New York Galleries - October 2017

I was in New York last month to show my work and to photograph.  I also took some time to hit a few galleries in Chelsea, here is what I found:

Laurence Miller Gallery  521 West 26th Street, Fifth Floor, NYC

I loved the vintage work they had up (new exhibitions up now), some amazing images I had never seen before from the masters.  W. Eugene Smith's image from the 1941 World Series at Yankee Stadium really got my attention.  I have photographed a lot of baseball so I am always interested in how other photographers, especially a master, choose to document the sport.  I also thought it was interesting this image was taken just before the start of WWII.  Robert Frank's prints were another favorite.  I am very familiar with the work but the style of printing for these prints was interesting, gave me more insight of him as a photographer.  I also appreciated the photographic technique and craftsmanship of Erica Deeman’s prints. Her work has received a lot of attention recently.  The gallery staff knows the medium well, I enjoyed talking with them.

Robert Mann Gallery   525 West 26th Street, NYC

What a cool space and I loved Julie Blackmon’s photographs.  Her large prints are amazing, best way to experience her images, they allow you to see all the details.  I especially like her new work, "Trapped" & "Holiday", and I really appreciate her humor.  I also picked up a copy of Julie's book, great addition to the library.  Gallery staff at Mann has energy and you can tell they love what they do.  Can't wait to visit again.

 https://www.instagram.com/julie_blackmon/

http://www.julieblackmon.com/   

Friedman Benda Gallery   525 West 26th Street, 1st Floor, NYC

I went to the opening of Misha Kahn's Midden Heap by accident while looking for Kasher Gallery's opening and am thankful I did.  Friedman Benda describes Kahn's exhibition this way: 

By allowing the illogical and the irreverent to take over his creative process, Kahn transforms a white-walled gallery space into a delightfully inventive alternate reality. “Each piece is part of a landscape I imagine as the earth gets swallowed by the sea,” he says. “No single object has any specific meaning. It’s all part of a feeling.”

I have no idea what it was but it was so cool, and describing it as a "feeling" is accurate, especially during the action of a New York opening.  This exhibition runs through December 16, 2017, if you're in NYC it is worth experiencing. 

Steven Kasher Gallery   525 West 26th Street, 2nd Floor, NYC

I enjoyed Jill Freedman’s work. The prints were obviously vintage based on their condition and the craftsmanship; I always like opportunities to see vintage prints because I can learn so much more about the photographer.  Debi Cornwall's work definitely had merit too.

Benrubi Gallery

521 West 26th Street, 2nd Floor, NYC

I thought Matthew Pillsbury’s images were very interesting, unique, and well crafted.  Definitely best to view prints because the images really work at that scale.  I don't know if this will make sense, but for me, when I looked at these images for a few moments, their layers showed themselves and a deeper meaning came through.  I see how it would be possible to move through the gallery quickly and think you saw these images but you really wouldn't have.

Strand Books   828 Broadway, NYC

Okay not a Gallery, and in a different part of the city, but this book store is amazing and worth talking about.  I picked up a copy of Meryl Meisler’s book ‘A Tale of Two Cities: Disco Era Bushwick’.  It's not the tightest edit or greatest printing of a book I have ever seen but I just liked a lot of her images, found it to be an interesting documentation of the New York during that era.  Could have filled my suitcase with everything I found on their racks.