LOOK INTO MY OWL

“Incredible Me,” is an exhibition of selected photographs from Ivonne Thein’s series “Thirty-two kilos”. The show is up now and runs through the end of February at Galerie Voss in Duesseldorf.

Ivonne Thein, o.T. 04 (32kg), photograph, 2008.

Thein photographed healthy models in fashion scenarios and with the aid of digital manipulation was able to transform the images into these extremes. “Thirty-two kilos” was inspired by the artist’s fascination with the Pro-Ana movement. Pro-Ana refers to the belief by some that anorexia should be considered a lifestyle choice instead of a mental illness.

Ivonne Thein, o.T. 07 (32kg), photograph, 2008.

Identities in this imagery have been hidden by wigs and bandages in a venture to negotiate the humanity of her subjects. This objectification approaches the nucleus of the problem by displaying the absurdity of the goal. When the body becomes object criterions that sustain life cease to apply.

Ivonne Thein, o.T. 12 (32kg), photograph, 2008.

Ivonne Thein
Incredible Me
22 January – 27 February 2010
Galerie Voss
Duesseldorf, Germany

“Library of Dust,” a series of large scale photographs from 2005 by David Maisel is on view at the Von Lintel Gallery in NYC.

David Maisel, Library of Dust 103-566, c-print, 2005.

His subjects are the canned remains from the formerly named Oregon State Insane Asylum. The patients became part of this unusual collection because their ashes were never claimed by family or friends. In the mid 1970’s the canisters were placed in an underground depository which flooded repeatedly over the past several decades.

David Maisel, Library of Dust 1834, c-print, 2005.

The response of the copper containers to the water formed some astounding chemical reactions. Metaphorically, it is as though the inmates of the asylum, forgotten by loved ones have reasserted their individuality in an attempt to be once more remembered. The size of the prints amplifies the anomalies accomplishing a ghostly impression of portraiture.

David Maisel, Library of Dust 1470, c-print, 2005.

David Maisel
Library of Dust
21 January – 27 February 2010
Von Lintel Gallery
NYC

Twenty-three color photographs by Alexis Pike are showing in Berkeley, California. “Claimed: Landscape” can be seen by appointment at the Rosier Gallery through April, 6.

Alexis Pike, A Teton – St. Anthony Idaho, photograph, 2005.

Anyone that has traveled through rural portions of the American West has spotted these landscape murals at roadside shanties offering goods and services. Most of these scenes were painted by artistically ambitious small business owners or wayward nomads short on cash.

Alexis Pike, Drive-in – Burley Idaho, photograph, 2006.

The compositional aesthetic of Pike’s photographs spotlights the interaction of folk artworks and the environments they inhabit. The faded paint and cracked surfaces of these paramnesic murals engage the very real necessities of daily life and business. The layers of paradox embrace the compunctions of moving forward and falling back. More from this series can be viewed at this link.

Alexis Pike, Red Chairs – Bliss Idaho, photograph, 2006.

Alexis Pike
Claimed: Landscape
7 January – 6 April 2010
Rosier Gallery
Berkeley, CA

Bay Area artist Deborah Oropallo is bringing a large selection of prints down the California coast for her latest exhibition. “Wild Wild West Show” opens this Friday at Scott White Contemporary Art in San Diego.

Deborah Oropallo, Randi, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

The source material for much of this content is salvaged from online sources for cowgirl costumes. These advertisements have been digitally manipulated and superimposed on familiar Old Western photographs and recent rodeo imagery. The diluted figures blend with the landscapes and take on a frenzy that incites dimensional illusion.

Deborah Oropallo, Drill Team, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

As is the case with viewing most artwork online, scale is lost on these stunning pieces. Some of the works measure nearly seven feet on their long side. At this size, the digital artifacts sear with a saturated color palette that demands attention from a substantial distance.

Deborah Oropallo, Medals, permanent pigment print on aluminum, 2009.

Deborah Oropallo
Wild Wild West Show
8 January – 6 March 2010
Scott White Contemporary Art
San Diego, CA

Andrew Moore is currently showing for the fifth time at the Yancey Richardson Gallery in NYC. For this series the photographer has examined some charismatic buildings that have relinquished to decay in the city of Detroit.

Andrew Moore, National Time, Detroit, Michigan, 2009, photograph, 2009.

Andrew Moore returned to Detroit seven times over the past two years in order to capture these stunning images. He visited several abandoned spaces including a burned out school where the clocks have melted on the wall. Also among these amazing relics are images of the seldom seen Ford Factory on the River Rouge.

Andrew Moore, The Rouge, Detroit, Michigan, 2008, photograph, 2008.

Some viewers may be possessed by fits of melancholic nostalgia but Moore’s interest is in the beauty that accumulates when material accomplishments are returned to the natural world. He states, “Detroit is more than a story of physical decline, decay and transformation; it is a city where the distortion of time is inventing new symbols for the America of the future.”

Andrew Moore, Model T Headquarters, Detroit, Michigan, 2009, photograph, 2009.

Andrew Moore
Detroit
5 November 2009 – 9 January 2010
Yancey Richardson Gallery
NYC

Photographs created by Simen Johan over the past several years are on view at the Yossi Milo Gallery in NYC.

Simen Johan, Untitled #152, c-print, 2008.

For the ongoing series, “Until the Kingdom Comes”, Johan travels widely and captures images of both wild and captive animals. The photographic data is transposed into a digital studio where the artist arranges his subjects in a variety of geographic settings. The results display unlikely cohabitants in atypical environments.

Simen Johan, Untitled #140, c-print, 2007.

The striking reality of these impossibilities galvanizes the viewer with the feeling of a unique exclusive. Similarly fantastic properties are exhibited in Simen Johan’s taxidermy sculptures (not pictured) which are also at the gallery. If you are in the city head over and check out something wild.

Simen Johan, Untitled #156, c-print, 2007.

Simen Johan
Until the Kingdom Comes
10 September – 31 October 2009
Yossi Milo Gallery
NYC

An exhibit of large format photography from Anne Hardy is on view at Maureen Paley in London. This marks the artist’s second solo show at the gallery.

Anne Hardy, Coordinate, diasec mounted c-type print, 2009.

Hardy creates these installations in her studio with the intention of photographing the finished piece. Found objects clutter the spaces with a haphazard brilliance that vacillates between genius and madness.

Anne Hardy, Prime, diasec mounted c-type print, 2009.

These aberrate territories frolic in their own logic. The artist commingles with objects and space to form the other. It is this character, never seen but borne from the creative process that encourages the viewer to speculate about this fictional persona and the goals they pursue.

Anne Hardy, Detached, diasec mounted c-type print, 2009.

Anne Hardy
9 October – 22 November 2009
Maureen Paley
London

Images courtesy Maureen Paley, London.

A solo exhibition of works by the late artist and architect Simon Ungers is on display at the Gering & López Gallery in NYC.

Simon Ungers, Light Works Museum, three renderings mounted to glass, one drawing mounted to glass, 1 DVD, 2005-2009.

Simon Ungers matured his aesthetic early on in post-war Germany. It was a place mired in the task of rebuilding, forgetting and trying to remember. When the human spirit is forlorn, survival depends on extraordinary signs of hope to continue. Ungers found his release through visionary architecture and sculptural works that pine for a better place.

Simon Ungers, Column (in Light), photograph printed on vinyl, 2009.

The bulk of the exhibition is made up of two-dimensional renderings of Ungers’ light works. This imagery allows the viewer to explore the sculptures in ideal settings at carefully conceived angles.

The highlight of the show centers on the large piece, “Light Installation” (below). Before his passing in 2006, Simon Ungers envisioned exhibiting the large work in the gallery’s Chelsea space. This show represents the fulfillment of his desire. The large columns of light and their placement evoke several architectural concerns. They are at once atrium and nave with specific reference to support. It’s certainly a passage worth taking in person.

Simon Ungers, Light Installation, acrylic, steel, fluorescent light fixtures, installation view, 2001.

Simon Ungers
Light Works
17 September – 31 October 2009
Gering & López Gallery
NYC