Michael Slusakowicz @ Artland Gallery

Can't pretend that I'm in anyway familiar with the work of Michael Slusakowicz and can't seem to find out much about him online, but he has a solo show coming up at Manchester's Artland Gallery and I'm intrigued to see work by someone who puts together the two images above. It's either going to be really really interesting or really really dodgy.......

James Walmsley Artland's Director says of the work:

“The intelligence, sexuality, darkness, depth and terror of Michaels work has a gravitas not only to move, challenge, and disturb ….but also to question, explore and understand our capacity for brutality and the darkness that dwells in all of us.
In Michael's work I also see an outrage at an innocence and a love defiled….for if love and trust are abused and lost, then what do we become…..and what do we become capable of?
He is exploring universal themes that reference Milton, where angels become devils and gods become flesh. This resonates in the global politics of the present. Morality is blurred.The aggressor becomes the liberator and acts of opposition become acts of terrorism.That which is beautiful can be forbidden and the depraved and unjust can become heroic. “

"Fast Eddie, aka, My Dad" by Brenda Ann Kenneally.

An ongoing long term personal project, looking at the life of her dysfunctional Father. It would be hard not to make comparisons with "Ray's A Laugh" That's in no way a criticism like Billinghams project "Fast Eddie" has depth and integrity, as much autobiographical as social documentary. Kenneally talks candidly HERE. And HERE for more of here work.

Massimo Sordi.

Image copyright Massimo Sordi

Considering that the Indian film industry and Bollywood is as big as it is, photographing the cinema's and theatres where those films are shown makes for an interesting project. Shot with a more raw aesthetic than I've seen applied when US cinemas are the subject, say with Soth's Thirty-Three Theatres & A Funeral Home Massimo Sordi's style used for shooting his series Dreaming Bollywood fits nicely with the subject. If I had one very small criticism it's that I would have liked to see a little tighter editing. I think a pure Typology would work so well with this subject, but I'm a sucker for a good Typology and even so I did really enjoy the work.

An interesting point to finish on is when I spellchecked this post Blogger (Google) suggested "Hollywood" for the word "Bollywood". Considering that Bollywood produces twice as many films per year as it's American counterpart and sells around a Billion a year more in film tickets it seems a little cockeyed.

Buy Art Fair.

Well that's my first Art Fair as an exhibitor over. I've even managed to sell a couple of prints as well so that was nice. I've had a lot of good feedback about the book as well which has made my weekend. That's the book above on the plinth with two of my prints above it. #18 Bleach was one of the prints sold.

There was a ridiculously wide range of stuff there. Everything from some God awful shit from Austria, pretend paintings of Michael Jackson dancing to work by Jeff Koons! Even Damien had stuff there albeit very small.

There was stuff there by the latest hot properties such as Dan Baldwin (above) So in line with the bullshit of the Art world I am now going to adjust my CV to read "Has exhibited alongside the likes of Jeff Koons & Dan Baldwin". Then I'll stick the prices of my prints up to say...... £30

New Cliches of Photograhy #12

Crappy Photo's of "What I Eat" (I blame Stephen Shore)

Jennifer Ray.

Image copyright Jennifer Ray.

I've never been to the Amazon, probably never will, so I doubt I'll ever experience feelings on seeing great swathes of rainforest chopped and burned and stand there with tears in my eyes as the smoke chokes me. Manatees have still not returned to the murky waters of The River Irwell despite the best efforts of United Utilities, so the gut wrenching knowledge that I am watching perhaps the last one basking in the Autumn dusk of Trafford Wharf is something I need not fear. No I get my little bits of Eden in the green pockets in and around GM. And I get upset at mans disrespect and impact on these little idylls, by the fucking filth he leaves behind. Old cloths, used johnnies the odd shit..... Jennifer Ray's series "Go Deep Into The Woods"may not be about this, but that's what I take from the work, perhaps an unintended subplot? Still the ability to imbue images with different meanings for different viewers is a strength in a work of Art.

Found via the latest edition of Fraction Mag

You got to pick a (photographers) pocket or two.

So in yesterday's post I mentioned how I had this feeling that after this coming weekends Art Fair I would get signed up by a huge gallery and live happily ever after. And as if by magic the "old campaigner" Marcus Doyle posts some invaluable advice on how to survive in the commercial gallery world. Marcus knows his onions, so listen up.

(The above image is supposed to represent Gallery owners by the way and not Marcus.............)

Getting my shit together for this, THIS week. Should be good. I've got stuff here to sell as part of the Urbis Creatives. I'm looking forward to seeing some exciting work up close and personal and making an absolute fortune selling my work. I will no doubt be snapped up by a top gallery and be patronised by a wealthy and influential collector for the rest of my life.

Michael Najjar.

Image copyright Michael Najjar

Landscape is arguably the most traditional of genre's. Take this mountain range shot by German photographer Michael Najjar. Crystal clear and shot with a large format camera. That's what you'd expect. Take a closer look at that rock formation. Not quite right? That's because these landscapes from his series "High Altitude" have been reworked digitally to follow the peaks and falls of world wide stock market activity. His work is concerned with a society driven by computers and information technologies. Thinking outside the box then by using Landscape as a vehicle for exploring theses topics. Nice one.

After a fantastic Derby day these wise words from our leader.

"There has been a lot of expectation around City recently and they've been the top dog in terms of all the attention they've been receiving.

That's unusual for us, but sometimes you've got a noisy neighbour and have to live with it. City will always be noisy.

You can't do anything about them making noise. All you can do is get on with your life, put your TV on and turn it up a bit louder". Sir Alex Ferguson.

Thanks Kodak! circa 1981

LATITUDE PHOTOGRAPHERS: I ALWAYS KNEW YOU'D COME BACK

Peter Ainsworth, Christian Alegria, Martin Bardell, Marc Burden, Manuel Capurso, Ania
Dabrowska, Hannah Dakin, Ellie Davies, Caroline Furneaux, Vron Harris, Jochen Klein,
Richard Kolker, Issa Randall, Rita Soromenho, Gillian Vaux.

Image copyright Ellie Davies.

A collaborative work, produced in response to the relationship between cinema and
photography. The installation investigates the notion of the cinematic cliché, involving
audience interaction to create an evolving storyboard. Participants are encouraged to edit
a sequence of images that explores a personal vision or narrative in response to the
theme. These interactions are presented in relation to video works that document the
works previous incarnation at Format09 and Latitude Festival earlier in the year. Produced
in consideration of the boundaries between individual and collective authorship the work
represents the ethos of latitude photographers to incorporate differences in approach while
retaining the feel of a group response.

Private View: 1st Oct 2009, Thursday, 6pm-9pm
Exhibition Open: 2nd -7th Oct 2009, everyday, 12pm-6pm
Swanfield Yard, 2b Swanfield St, London E2 7DS.
nearest tube: Liverpool St, Old St
admin@latitudephotographers.com

www.latitudephotographers.com

Institute Of Critical Zoologsts.

Image copyright Renhui Zhao/ICZ


Considering that photography is still a fairly modern art form we can, as practitioners be incredibly conservative compared to other forms of visual art. Tradition is rife and on the whole, whether in art or life in general. tradition is seldom all it's cracked up to be. The Internet has opened up (or at least should have done) a whole world of exciting possibilities but still too many photographers/artists can see no further than a white gallery wall.

Imagine creating a complete museum/institute/research establishment for your images? Imaginative, thought provoking confusing and fraudulent? Just who or what can we trust? And on top of all that questions about the environment, mans relationship with other species and the representation of animals in art. And all around the bi-centenary of Darwin's birthday. That may well be a coincidence and nothing to do with anything but I'll give them that coz

I love the thought process and playfulness behind THIS. This is proper clever shit.

Cheers!

Raising a glass to Keith Floyd 1943-2009

At Last Gordon Gets Something Right.

Last week I posted THIS: And for once well done to Gordon,

Prime Minister:
2009 has been a year of deep reflection – a chance for Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists,historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark andcelebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness ofdictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.
Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that,without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ – in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence – and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his ownlife just two years later.
Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turingand recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.
I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years thisgovernment has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s mostfamous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue.
But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united,democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was oncethe theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that inliving memory, people could become so consumed by hate – by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices– that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.
So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.
Gordon Brown.

If you would like to help preserve Alan Turing's memory for future generations, please donate here: http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/Petition information - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/turing/

Formed by Mishka Henner, Liz Lock and David Oates.
BlackLab is,

"here to revel in images old and new. We want to breathe new life into the presentation of still pictures by experimenting in collaboration with artists, musicians, film-makers and designers.We want to dispense with conventional forms of exhibiting photographs and create spaces in which images can collide and collude with film, soundscapes, slogans and texts." Here for more info.

It's about time Manchester had a photographers network..............

It's been a headfuck kinda week. I got THIS news last Tuesday. I work there you see, so to find out something like that from the front page of a news paper, well welcome to the real world Art Gallery boy.

So Manchester is to lose an Art venue, second city? I'd laugh if it wasn't so fucking sad. Thing is I can remember less than eighteen months ago Richard Leese standing outside saying how much the place was a symbol of what Manchester was about. Guess you changed your mind eh? Tony H will be spinning in his grave you hypocritical twat.

A bit like this statement

"Manchester is renowned around the world for its footballing heritage and attracts more visitors than any English city outside London. Having a nationally significant football destination here would make perfect sense so when the National Football Museum approached us we were naturally keen to explore this exciting idea. Talks have been very positive so far."
perfect sense? renowned as a footballing city? Is that why UTD got no parade last year despite winning the Champions League?

Anyway enough. For the time being at least as I still work there.

Normal Service will be resumed on the morrow.

I could have kicked myself a couple of years ago when I missed the Chapman's "BAD ART FOR BAD PEOPLE" at Liverpool Tate. So I'll be damned if I miss their Great, Great Spanish uncle at Manchester Gallery.... You do know he's not really their uncle right?

Late August, Pomona.

Image copyright Mark Page.

Alan Turing.

Use the computer that's in front of you that's hugely due to the man above, to put your name along with the other 26,000 to ask for an apology from the Prime Minister on behalf of The Government for the atrocious behaviour towards the father of modern computing, a war hero who was chemically castrated, ostracised and finally hounded to death by the British establishment for being gay......