It is often that the photographic lens exemplifies the artistic genius behind the camera as much as the subject that it photographs. That’s not to say that this process is inapplicable to any other form of art production. But if it is only for the pictorial expression of eternal spiritual truths that justifies the existence of icons (and idols), the photography of belief systems –[…..]
Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying In the yellow haze of the sun There were children crying and colors flying All around the chosen ones All in a dream, all in a dream – Neil Young, After the Gold Rush, 1970 Recent contemporary photography, particularly examples frequenting the walls of major museums, often seems drained of political poignancy, given over instead to[…..]
Zoe Crosher’s haunting photographs—showcasing spots where both fictional and non-fictional characters disappeared—have been on display for the last month at Las Cienegas Projects in Los Angeles. The show closes July 16th. Crosher recently sat down with DS writer Carmen Winant to talk about the project and her work in general. Carmen Winant: Hi Zoe! Thanks for agreeing to talk with us. In your latest series,[…..]
L.A. Expanded: Notes from the West Coast A weekly column by Catherine Wagley Rarely do I smell cigarettes in public these days. If they smoke at all, people close to me tend to bring out lighters only on occasions involving heavy drinking. This shift is a surprising testament to common sense. Occasionally, it seems, we can do what’s best for us. Of course, that common[…..]
Many of us, at one point, have felt near our breaking point with the life we live and the sacrifices we have to make in order to even have that life. Escaping our day-to-day, or “the man” at large is at times the sweetest fantasy. Through a collection of portraits of the lives of men who have removed themselves from society, Alec Soth’s Broken Manual[…..]
Today’s article is brought to us from our friends at Flavorwire, where Caroline Stanley discusses the greatest disappearing act, the art of Liu Bolin. Beijing-based artist Liu Bolin is the master of blending in with the world around him — no matter what the environment. Which is ironic, considering as he explained to The Daily Mail last year, “The inspiration behind my work was a[…..]
In The Body in Pain: The Making and Unmaking of the World, scholar Elaine Scarry describes the inability of language to interpret and express physical pain: “By its very nature, pain resists, even destroys the language that grapples with it.” But what of the capacity of visual art to interpret and translate this bodily experience? “For a Long Time”, on view now at Roberts &[…..]
