Quote
“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.”
-John Cage
Around Town: John Pfahl and Lee Friedlander
Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, 2010 by John Pfahl
My birthday weekend is shaping up nicely. In addition to the Nicholas Hughes show I mentioned in my previous post, two more exhibitions just popped up on my radar: John Pfahl is showing his newest series, Métamorphoses de la Terre, at Janet Borden through October 15. Then I found out about Lee Friedlander’s Recent Western Landscapes at Mary Boone, on view through October 23. If you’re in the NYC area, I’d say all three of these shows are worth a visit, but the Friedlander show in particular looks like a knockout.
(Have I mentioned that The Desert Seen is one of my favorite books? It is.)
Many thanks to DLK Collection for continuing to provide great, in-depth reviews and information about important photography exhibitions around town.
Nicholas Hughes
I recently came across the work of Nicholas Hughes, another UK photographer, and I am quite taken with it. I like the contrasts between his various series, such as the minimalist and dark seascapes from In Darkness, Visible, Verse II next to the so-pale-they’re-nearly-invisible snowy scenes of Edge, Verse II. His work comes across as cool and modern and yet quite romantic at the same time. Hughes currently has a solo exhibition at Nailya Alexander Gallery in New York City through October 30.
Image #1 from Field, Verse I | © Nicholas Hughes 2009
Image #4 from In Darkness, Invisible | © Nicholas Hughes 2007
Image #1 from Field, Verse II | © Nicholas Hughes 2009
Image #14 from Edge, Verse I | © Nicholas Hughes 2007
Image #2 from Edge, Verse II | © Nicholas Hughes 2007
Fuji X100
I don’t post about cameras very often because I prefer keep my kit simple, and honestly, technical specs aren’t all that interesting to write about. But I have to admit, the newly announced Fuji X100 is one very attractive camera:
John Gossage, The Pond
You may or may not have heard that John Gossage’s The Pond is being re-issued. It’s a book I’ve always wanted to own, but the price of the first edition has kept it out of reach. In fact, I’ve never even seen the book; none of my usual libraries have a copy. To give you a taste of how much I want this book, here’s what Gerry Badger has to say about it:
“Adams, Shore, Baltz–all the New Topographics photographers made great books, but none are better than The Pond.”
You can listen to a conversation between Badger and Gossage on the Aperture website.
What I didn’t know is that the entire series is being exhibited—for the first time ever—at the Smithsonian this winter, through January 17. Looks like I’ll be making a trip to DC soon.