I think this might be our last post explicitly about NYPH09 and frankly I’m not sure I’d like to end with Jody Quon’s exhibit I’m not sure what kind of girl I am. Regardless, here we go.
Although a couple of other people have blogged about Jody’s show already and expressed a critique which I share, I feel a little closer to the subject matter (having once actually been a girl). This is fertile ground (and it’s been covered before: Lauren Greenfield, Alessandra Sanguinetti spring immediately to mind) but sadly, Jody Quon’s treatment of it is so roughshod and scattershot, it becomes trivialized.
In her curatorial statement, Jody mentions that the exhibit is for her eight year old daughter. Unfortunately, my take away from her show is that we no longer know how to talk broadly and urgently about woman-ness, girlhood or feminism; as if these discussion don’t matter for the next generation. This seems like a missed opportunity.
Though I didn’t see the cohesion, there were a few noteworthy artist in this exhibit. Rene and Radka are a team from Cologne and Prague respectively. Their work has the sheen that endears them to commercial and fashion editorial clients. The slickness seemed out of place in DUMBO, regardless, I liked it:
Copyright Rene and Radke
Copyright Rene and Radka
Hank Willis Thomas’ work deserves a show of his own and… surprise… he’s got one… at Contact, Toronto’s very own, month long photography festival. If you are in Toronto, check it out at Georgia Scherman Projects to June 13. For more info, the exhibit website.
Are you the right kind of woman for it. Copyright Hank Willis Thomas
It’s always nice to see Edith Maybin’s work in real life- it’s big and there are subtle, intentional photoshop flaws that give the queerness of the photos a hidden reward. She too deserves a show of her own (at Contact? hello? curators? Edith Maybin already?).
From The Tenby Document. Copyright Edith Maybin
But the gem that I came home with was this little series from Katy Grannan.
Photography by Katy Grannan
Photography by Katy Grannan
Photograph by Katy Grannan
Copyright Katy Grannan
I had forgotten about Katy, after first seeing The Westerns sometime last year. But I recognized Nicole, with whom she has a long term collaborative relationship. Nicole’s contorted body posture (a common theme in Katy’s work) and the spareness of the scene is a perfect analogy for female adolescence. If Jody had left her exhibit to just this series, it might have been perfect.
For a good, comprehensive critique of the Festival (and a response from the founder) go here or The Exposure Project.
But let’s get back to Toronto and Contact and start off with a reco on how you can spend your Thursday night:
QUICK FIX PRESENTS La Jetée + Everyday Nameless Spectacle
Thursday May 21 8pm to 11pmLa Jetée screenings at 8:15 & 9:15
Everyday Nameless Spectacle, curated by Catherine Dean, is over 100 still archival photographs gathered from Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa, The McCord Collection, Montreal, The Glenbow Museum, Calgary and The Library of Congress in Washington. It will be projected on the front window of the Drake throughout the month of May as part of the Contact photography festival.
The selection of images was inspired by Chris Marker’s iconic 1962 film La Jetée. This cine-roman film was shot as a series of stills and considers a post-apocalyptic future, time travel and the rise and fall of civilizations.
For Quick Fix we will screen La Jeteé and Everyday Nameless Spectacle simultaneously, allowing audiences to compare and draw their own connections between the two. Join us for stimulating installations, great conversation and killer drink specials! $4 pints of Creemore and $4 shots of Jagermeister.
Art For You: Every week Drake gives away 100 original works of art! Come by this week and receive a piece by Kristan Horton.
I love Kristan Horton. I love free art. From Kristan’s series replicating frames of Dr. Strangelove:
Copyright Kristan Horton
