LOOK INTO MY OWL

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

The commercial fashion photography of Sophie Delaporte is getting the fine art treatment in NYC. “Early Fashion Work” runs through the end of October at the Sous Les Etoiles Gallery.

Sophie Delaporte, L’homme à la pie, digital c-print, 1999.

There is an alien quality evident in the the sullen subjects of Delaporte’s photographs. They exist as shocks of heat against a cool field. Without this distinction the humans easily dissolve into inert compositional elements.

Sophie Delaporte, L’eolienne, digital c-print, 2000.

The figures are often overshadowed by solitary props that serve as signifiers assisting perception into fantastic possibility.

Sophie Delaporte, Pompon, digital c-print, 1999.

Sophie Delaporte
Early Fashion Work
17 September – 30 October 2009
Sous Les Etoiles Gallery
NYC

“Up Against”, an impressive variety of work from Janine Antoni currently inhabits the Luhring Augustine galleries in NYC.

Janine Antoni, Tear, lead, steel, HD video projection with surround sound, 2008.

The 4,182 pound wrecking ball that is part of the installation “Tear” (above) is accompanied by a projection of the artist’s eye. The wrecking ball was cast in lead and used to demolish a building. The soft metal gave slightly with each blow creating a history of each impact. The sound of these collisions have been synchronized to the blinking of the large eye. Should the effect be lost on the viewer, they should perhaps check for their own pulse.

Janine Antoni, Conduit, copper sculpture with urine verdigris patina, 2009.

“Conduit” (above) advances the body in relation to architecture theme. The sculpture was designed as a prosthetic device enabling a woman to urinate from the standing position. The piece is accompanied by a photograph of the artist making use of “Conduit” while standing on the roof edge of a large skyscraper. The work as a whole brims with humorous irony that could be lost if taken too seriously.

Janine Antoni, Inhabitat, lead, steel, digital c-print, 2008.

I have always thought of Antoni’s art as very personal. Response to her efforts vary depending on the expectations of the viewer. Some envision Janine Antoni serenely riding a carefully contoured wave while thrusting a torch to the sky. Others, like myself imagine her surfing with fire. The artist completely understands this dichotomy and uses the knowledge to both irritate and inspire.

Janine Antoni
Up Against
12 September – 24 October 2009
Luhring Augustine
NYC

“You’re My Favorite Kind of American”, a survey of recent photographs, video and sculpture by Luis Gispert is on view at the Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago. The display forwards Gispert’s absorption with shared obsession.

Luis Gispert, Untitled (Scion), c-print, 2009.

The photographs glorify the customization of transportation. Fashioning one’s environment is a natural activity that is celebrated in these detailed compositions. The sci-fi landscapes exaggerate an endless search for the impossible ideal.

Luis Gispert, Greengrocer’s Apostrophe, wood, fiberglass and audio components, 2009.

An addiction to depletion is examined in the sculptures. The urban desires of menthol cigarettes, high-end footwear and crack cocaine are mashed up into a romantic pitfall. The heart shaped woofer set into the piece literally crowns the enchantment.

Luis Gispert, René (installation view), three-channel hd video, 2008.

“René”, a three channel video projection is also being screened in the middle gallery. The work immerses the viewer in the daily tasks of the artist’s close friend. René’s mechanical occupation is dramatized through careful editing and time compression. It is this heightening of simplicity that runs through the art in it’s various media. More than a wholeness of design, these works bond in possibilities available to the familiar.

Luis Gispert
You’re My Favorite Kind of American
11 September – 17 October 2009
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
Chicago

“Chasm – Sakeme”, a photographic series by Emi Anrakuji, is the current exhibition at Miyako Yoshinaga Art Prospects in NYC.

Emi Anrakuji, Untitled 051 (CHASM – Sakeme series), 2009.

Emi Anrakuji takes on roles of both performer and photographer for this work. When viewed in their current context, her daily routines are transformed into meaningful meditations of self.

Emi Anrakuji, Untitled 18A (CHASM – Sakeme series), 2009.

In reference to this series, Anrakuji states, “I am not eloquent about my work. All I can say is ‘chasm’ is a stronger expression than ’scream’; If you are in deep trouble, mentally and physically, you cannot even scream.”

Emi Anrakuji, Untitled 051 (CHASM – Sakeme series), 2009.

Emi Anrakuji
CHASM – Sakeme
10 September – 17 October 2009
Miyako Yoshinaga Art Prospects
NYC

A series of photographs from Juergen Teller is currently showing at Lehmann Maupin in NYC. The work was initially commissioned by the French magazine, Paradis and will be encapsulated into a limited edition book at the end of the month.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

The images were accomplished in a single session after hours at the Musee du Louvre in Paris. Juergen Teller had worked with models Charlotte Rampling and Raquel Zimmermann previously but perhaps not in such an extraordinary setting.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

Visitors to art museums expect to be confronted with bare flesh so the concept seems almost wholesome. The sanctity of the location begs for a large crew and sophisticated lighting scheme. Teller took the opposite approach, meandering alone with his subjects taking candid photos complete with harsh flash and crooked horizon. The guerrilla approach captured the sensation of disbelief from the participants and positions the viewer as accomplice to their sublime prank.

Juergen Teller, Paradis, c-print, 2009.

Juergen Teller
Paradis
10 September – 17 October 2009
Lehmann Maupin
NYC