m basically confined to my basement with work I’ll end this post with the best, and creepiest, subterranean dweller song. Hint: “Silence of the Lambs“, or “Clerks 2“, or recently “GTA IV“.
Original
Remix
Wait, did I just break the APE blogging rule?
Note: Some of you have emailed me about the inability to comment. There seems to be a problem with my code so I’ve disabled commenting for the momment and I’ll try and sort out the problem as soon as possible.
