Fan Ho, A Hong Kong Memoir
Through Sept 3 at ModernBook
49 Geary St
San Francisco
(415) 123-4567

I’d never heard of Fan Ho. Asian photography is a niche within a niche here in the US. I wandered into ModernBook with little context for the show, aside from general stereotypes of Asian art styles. Someone with a better appreciation for Hong Kong and Chinese art traditions would probably get something wholly different from this show, but even with my shallow reading, I found some striking works.

Fan Ho is an actor, director and photographer from Hong Kong. Photography was a thing he conducted on the side while he paid the bills working on films. The work shown at ModernBook spans three different projects, one of which is a recent meditation on previously shot photographs, compositing two scans into a single “double exposure”.

What struck me most was a series of images made below the entrance to a Hong Kong metro station. Light streams in from above ground through the stairway to the station. From a variety of slightly altered low-angle vantage points, Fan Ho has caught a range of people going about their day. The interplay of light, haze, the clarity of people’s facial expressions, deep shadows and sense of movement held my attention more than anything in the show. If you pop in, definitely check out the small, small prints (2”x2”?) displayed in a big grid. You’ll nearly bump your nose on them peering in at the small faces Fan Ho’s captured.

Fan Ho will be on hand at the gallery tonight for First Thursday.

 |   August 4 2011   |  8 notes  

 |   August 4 2011   |  2 notes  

I had this thought too. Just because I prefer the work of Callahan, Evans or Christenberry, that doesn’t mean conceptual work doesn’t express a personal, authentic perspective of the artist. For instance, Crewdson’s work is some of the most esoteric, conceptual photography out there, but I’ve heard him say his tableau are directly the result of dreams he has.

In the end, it feels like it all hinges on execution.

 |   August 3 2011  

 |   August 3 2011   |  1 note  

While I was checking out the shows in SF, Jonathan Blaustein was doing the same in LA and has posted a detailed report on A Photo Editor.

 |   August 2 2011  

Isa Leshko, Thrills & Chills
Ended July 30 at Corden|Potts
49 Geary St, San Francisco
(415) 781-0110

I “met” Isa Leshko on Twitter sometime last year. She’s a thoughtful, enthusiastic and energetic photographer, so I was pleased to see her get representation with local gallery Corden|Potts. Recently, she has gotten deserved coverage for her “Elderly Animals” project.

I was familiar with “Thrills & Chills” from seeing images online. In-person viewing proves web portfolios aren’t as good as seeing the physical prints. The project has primarily been promoted with a specific selection of images and these have mostly emphasized the abstract shapes of modern roller coasters. In these images, Isa’s framing emphasizes the rides’ form and scale. The heights of the rides are readily evident in their remove from the viewer. What I found delightful were other images, images that included the facial reactions of riders. The image above is a ironic contrast in attitudes that just makes you smile, but others demonstrated the range of emotions these rides can bring. Some faces register terror. Others exhiliration. Same ride, two extremes, side by side. Not unlike life.

“Thrills & Chills” is available as a 6x6 exhibition catalog from the photographer for $19.

 |   August 1 2011   |  1 note  

My family is on vacation in Colorado visiting my wife’s parents, so I used the last day they were away to get into San Francisco and see what’s being shown at 49 Geary St. For non-San Franciscans, 49 Geary holds four floors of art galleries, including seven that specialize in photography. (Chelsea features multiple buildings like this in NYC.  Sigh.) I had a great afternoon and got to see several amazing shows. At several points I found myself smiling involuntarily I was so pleased.

I’ll be posting short reviews later this week, but here’s a list of what I saw, in no particular order:

Fan Ho, A Hong Kong Memoir
June 2 – Sept 3 at ModernBook

Irving Penn, Radical Beauty 1946 - 2007
June 30 - Aug 20 at Fraenkel Gallery

Doug Rickard, A New American Picture
Closing date unknown at Stephen Wirtz Gallery

Fractured Realities & David DiMichele, Pseudodocumentation
July 7 - August 27 at Robert Koch Gallery

The Summer Show
July 7 - Sept 3 at Scott Nichols Gallery

William F. Simpson & Mitchel Obremski
June 2 - Aug 27 at Robert Tat Gallery

Isa Leshko, Thrills & Chills
Closed Jul 30 at Corden|Potts Gallery

 |   July 31 2011  

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

 |   July 29 2011   |  3 notes  

“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.”

— Chuck Palahniuk, quoted by swissmiss

 |   July 27 2011  

“After spending more than a century exploiting urban decay to create deeply moving, socially conscious works of art, the art world announced Tuesday that it had captured all the beauty it was going to find in rusted-out cars, abandoned houses, and condemned industrial sites.”

— Artists Announce They’ve Found All The Beauty They Can In Urban Decay | The Onion (via photographsonthebrain)

(via photographsonthebrain)

 |   July 24 2011   |  32 notes