Wandering through the caverns of the Miami Art Fairs can allow you to miss what is right in front of you. One of this year’s standouts came from Allison Schulnik, showing with the Mike Weiss Gallery in the Scope Art Fair. Using a Guston-influenced meaty texture and a spontaneous gesture, Schulnik’s paintings reference folklore and fairy tale through the mind of an animator. Her subject[…..]
On September 13th, Julia Fullerton-Batten opened her first American solo show titled In Between at the Randall Scott Gallery in Washington, D.C. This London based photographer has been gaining recognition over the past two years for her photographic series, which depict the struggle of adolescence. Julia Fullerton-Batten uses intense set design and photographs girls who are not professional models to enhance the uncomfortable and awkward[…..]
An exhibition by Taryn Simon titled An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar opened recently at the Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. This body of work spans four years of photographs addressing public access to American private and restricted locations. The images include many current cultural references including governmental and religious spaces, depicting the supposedly open yet concealed duality of American culture. Simon’s photos[…..]
South African photographer Pieter Hugo was named the Standard Bank Artist for Visual Art in 2007. Hugo has long challenged the issues that face Africa and other developing nations, photographing the harshness of the land and occupants. The artist confronts his subjects directly, offering a raw sensibility and humanism that forces the viewer to question preconceived notions and prejudices. The Standard Bank exhibition opened in[…..]
Bay-area photographer Heidi Zumbrun’s work emphasizes form and scale through a lack of information in the image. Her work has many associations with no clear explanation, perplexing the viewer through texture, scale and color. Zumbrun creates mysterious scenes that explore visceral, skin-like textures, yet resemble strangely placed pods in otherworldly landscapes. Her previous work has dealt with the complexities of medical ambiguity, and this interest[…..]
Tennessee-based artist Beth Edwards approaches the subject of toy dolls much like a still-life painter. The artist’s interest in this subject stems from the social implications that are conceived through the dolls and the impressions that they have on children. Often, Edwards will deviate for the exact image of a particular toy and re-contextualize the work by feminizing masculine toys or vice versa. For example,[…..]
Iranian artist Shirin Neshat addresses the role of women in Islamic society through compelling photo and video work. Her early work consisted of photos of veil-covered women in extremely compromised or uncomfortable positions with writing across their hands or faces. Her more recent work deals primarily with the transition between art and cinema, allowing for a narrative to create particular characters. By basing her video[…..]
