Zoe Strauss Punched My Face

Zoe Strauss's, "If you are reading this" show was one of the most powerful things I have seen in a while. She is doing a closing party and slide projection outside the space on June 22nd. If you are in NY you should make this.

Roberta Smith's review in the Times was on the mark.

" Stylistically, her images of down-and-out people, many of them her neighbors, and derelict places suggest a gritty street photographer with a certain awareness of Nan Goldin’s work. But Ms. Strauss, who is self-taught, veers more toward Helen Levitt in both her refusal to sentimentalize or exploit her subjects and in her instinctive grasp of the drama of the street. "

" Ms. Strauss’s images are not without tenderness, but their harsh, unblinking force is a bit like a punch in the face. They show us what most Americans don’t want to see. "

Zoe's show got a lot of attention and all of it was deserved. sometimes behind a lot of sizzle, there's a really great steak. Here's her blog and her flickr
Friday June 22nd
8:30 PM Slide presentation around 9pm
Sivertein Gallery
525 West 24th ST.
NYC

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

What is Pinhole Day? Anyone, anywhere in the world, who makes a pinhole photograph on the last Sunday in April, can scan it and upload it to this website where it will become part of the annual Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day celebration's online gallery. A number of workshops, lectures and exhibits are available as Worldwide Pinhole Phtography Day approaches. Up-to-date information about events and workshops worldwide can be found here. There are several events planned in the Pittsburgh area.

Spotlight on George Kollar (Side II)

Opening Reception:
April 14, 2007: 6-9pm

Pinhole photography workshop with George Kollar --more information
April 29, 2007: 12:00pm

Closing Reception:
June 2, 2007: 6-9pm

George Kollar's motorcycle portraits will be spotlighted in a special presentation at Digging Pitt Gallery. The soft focus, inherent in the pinhole photography process, brings a gleam of quiet life to these beasts of the road. -- more information


The f295 Symposium on Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Photographic Processes
Thursday, April 26 - Sunday, April 29, 2007

The event brings eight contemporary photographers together to engage in discussion and debate regarding the rising use of alternative photographic methods in an age of increasingly sophisticated technological means.

This multi-day event offers lectures, round-table discussion, and hands-on workshops held in association with Pittsburgh area arts organizations.
more information


Pinhole Camera Workshop
Instructor: Tom Persinger
Location: The Mattress Factory
Date:28 April 2007
Time: 10am-4pm (includes lunch)
Cost: $35 ( $30 for MF members)
Registration: by email or phone (412) 231- 3169 ext. 212, 213

In this exciting, hands-on workshop participants will build their own large format pinhole camera, drill their own pinholes, expose images using paper negatives and develop them in the darkroom. Act 48 credit available is available for educators. --more information

A Stranger In Pittsburgh

People who have been following this blog, have no doubt noticed my interest in the increasingly self selecting and global nature of identity. My post's on the Pittsburgh diaspora; City of the mind and on Paper Rad; all touch on that theme. So, anyway not that long after my gallery opened I met a person in Pittsburgh who is a great example of this. His name is Jeorg Colberg and he is an astrophysicist in Pittsburgh and also a photographer. Since, 2002, he has had a blog on contemporary photography, that is one of the more known sources for dope on current work. His special focus is current German and European photography and what is more facinating is that to a great extent his knowledge comes from what he can see and keep up with online. Here are some quotes from his profile.

Conscientious is a weblog about photography, art, and life in general. Predominantly, you will find contemporary photography, but I am not going to try to define what future or past posts will or did contain other than saying that it's photography or art that I like(d) or stuff that I was/am interested in. I am no professional photography critic, and I do not aspire to be one; hence there will be no long words. I think good photography doesn't need making too many words.
Photography has become an art form - with all the advantages and disadvantages that has for photographers. Conscientious usually ignores most aspects of the world of art. There are links to world famous photographers, whose work you can find in "important" museums, and there are links to virtually unknown photographers, many of who will never have a chance to display their work. There are also occasional samples of my own work. What all this means is that these photos are photos that I like. If you want to deduce any other statement from it that's your personal decision"

The extent of his knowledge and the obscurity of some of the work he digs up reveals a level of obsession. This is obviously someone living in two worlds.