Alec Soth
Advantage Inn, from the series Niagara, 8"x10" C-Print on 11"x14" paper
Photo taken 2005, Printed 2007

Last week I mentioned this excellent auction, and today I'm reminding you that TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT to make it happen! Bid on some art! Help Obama! Here is the too good to be true list of photographers. Each time I look, it seems to get better! Wolfgang Tillmans! Philip Lorca-diCorcia!

ART FOR OBAMA
Bid HERE starting @ 5pm TONIGHT!

*UPDATE*
Bidding has been postponed until OCTOBER 3rd 5pm EST, and will continue through October 10th, 5pm EST

And a special footnote:
Proceeds from the auction will go to MoveOn.org, not directly to the Obama campaign.

A wordy Wednesday welcome to all of you! We're bringing the verbosity this week in 20x200 land, following up Linzie Hunter's immensely popular Coney with two photographs from Kotama Bouabane which also play with words.

Just Let It Go and I'm Not Mad are two of my favorites from this Toronto-based photographer's witty series Melting Words. I first saw Kotama's work a few months ago on the excellent design blog Swiss Miss and was immediately smitten. Words! Photography! Humor! Ennui! These are a few of my favorite things.

The phrases in the series are stand-ins for the estranged, with their muffled emotion quite literally melting away in the places where lovers might meet (a bed) or part (over lunch, in a public place) or, once alone, reflect (staring out a window.)

The scenes and phrases from romantic squabbles are instantly recognizable, and look at how they linger: solid, then soaking in as they dissipate before entirely taking their leave. Ice, it turns out, is a particularly poignant and fitting medium for these words.

It's all kind of bleak, huh? And yet: the photographs are not! They're funny, albeit in a way that makes you a little uncomfortable. As Sara just said to me over IM, it's funny because it's true. And finding humor in life's uncomfortable truths is, ultimately, optimistic.

On that bright note, my work is done here for now. I'll be back next week with more more more. In the meanwhile, there's plenty of 20x200 to keep you busy: browse the archives, read the blog, or join us on Facebook where you can send some virtual 20x200 love to your friends.

Evan (Age 5),
Belmont, MA 2008

Bostonians listen up! 20x200 photographer and Summer 2005 Hey, Hot Shot! Robert Knight will be in a solo show, My Boat is so Small, at Gallery Kayafas on October 16th.

Robert's statement:

The series My Boat is so Small is a continuation of my project photographing domestic interiors as a form of portraiture. As a parent of two young children, I am concerned about the expectations of parents and the reinforcement of these expectations through societal institutions, media imagery, and cultural traditions. Through my photographs I perceive a parent's hopes and dreams about their child's future physical image, intelligence and success as well as tensions that may exist between these aspirations and reality. I hope that these images will make the viewer conscious of the pressures which children face, and the potential effects of the myriad images and objects to which they are exposed.

Lucas & Eli (Ages 10 & 7) #2,
Chestnut Hill, MA 2006

Gallery Kayafas
450 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA
October 16th - November 23rd

Robert's 20x200 edition print:
Mameve, Cambridge, MA
Robert's site

20x200 photographers Doug and Mike Starn have created an installation, Gravity of Light, to be unveiled this weekend as part of The Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.

From the press release:

Doug and Mike Starn explore the fact and metaphor of the gravity of light-a power so vast and universal it is almost unnoticed. At the center of the exhibit is the Starns' 13-foot homemade carbon arc lamp, an impressive structure serving as both a central work of sculpture and a scientific experimental device that illuminates with its blindingly bright light the installations around it.

The festival begins this Friday, October 10th, and continutes until October 30th (mischeif night!) is packed with things to see and experience. Here is a link to the schedule of events.

THE PIPE BUILDING
3000 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Doug and Mike Starn's edition prints:
Structure of Thought 6b
Structure of Thought 6a

Starn Studio site

Installation view of Michelle Weinberg's mural for the Miami-Dade Public Library

Woah! Florida just got a lot hipper in my book! 20x200 artist Michelle Weinberg has recently completed a mural which is on view now through December 15th at the Miami-Dade Public Library.

The mural is part of a group show, Polychrome Affinities, curated by Michelle. The other artists joining her are Guerra de la Paz and Magali Wilensky.

The artistic team of Guerra de la Paz; Magali Wilensky and Michelle Weinberg will transform the Main Library’s second floor exhibition space into an expansive tableau/plaza using intense colors and engaging forms. Each artist is a scavenger of raw materials and images absorbed from the visual environment of Miami, which are then sorted according to color. Viewers will enter a space populated by fabric constructions of anatomical forms, a free-standing rainbow clothed in colorful garments, and a giant canvas mural that brings urban architecture indoors.

Polychrome Affinities
Reception and Artists’ Talk
Thurs., November 13, 6 - 8:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade Public Library
Main Library, 2nd floor exhibition space

Michelle's website
Michelle's 20x200 edition: Cul de Sac

An autumnal "Aloha!" to each of you! (And an alliterative one at that.) It's sweater weather at long last here in NYC and I know for I fact that I'm not the only one awaiting the comforting clank-clank-clunk of the steam pipes awakening from their summer slumber. While the nippy clime might make the floorboards a bit too chilly for lounging about the house, it's absolutely perfect for the urban exploration and country road trips depicted in today's duo of prints, The Weight of the Bridge and Mercedes Planter, by Amy Park.

The Weight of the Bridge gives us a fresh perspective on the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, both literally and figuratively. Amy's distinctive palette and her amazing way with watercolor, first introduced to 20x200 collectors with her earlier edition Corner Light Monadnock, infuse the cityscape with a gravitas and moodiness that make me look at our fair city's monumental structures in a whole new way.

With Mercedes Planter she marries her signature architectural angularity with a loosely rendered, bright palette. Her effortless execution of a rather precarious balancing act is inspiring, echoing the city vs. small town question that so many urban denizens struggle with. Our inner city mouse and country mouse might be able to co-habitate peacefully after all!

Amy's renderings of NYC subjects have a film noir feeling, but they're resolutely contemporary. Her restraint and the control she exerts over the imprecision of watercolor are impressive. With all this angularity and restraint, you might begin to think that someone is sort of uptight. Maybe the city's gotten to them, in not such a good way?* That's why Mercedes Planter is like a sigh of relief. Ms. Park has taken her rigor for a ride, and the fresh air does it a world of good.

Speaking of which, the pooch is agitating for her afternoon walk, so I'm headed off for a bit of fresh air myself. I'm back tomorrow with our photography offering of the week. See you then!

* Having met Amy in person, I can assure you that she isn't uptight. I am so totally projecting here!

Wednesday greetings, my collector friends. As regular readers of the newsletter know, this is the part where I talk about the weather, which is cool and crisp today. Of course, like everyone else I know, I am more than a little preoccupied with our economic and political climates. It's a serious and uncertain time, and it seems odd to not acknowledge it. So here it is, acknowledged and largely beyond our control. While it's impossible to cast worry aside entirely, I am putting my money on hope and change.

We're in onward and upward mode at JBP HQ, and it feels exactly right. Our new Hey, Hot Shot! site went live yesterday, and we've got lots of great 20x200 editions coming up, along with a surprise or two. First things first, though! Let me tell you about today's editions from winter '07 Hot Shot Jeffrey Krolick.

Fence by Railroad Parcel, Ashland Oregon and Driveway, Ashland Oregon are from Jeff's series entitled On the Edge of Town. In his statement, he cites "Walt Whitman's stance of treating all moments as of equal consequence" as inspiring his approach, which makes total sense to me. Jeffrey's photos remind me a lot of the work of my own favorite poet, Frank O'Hara, which might seem like a confusing correlation at first blush.

O'Hara is most well known for his Lunch Poems, a small slim volume of his "walking" poems that he composed while on his lunch breaks in midtown Manhattan, where he was a curator at MoMA. In my mind, Jeffrey's images are visual versions of these poems, albeit executed in a very different milieu. Both artists are celebrating the every day in their work, venerating small things and reminding us to look closer.

I welcome these kinds of reminders, because sometimes I am going so fast that I forget to look around. I read without comprehending, or barrel through a day without noticing whether the sky is blue or not. Remembering to look is grounding, comforting and often inspiring. You should never be bored, or lack for beauty. It's around us, everywhere, all the time.

Art collector Franco Wright surrounded by some of his recent acquisitions

Hello dear collectors! Today I bring you another interview with one of our beloved collectors, Franco Wright.

How did you hear about 20x200?
I discovered 20x200 by reading about it on a blog.

What attracted you to us?
I think the pricing vs edition configuration is genius; it is easy to understand and allows one to build a collection on every budget level.

How did you begin your art collection?
I first started started collecting art in my early twenties. I was really drawn to works on paper, mostly from abstract expressionist artists. My first big purchase was a screenprint by Sam Francis, which I had to go in on halves with my Dad.

Did you grow up with art? Is your background in the arts?
Yes, my father would force me to go to museums as a kid, and I hated it. He was funny...he would sneak in his camera and snap off photos of installations at LACMA. I remember he shot the Warhol Brillo boxes and later made a 16x20 print of it. I was probably around 10.

It wasn't until college that the Arts really hit me; I ended up graduating with two majors: business and painting/fine art. So I guess those trips to the museum really had an effect on me. After graduation, I morphed from a painter to a graphic designer.

How has your taste in art evolved?
Yes! Now I'm completely obsessed with photography. A few years ago, I sold my litho prints (Warhol, Bacon, Hockney...) all except for my Sam Francis, and now mostly collect photography. I needed to make room, and at the time, my studio was 400 sq ft.

Can you think of your first "art memory"? (For me I think it has to be looking at a reproduction of a Picasso in my Mom's bedroom.)
Yes, but I can't remember the artist... large poster prints of villages in Greece... they were hugely popular in the early 80s. My mom had a whole room filled with them-- I think we owned every one. One day I'll see them again and the name will come to me!

What 20x200 artists are you most interested in?
There are so many... I was a bit addicted at first (as you know!)...

Thanks, Franco! Keep the art collecting fires burning!

Rebecca Loyche's Mines/Minds Don't Care (a series of photograms of I.E.D.s and Landmines) in billboard form in Prague

Congratulations to 20x200 photographer Rebecca Loyche, who is participating in Prague's Contemporary Art Festival with two billboard pieces. The billboards will remain on view through October 15th in downtown Prague.

Rebecca's 20x200 edition print:
The Office
Rebecca's site

Image from Kate Orne's Brothels and Fundamentalism project

Congratulations are in order for 20x200 photographer and Hey, Hot Shot (Volume IV, Edition I) winner, Kate Orne.
Kate has won the 2008 Berenice Abbott Prize for an Emerging Photographer from the Julia Dean Photo Workshops.

Image from Kate Orne's Brothels and Fundamentalism project

Kate will be showing work from her series Brothels and Fundamentalism opening this Saturday at the Julia Dean Gallery in Venice, California. The series documents the sex-industry workers living in Pakistan. In Kate's words:

This work examines the uneasy peace between Islamic fundamentalism and profanity in the brothels. The story is not simple. The red-light district reveals itself slowly and subtly, demanding curiosity and patience in order to witness and to learn. Among the women and their families, a complex bond emerges. But it is one often as bitter as it is affirming. The images show women proud despite their stigma, yet modest in keeping with their Islamic upbringing.

Kate's 20x200 edition prints:
Sexworker w. client I
Shahi Mohalla III

Kate's site

Installation view of Michelle Weinberg's collage at David Castillo Gallery

Yes, yes, I know, I started the week by posting about Michelle Weinberg, and here I am again, with more news from Michelle. Sometimes I can hardly keep up with all of our industrious artists! What I didn't mention Tuesday is that Michelle will be in another group show, Continuing Adventures of Our Heroine, opening this Saturday in Miami at David Castillo Gallery.

From the press release:

Michelle Weinberg creates an evolving landscape of contemporary folklore punctuated by vehicles of communication: text messages, billboards, and commercial signage. Through abstract image and words, sublimity and narration, the natural world and constructed reality, Weinberg tailors chance into an aestheticism harkening to her personal experience growing up female in the 60s and 70s.

Installation view of Michelle Weinberg's collage at David Castillo Gallery

Other artist in the all-women exhibition include Susan Lee Chun, Francie Bishop Good, Natalya Laskis, Lee Materrazzi, Cindy Sherman, and Jaimie Warren.

david castillo gallery
2234 NW 2nd Avenue
Miami, Florida 33127
October 11 - November 1

Michelle's website
Michelle's 20x200 edition: Cul de Sac
Michelle's site

If you haven't already, make sure you LOOK and see Mickey Smith's MORE BOOKS edition, released today. It's gorgeous and going fast! If you're like us and you just can't get enough of Mickey's work, you're in luck, she has exhibitions lined up throughout the end of the year, abroad:

Contemporary Art in Traditional Museums Festival
Pushkin Dom
PRO ARTE Institute
St. Petersburg, Russia
September 27 - October 19, 2008

Volume
Alvar Alto Library
Vyborg, Russia
October 23 - November 11, 2008

And closer to home:

Pharmakon Library
Created + Curated by Christina McPhee
New York Art Book Fair
New York, NY
October 24 - 26, 2008

You People
Invisible-Exports
New York, NY
November 14 - December 21, 2008
Reception: Friday, November 14

As Jen mentioned in the newsletter, Smith's series, Collocations, is on view at The Center for Photography at Woodstock until October 26th.

In addition to their Annual Benefit Gala and Auction, this Saturday, October 11th, CPW programming includes a plethora of opportunities, educational and otherwise, for photographers: their annual Photography Now call for entries has been extended to Friday, October 24, 2008. This year's juror for the competition just happens to be 20x200 Queen Bee, Ms. Jen Bekman herself.

Ms. Bekman, with a host of stellar panelists, will also be reviewing the work of photographers who enter JBP's Hey, Hot Shot! competition which just opened. The deadline for the Second Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! 2008 is Tuesday, November 11th, so don't delay and apply now!

Hey, Hot Shot! candidates, contenders, and fans, keep an eye on the HHS blog, where I'll be joining Jen Snow to post about about HHS contenders, who may also become 20x200 artists, like Ms. Smith, of course, as well as yesterday's photographer, Jeff Krolick; both were Hot Shots in the winter of 2007. What's in store this winter? Only time will tell!

Thursday bonus greetings, my collector pals. I'm really pleased to have a new edition from the lovely and talented Ms. Mickey Smith. Not only is the edition fantastico, as you are seeing with your very own eyes, it also gives me the opportunity to tell you about all of Mickey's upcoming projects and events. (There are lots!)

Let's start with the edition, MORE BOOKS, which is our second offering from Mickey's ongoing series, Volume. When I announced WORD STUDY from Paris last November, I talked about my word nerd ways, my love of crosswords and my geeky interest in etymology. Unsurprisingly, this love extends to books themselves, the wonderful objects that they are.

MORE BOOKS, I always want more. It requires considerable force of will to restrain myself, and my acquisitive desires often win out. I never feel bad about it though, because books are good for you! My recent short, unsatisfying affair with the Kindle only made my love for the printed medium that much stronger. There's really nothing like a book, and let's face it: books don't need batteries.

Alas, the whole point of Mickey's project is that there are ever fewer books, which is really quite tragic. Make no mistake, I am no Luddite. I'm pretty much at the top of the cheerleading pyramid when it comes to technology, the internet and the democratization of media. The simple fact is, however, the transience and mutability of digital media can't hold a candle to the books lining my shelves. Those shelves hold knowledge and memories and connections in a way that a generic electronic device just doesn't, and I find comfort in their existence.

Bibliomania is a common affliction, which probably has something to do with how wildly popular the Volume series has been. And what a series it is! With your taste whetted here on 20x200, you might be wanting more Mickey. Lucky you, there's lots to see!

First and foremost, anyone within driving distance of Woodstock, NY should get their butts there this weekend. (I'm trying to figure out how to get there myself!) The Center for Photography at Woodstock is hosting Mickey's Collocations exhibition through October 30th, but this is the absolute best weekend to go because Saturday evening is their 30th Annual Benefit Gala and Auction. The auction includes tons of spectacular works from established and emerging artists alike, including Ms. Smith herself.

It doesn't stop there, though — Mickey is showing work all over the world right now, at an impressive array of venues. I'm personally most excited about her NYC solo show, You People, which opens at my friend Ben Tischer's new gallery, Invisible-Exports, on November 14th. You can read up on all the details of Mickey's exhibition schedule on the 20x200 blog or pay a visit to her own site.

Now that you've got lots of reading material to keep you busy, I'm going to skedaddle. Be on the lookout tomorrow though, because I have another surprise up my sleeve.

Left: Artist Mickey Smith
Right: DETAIL, 2007 from the Volume series

Hello lovely collectors! I have good news for you! 20x200 photographer Mickey Smith found some time (I have no idea how) to answer some questions for us. Mickey is in 2 shows as I type this, and will be in 4 more before the year is through! Wowee zowee is all I can say.

Of course, I'm sure you didn't miss Mickey's Special Edition from yesterday: MORE BOOKS!

It's clear from your participation in 20x200 that you're interested in making art available in affordable ways--what is your philosophy on this?

Somewhere between philosophy and reality we have to make a living. Felix Gonzalez Torres was a master of accessible art. It was free. It still is! Go to MOMA, Walker Art Center, Chelsea – pick up your free art. Not from the gift shop. Take it right out of the exhibition. Love it, hate it, throw darts at it, wrap a present with a cloud, eat it – the work lives on far beyond his brief but brilliant career. The work is available for everyone, and at the same time made a living by selling the work through galleries to collectors and museums. His work is a great inspiration on multiple levels.

How has participating in 20x200 helped your art career?

All the clichés about the Internet apply. The exposure is astounding. I work in solitude, so it is an unprecedented opportunity for interaction with curators, writers, librarians, artists, and the list goes on... I was at a dinner following Photo LA last year and was introduced to another artist whose work I admire. We met and she exclaimed, “I own one of your pieces!” It was WORD STUDY. As a community, we’re typically a decade (or more) behind common business practice and technology. People like Jen Bekman are needed to help expand the reach of the art world.

Who are your favorite artists?

Martin Parr, Ed Ruscha, and On Kawara.

How do the above influence/inspire your art (if at all)?

Their work is beautiful, conceptual, funny, and genuine.

THE LEISURE HOUR, 2007 from the Volume series

What do you draw most of your inspiration from?

Childhood and politics. Since moving to New York, I gather up a great deal of creative inspiration from a weekly ritual I call Art with André. Friend and filmmaker André Robert Lee and I head out to look at art on Thursdays. I could go into detail about how this has quickly become an invaluable, long awaited practice, but you should really just try it with one of your favorite people.

What are you working on now?

I’m in the process of printing new work for my first solo show, You People, opening with Invisible-Exports in the Lower East Side in November. In addition to new Collocations, there will be an audio component to the exhibition. We’re also working on a show for SCOPE Miami. I’m so excited I can barely sleep. These shows have been brewing for years.

For early 2009, I can’t wait to dig deeper into a few new projects – Believe You Me and Forever Govern Ignorance. They feel urgent. My subjects are disappearing.

Which 20x200 artists do you most enjoy, and why?

I was crushed to miss the Starn Twins edition. As an art student living in Fargo, I remember idolizing the Starn Twins and Duane Michaels, fascinated by their work as artists that use photography as a means, not an end.

UNTITLED 3, 2004 from the Volume series

Do you collect art?

Yes, primarily through trade and auction. I have two sizeable Urban Beasts and a few of Robert Marbury’s prints. An enormous Ghost Walrus presides over our living room. The passion for his work likely stems from a treasured stuffed animal collection my dad threw out when I was ten. They’re coming back – with a vengeance.

My passion is for collecting is for contemporary jewelry by living artists. The most fashionable people I know who wear junk - when small sculptural, original wonders are available - consistently astound me. In the past, I have invited jewelers like Karen Gilbert and Heinz Brummel to show in my studio.

If I were to walk into your art studio right this minute, what would be the first thing I'd notice?

The bed. My husband and I moved from Minneapolis to New York six months ago. At the moment the bedroom doubles as studio for both of us. When people come by, the living room becomes a gallery for me, or a music studio for QuarterAcreLifestyle.

What would an ideal day for you look like?

I can’t answer that question, I’m a Gemini. The answer changes every few minutes. An ideal day would be filled with a little of comfort and slew of surprises. One of my favorite things about being back in New York is the walk home – I truly love the walk home – and so the day would end.

If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?

Hell no. I would hire a full time assistant, an in house printer, find a studio in New York like the one I had in Minneapolis and start producing the large-scale installation work I dream about. If I can keep making art and travel often enough, I don’t need to retire. Have you seen Eartha Kitt lately? The Louise Bourgeois exhibit? These women are great inspirations. In the Guggenheim show, one of the Bourgeois prints stopped André and I in our tracks. She writes, “It is not so much where my motivation comes from, but rather how it manages to survive.”

See Mickey in one of these shows she is currently in:

Collocations
The Center for Photography at Woodstock
Woodstock, NY
August 30 - October 26, 2008

Volume
Contemporary Art in Traditional Museums Festival
Pushkin Dom
PRO ARTE Institute
St. Petersburg, Russia
September 27 - October 19, 2008

Or catch her in one of these 4 upcoming shows:

Pharmakon Library
Created + Curated by Christina McPhee
New York Art Book Fair
New York, NY
October 24 - 26, 2008

Volume
Alvar Alto Library
Vyborg, Russia
October 23 - November 11, 2008

YOU PEOPLE
Invisible-Exports
New York, NY
November 14 - December 21, 2008
Reception: Friday, November 14

SCOPE Miami
Invisible-Exports
Miami, FL
Decemeber 3 - 7, 2008

Mickey's 20x200 edition prints:
WORD STUDY
MORE BOOKS

There's just one large print left in the entire edition of Dorthe Alstrup's Untitled (Max). This weekend only, enter code 20off2k at checkout and get it for 20% off.

Greetings collectors!

This weekend we're offering a special 20% off deal on our current inventory of large prints, which includes many of our most sought after editions. The promotion is for this weekend only and ends on Monday, Oct 13 @ 11pm.

***Enter code 20off2k at checkout and you'll get 20% off any large prints you purchase.***

A little math for you: 20% of $2000 = $400 off, making these limited edition, exhibition quality 30"x40" prints $1600. That's an incredible value!

If springing for a large print feels too extravagant in these uncertain times, our small and medium prints are affordable as always at $20 and $200.

Once again, the code 20off2k is valid through Monday @ 11pm. Enter it when you check out to activate the 20% discount.

With art for everyone,
Jen

Panda
by Charlie Crane

Hello intrepid collectors. For those of you living in the USA, Happy Indigenous Peoples Day*! If you are off from work today I hope you find time to have a nice nap like our panda friend above. I know I will do my best to savor at least one.

I trust that many of you were able to take advantage of the generous 20% off discount that was announced by Miss Jen Bekman this past Friday. The deal (enter code 20off2k at checkout and you'll get 20% off any large prints you purchase) ends tonight Monday, Oct 13 @ 11pm. To further tempt you, I've taken a walk through our archives and selected a few of my favorite edition prints.

Enjoy!

Chateau Pool
by Gregory Krum

Towards Christiana (Copenhagen)
by Rachel Sussman

MOO COW
by Andrew Hetherington

Chamonix
by Ian Carpenter

Sophie
by Jacob Escobedo

Cave Dwellers
by Rachell Sumpter

Tempted?
I'll bet!
Browse more large prints here.

*Yes, I know, it's really Columbus Day, but I thought I'd try and rename it the way the hippie folks in Berkeley have. Mi dispiace, Cristoforo Colombo.

Construction 6 (Pile)
2008, oil on panel
20"x20"

20x200 artist Sarah McKenzie is in a group show, curated by Andrew Blauvelt and Tracy Myers, Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes. The touring exhibition which opened at the Walker Art Center is making the rounds of some very distinguished spaces.

Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes is currently at the Carnegie Museum of Art through January 18, 2009. It will then travel to the Yale School of Architecture until May of 2009.

The exhibition also features work by Gregory Crewdson, Dan Graham, Catherine Opie, and Edward Ruscha, among others, and architectural projects by firms such as Fashion.Architecture.Taste, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, MVRDV, and Estudio Teddy Cruz.

The show has garnered some nice press; here are two articles:
The suburbs as a museum piece
Last arts frontier: Walker exhibit explores, explodes suburbia myths

Sarah's 20x200 edition print:
Site
Sarah's website

Tuesday greetings collectors! The world heaved a collective sigh of relief yesterday as the Dow rallied. Unsurprisingly, the mood in New York was markedly different; it's amazing how tense things become when everyone's holding their breath for weeks on end!

The skeptical (not to mention cynical) New Yorker in me poked fun at the "don't forget to breathe" mantra that was oft repeated when things got tense at the San Francisco start-up I worked at over a decade ago. Now that I'm older, wiser and, believe it or not, less cynical in some ways, I can grudgingly admit to finding some wisdom in this idea. Turns out that breathing in, breathing out and how you do it is an awfully powerful thing.

This is no news to artist Ann Tarantino, whose work I am delighted to present to you today. She has built an artistic practice that honors and examines the power of this function that's at the core of our existence. The ink patterns of Far and Wide and Flying Colors map the patterns of Ann's breath on the paper.

This is how I described her technique when I first introduced Ann's work* to 20x200 collectors just over a year ago: The Breath Portraits are the product of a new kind of action painting: the foundation of this series is patterns Ann creates by blowing ink through a straw. She goes on to embellish the work with paint and ink, adding purpose and intention to the (somewhat) random outcome that her breath initially creates.

It's an interesting contrast - the idea of the control of one's breath and yet only having so much power over its outcome, which is then followed by the attention and focus of emotion and intellect. It's an exercise in letting go and also taking charge of what you're able to. There is something of an Eastern vibe, which makes sense, considering that Ann started working on the series while residing in Kyoto.

Ann has further extended her practice via a collaboration with fellow artist Kate McGraw, creating a body of work which is now on view in Washington D.C. at Andrea Pollan's innovative gallery, Curator's Office. A Washington Post Express Critic's Pick, Potential Energy — A Collaboration, features work that "is essentially rooted in acts of performance and a reflection upon the simultaneous vulnerability and power of the physical self."

The influence that each artist had upon the other was clearly profound, and the results are stunning. Ms. Pollan, in describing the collaboration, writes: "During that time, their separate processes - indeed, their identities - were fused into something new that has become a meditation on the act of exchange, process and conversation." If you're going to be in D.C. sometime before the exhibition closes on October 25th, I urge you to check it out in person. Alternatively, you can browse the works online.

One last note before I go: Those of you who aren't frequent readers of the 20x200 blog probably missed out on our Weekend Special, announced there late on Friday afternoon. It's not too late! The offer has been extended through midnight tonight. Use code 20off2k at checkout to get 20% off when you purchase any of our large prints.

And with that, I'm off till tomorrow, when I'll return with this week's photography offering. Look for me then!

*A few prints of Breath Portrait (favorite colors), which is a lovely companion to today's two prints, remain. "Collect the whole set!" sez I.

Jen Bekman Gallery is now accepting entries for the Second Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! 2008.

The last round of Hey, Hot Shot! for 2008 is officially underway! We are now accepting submissions for the second edition of Hey, Hot Shot! 2008. Please note our shorter-than-usual entry period: The deadline is Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 @ 8pm.

Hey, Hot Shot! — The Best Thing Going for Emerging Photographers

Hey, Hot Shot! offers unrivaled opportunities for emerging photographers to have their work promoted online, reviewed by top-notch panelists and exhibited in our New York gallery. Now in its fourth year, the international competition has been lauded by curators, critics, educators and journalists. This year, we've sharpened our focus on fewer hot shots, giving them even more exposure.

fewer hot shots + longer exhibitions = more exposure
Our panel will select five Hot Shots to exhibit their work in a two-week showcase @ Jen Bekman Gallery. Two shows per year, with half as many people in each exhibition, add up to a higher profile for each winning photographer.

cold hard cash
Each winning photographer will be awarded a $500 honorarium.

ultras go solo
At year's end two Ultras will be selected from 2008's ten Hot Shots. The Ultras will be represented by Jen Bekman Gallery and slated for solo exhibitions.

in it to win it
As always, we'll select contenders to feature daily on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog throughout the entry period.

collect yourself
Contenders will also be considered for 20x200, Jen Bekman's newest online endeavor which offers limited edition prints at affordable prices. These editions are collected (and coveted) the world over by art lovers, editors and curators.

So what are you waiting for? Get your work out there: Apply Now!

The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 @ 8pm (EDT).

Submissions are open to everyone, from anywhere in the world!

A Wednesday welcome to you, my collector friends! It's getting to feel like peak season around these parts, and I'm not talking about leaf-peeping. There's a new round of Hey, Hot Shot! open, we're prepping for the gallery's upcoming Nina Berman exhibition and, of course, we're hard at work lining up some primo 20x200 editions, including some intriguing benefit editions with fantastic organizations. My first to-do for today? Presenting this week's photography offering from New Jersey's very own Jason Burch to all of you fine people.

Natural Selections XI and Natural Selections XIII are my selections from Jason's ongoing series by the same name. As he explains it, the series "explores interventions in the landscape and the photographic frame through the withdrawal of information. The process at once removes objects and highlights their presence through that absence."

Jason's work offers a fresh, and often humorous, post-photographic take on many of the themes that are of enduring interest to contemporary artists: juxtapositions of constructed and natural landscapes, humankind's impact on the environment, suburban desolation. His work is challenging; it takes me out of my comfort zone, but because it's conceptual without being impenetrable, and smart without being condescending, it's just the kind of stretch I'm so often looking for.

As is well-documented via my curatorial track record, my instinctive photographic affinities run towards lush landscapes, wordplay and the animal kingdom. I am a fan of beauty, and whether I can live with a piece of art is usually high on my list of evaluative criteria. I'm also someone who is easily bored, and who functions best off in the deep end, figuring things out as I go. Because Jason's work builds upon familiar foundations, it provides a portal into concept-based work that, quite frankly, can often be intimidating. (I like to be challenged, but, like most people, I hate feeling stupid.)

The manipulations of Natural Selections inspire me to make alterations of my own. Seeing how radically his selective exclusions alter perspectives and anthropomorphize the excluded objects makes me want to transform my own environs similarly. Eliminating objects in this way alters things in entirely improbable ways, and yet improbability reveals real things that might be otherwise overlooked. It's a new way of seeing, delineating the aforementioned contemporary themes in an accessible way.

This is the part where I'm like, "Did that make any sense?" Hopefully something in there did, at least a little bit. If not, feel free to enjoy the photos for their aesthetic value — I personally love the color palette, and find the overall effect of the removed portions of the photographs to be reminiscent of coloring books. Those two things alone make them wall-worthy in my book!

That's it for now, but like I said, I'm back tomorrow with a bonus edition. See you then!

Sometimes you just want to hear that everything is going to be OK.

I can personally attest to the fact that this reassurance works. I have happily surrounded myself with reminders that IT'S OK, really everything is ok.

Now, thanks to Trey Speegle, 20x200 can help remind you of the ok-ness of everything.

Rest easy, ok?

OK!

amnh #15 by Joseph O. Holmes

20x200 photographer and Jen Bekman Gallery artist, Joseph O. Holmes, is currently in a solo show at Wallspace Gallery in Seattle. Joseph is showing his series of photographs made at the American Museum of Natural History, under | exposed.

Joseph's artist statement:

Street photography is my passion -- a wild mix of technical skill and social engineering, with every component changing and evolving second by second. The original amnh series was shot over a period of six weeks in New York's American Museum of Natural History, and spins my love of street photography into a radically different environment, a sort of off-the-street photography. The project carried me from sunlight into museum darkness, from rapid-fire to a zen-like slow motion, and forced me to rethink the whole process of stalking strangers. These images strip the components of traditional street photo down to the barest cues: silhouettes gazing out over vast, artificial veldts and jungles.

The Seattle Weekly has some kind words about Joseph's photographs here

Wall Space Gallery
600 First Ave.
Seattle, Washington
7 October - 8 November, 2008

Joseph's 20x200 edition prints:
Prospect Park
amnh #30
Joseph's portfolio on Jen Bekman Gallery
Joseph's site

Yes, this is indeed a Venn diagram involving the intersection of Radiohead, Philip Glass and 20x200

Good morning.
Today we've reached a new level. A new level of what I'm not exactly certain, but it's surely something to be impressed by. A Venn diagram is currently up on Very Short List which is not used to illustrate us humble folks here at 20x200, but--brace yourself--Nine Inch Nails! Yep. NIN record and release a 36-track instrumental album of "pure ethereal joy" and get linked to us in a matter of minutes.

We've definitely crossed over a line, and there is no going back.

Read the VSL piece here

Look at a pretty Venn diagram here

The Starn brothers' Attracted to Light H (1996-2000),
5-foot-square toned silver print on Thai mulberry paper

20x200 esteemed photographers Doug and Mike Starn have images of nocturnal moth studies on view at Colorado's Steele Gallery through October 25th.

Fueled by their thoughtful investigations of art, philosophy, cognitive science and history, the Starns provoke an interrogation of Cartesian ontology with their unique melding of metaphor and material. From the transformation of a delicate drying leaf into a digital sculpture, or a moth etched onto film by light, its own undoing, the Starns’ images thrum with the poetic tension between presence and absence, darkness and enlightenment.

The Denver Post's review of the show is here

Steele Gallery
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
1600 Pierce St.
Lakewood, Coloradao

Doug and Mike Starn's edition prints:
Structure of Thought 6b
Structure of Thought 6a

Starn Studio site

Hello sports fans Err... collectors! Welcome to the 20x200 World Series of Art, Part the First. Today we have a double header of arty baseball goodness from San Francisco's very own Mark Ulriksen.

With Stars and Stripes and The Babe in the Negro Leagues, Mark lovingly celebrates our country's national pastime. His distinctive style is likely familiar to readers of The New Yorker which has graced many a cover with his work. Those collectors who (like me) aren't able to keep up with that very fine publication probably recognize Mark's work from our Monk edition earlier this year, released as a benefit for SFJAZZ.

I admittedly come to my baseball fandom very indirectly, but (seriously) some of my best friends are total baseball freaks. Me? I'm grateful to the sport since it's been the training ground for Nate Silver, every election junkie's favorite baseball statistician. His amazing site Five Thirty Eight is a must read for anyone who's similarly obsessed with that other contest in the news these days. The fact that he's honed his skills an inning at a time is what sets him apart from all of us armchair political oddsmakers. (And yes, it doesn't hurt that we're rooting for the same team.)

And yes, it's true I love New York and I love Babe Ruth. Mark's hypothetical portrait of The Babe in one of his last games (scroll down), played against, and lost to, the New York Cubans in 1935 seems particularly timely. Sure, they're crediting another guy for the new Yankee stadium, but The House That Ruth Built has a much nicer ring to it. Doncha think?

I'm back tomorrow with Part II of 20x200's World Series, and it's another double header. See you then.

"Time Machine" by Mike Monteiro
gouache on paper
40 x 30"

Hi Kara!

I was IMing Jen this morning and she suggested I email you. I had a
piece in 20x200 back in the early days.

I'm currently showing my work on the beholder and from now until
Election Day I'm donating 50% of my sales to the Obama campaign. Jen
mentioned this might be something you could include in your blog. I'd
be most appreciative if you did.

http://tinyurl.com/6gputb

Thanks in advance.

Mike

My pleasure, Mike. Anything for Barry!

Mike's 20x200 edition print:
Untitled
Mike's blog

Greetings, collectors! As regular readers of these announcements are aware, cozy sweater weather's arrival in NYC has been highly anticipated by one Ms. Jen Bekman. The good news: it's officially here! The bad news: apparently a voracious colony of moths took up residence amidst my stored and sorely missed sweaters. These vexing critters were of discerning taste, choosing to munch upon some of my most beloved items. Apparently the intoxicating smell of cedar isn't a sufficient safeguard against these beastly insects; it's toxic aromas (form of: camphor) from here on out chez JB.

Enough about my domestic tragedies! Let's imagine instead the smell of roasted peanuts and get on with part deux of the 20x200 World Series of Art, shall we?

Today's editions come to us from the extremely charming and gracious Mr. Don Hamerman. Stricken and Untitled (elephant) rolled up at JBP's world headquarters a few weeks ago, and they were huge hit among sports fans and aesthetes alike. Everyone's been anticipating an encore after Don hit it out of the park with his first double header back in April. With the actual World Series upon us (who are these Rays they speak of?) it seemed high time to get a couple more of Don's delightful baseballs into collectors' hands.

And what a fine pair we've got here, no? It's hard for me to decide which I like better. The cowlicky good looks and bold red stitching of Stricken really pop out against that slate gray background. Then again, I really do love elephants and am a sucker for a beautifully printed black and white image, which makes Untitled (elephant) hard to resist . Why decide, though, when you can get the prints for twenty bucks a piece? Make mine a double!

Don's closing out the 20x200 World Series of Art, but not the week itself. I'll be back early in the day on Friday to announce a special bonus edition. Nina Berman's second solo show at the JBG, Homeland, opens on that evening and we'll be a releasing an image from the series here on 20x200. Look for me then!

*Yes, yes I know you're reading this — mothers DO know best.

Image from Carlo Van de Roer's Orbs Project

20x200 photographer Carlo Van de Roer has been selected to appear in a special project with MUSAC Museum of Contemporary Art: an edition of FAKE Magazine.

MUSAC has invited Fake to develop a project for its Showcases. The initiative, produced by the Museum itself, will essentially revolve around a special issue devoted to today’s art, for which guest editor Tolo Cañellas has selected a number of works by contemporary artists, asking some of them to carry out specific interventions on the publication. Fake’s editorial line is underpinned by the idea that form is just as important as content, if not more so, applying concepts such as “copy”, “imitation”, “impersonation” or “appropriation” as formal tools to engage the reader’s critical perspective and suggesting readings on different possible levels. This special issue of Fake will draw its inspiration from Hello! magazine, appropriating its design, layout, sections and the luxurious artifice of its photography. The MUSAC Showcases will display an installation imitating the exhibits of any traditional museum. Based on Fake’s underlying philosophy, the exhibition will review the magazine’s history through its covers (published or not), with a special focus on this new and exclusive special issue. The magazine will also be distributed from the same spot. Close to 3,000 copies of this English and Spanish edition of Fake will be circulated free at the MUSAC stand at Frieze Art Fair from 16 to 19 October 2008.

Images from Carlo's Orbs project (which I enthusiastically wrote about this past August) will be featured in the magazine.

If only the Q train went to Spain...I'd be on my way.

MUSAC Museo de Art Contemporaneo
Avenida de los Reye Leoneses, 24
20048, Leon, SPAIN
FAKE
Sept 27, 2008 - Jan 11, 2009

Carlo's site
Carlo's 20x200 edition prints:
Untitled (Bondi Baths, Sydney, Australia) 2007
Untitled (Astoria Park, Queens, New York)

Helicopter Fly By, All America Day with the 82nd Airborne, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, 2006 by Nina Berman

It's that time again!

An exhibition of fourteen color photographs by Nina Berman on view @ Jen Bekman Gallery from October 24 — November 15, 2008. Please join us at the gallery this Friday October 24th, from 6pm-8pm, for a reception for the artist.

Artist's Talk + Book Signing : Saturday November 8, 2008 | 5pm-7pm
On Saturday November 8, 2008 Nina will give an artist's talk at the gallery and will sign copies of Homeland, her newest monograph published by Trolley Books.

Jen Bekman Gallery
6 Spring Street
(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
New York City 10012

Nina's website
Nina's 20x200 edition: 9-11-02
Nina's portfolio on JenBekman.com

Special Friday greetings collectors! As promised, I'm back with a bonus edition in celebration of Nina Berman's new exhibition, Homeland, which opens at Jen Bekman Gallery in a few short hours.

G.I. Goat and our other edition from Nina, 9-11-02, perfectly capture the absurdity of post-9/11 preoccupations with terrorism and its manifestations in our country. The use of fuzzy creatures in "readiness roleplay", surveillance in the name of patriotism and the provision of counter-terrorist training to citizens in the flyover states doesn't help me sleep better at night, but Nina's Homeland series reveals that these endeavors have been both comfort and cause to many of my fellow Americans.

In the fourteen photographs that comprise the Homeland exhibition, militarism is an accepted part of everyday life and theatrically choreographed disaster-preparedness drills are a weekend diversion. Her new monograph of the same title, published by Trolley Books, is a thick tome — as I wrote when introducing 9-11-02, there is seemingly limitless material to draw upon.

I'm proud to be showing Nina's work again, and hopeful that it will prove to be a perfectly-timed retrospective on an ugly era in our nation that's about to draw to a close. I've included all the details on the exhibition below. If you're in NYC, do drop by tonight — we'd love to see you, and for you to see this super show!

One thing that's definitely coming to a close right now is this newsletter, as I've got some last minute details to tend to before tonight's festivities.

Homeland
An exhibition of fourteen color photographs by Nina Berman on view @ Jen Bekman Gallery from October 24 — November 15, 2008.
images | artist's statement | press release

Opening Reception : Friday October 24, 2008 | 6pm-8pm
Please join us at the gallery tonight at a reception for the artist.

Artist's Talk + Book Signing : Saturday November 8, 2008 | 5pm-7pm
Nina will give an artist's talk at the gallery and will sign copies of Homeland, her newest monograph published by Trolley Books.

Jen Bekman Gallery is open Wednesday — Saturday from noon-6pm or by private appointment:
6 Spring Street
(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
New York City 10012
e: info@jenbekman.com | w: www.jenbekman.com | p: +1.212.219.0166

ny.08.#14 by Jennifer Sanchez
mixed mediums on canvas
30" x 40"x 1 1/2"
2008

Hallo!
Guten Montag Morgen to you all.
I have a few links to share with you.

First, Jennifer Sanchez has updated her site with new work, so be sure to click on over and see her brightly colored canvases and works on paper. If you missed the interview I did with Jennifer, you can read it here.

Next, the one and only Jason Polan is selling a t-shirt on McSweeny's. He promises that when you wear the shirt, "You win the lottery and make all the right decisions with the money". Who could refuse this offer?

And, Linzie Hunter's sold-out Coney print made its way across the Atlantic to grace the wall in this Parisienne flat. C'est magnifique! Also, don't miss your chance to get a copy of Linzie's postcard book.

Lastly, Mike Montiero was sadly attacked by a McCain calligrapher.

Images from Doug and Mike Starn's show alleverythingthatisyou

Yes, more Starn news! Now until Jan 3, 2009, Doug and Mike Starn will be showing images at David Weinberg Gallery in Chicago.

Their recent photographs of individual snowflakes are utterly gorgeous, almost to the point of preciousness, but above all they're technical marvels.

Mike + Doug Starn: alleverythingthatisyou book

Doug and Mike Starn's edition prints:
Structure of Thought 6b
Structure of Thought 6a

Starn Studio site

Wind-whipped Tuesday greetings, my collector friends! Today's the kind of day where everyone is talking about the weather, not just me. We all arrived at JBP HQ in various states of bedragglement, our good humor tested by inside out umbrellas and water-logged subway lines. Things are cozy and humming indoors though, topped off with a buzz of anticipation. We've been pretty excited to introduce today's edition, produced especially for the clamoring Jason Polan fans among you. (Of which there are many!)

Today's edition, 132 Birds at the American Museum of Natural History — The Print, is making a little 20x200 history of its own. We're mixing it up a bit, offering some new dimensions and edition sizes, both because of the nature of the original it's based on and in order to meet our often outpaced demand. (Keep in mind that these are additions, not instead-ofs! We've got lots of great regular editions in the queue.) Today's prints, produced on 100% cotton rag matte paper using archival ink, are available in the following sizes:

14"x11" — edition of 500 — $50 each
24"x20" — edition of 50 — $500 each
40"x30" — edition of 2 — $2000 each

The oohs and ahhs elicited by Jason's previously released edition, comprised of booklets and individual birds, were often accompanied by the same refrain: "We'd love to have a print of all the birds!"

A capital idea, says I, especially since the charms of the utterly captivating original drawing are well known to me. While I'm so glad that it's ended up in a favorite collector's hands, I have found myself jonesing for a flock of my very own. These generously sized prints give the birds room to spread their wings, and any of the three available sizes will make quite a statement once framed and up on your wall.

It won't surprise you to hear that the industrious Mr. Polan has more than birds on the brain. In fact, he's been quite busy preparing for his upcoming solo show on the tony East End of Long Island. Point of Interest opens on Saturday, November 15th at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller. I canceled a trip to France in order to attend his opening, which makes me his #1 fan.

And now I'm off to attend to other things closer at hand, like the spicy sandwich growing cold at my left elbow, the never-ending email queue, plus planning and preparations for the quick trip I am taking — Thursday morning I'll be SF-bound for some important tacos meetings.

Till tomorrow, when I'll be back with a double dose of photography editions from another 20x200 fave.

Weary of the weather Wednesday greetings, my collector friends. It's still "obnoxious" out as dear friend (and new JBG Assistant Director) Jeffrey Teuton just pointed out to me. A couple of days of this chilly, drenching weather has made me very receptive to reports of fine weather I'm getting from my West Coast correspondents. I'm looking forward to saying good-bye to all this tomorrow morning and hopping a plane to San Francisco. As my parting gift to you, I have a couple of fine photographs from one of my favorite urban shutterbugs, Joseph O. Holmes.

amnh #62 and amnh # 10 are from Joe's ongoing series shot in front of the American Museum of Natural History's legendary and beloved dioramas. These photos continue our evolutionary themes of the week, both in subject and style. They're fine and fitting companions to Jason's 132 Birds of the AMNH, and while Joe's amnh photographs are editioned at our familiar $20/$200/$2000 sizes, this time we've produced digital c-prints, a lovely medium for the subtle yet saturated colors of the photographs.

I first introduced the 20x200 crowd to Joe's work in the midst last year's holiday frenzy when we released amnh #30 (there's just one left!) I can hardly believe that it's been nearly a year! Joe's got a show up in Seattle now (more on that below) and he's a key player in 20x200's plans for the holiday season, making it a perfect time to offer up a double dose of Joe. amnh #62 and amnh # 10 are but a taste of what's to come!

Before I skedaddle, let me give you the lowdown on Joe's Seattle show, under | exposed, currently on view at wall space gallery in Seattle. If you're out west before it closes on November 8th, don't miss it! You'll be able see images from Joe's broad repertoire, including some from amnh, workspace, and cbgb. We've been following Joe and the show over on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog; he's already received accolades from Seattle Weekly's Joshua Lynch.

And now I'm off to prep and pack for my trip! I'm back on Election Day, with a perfect "Thank you for voting!" gift to give to yourself. (Once you've voted!)

We know more than we knew before
2008
acrylic on canvas
14" x 12"

20x200 artist Wendy Heldmann is in a politically themed group show opening tonight in Los Angeles. The RED & the BLUE, Art and Politics will also feature the work of Shepard Fairey and Richard Serra. Not too shabby company I do believe.

Congratulations, Wendy!

The RED & the BLUE, Art and Politics
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 30, from 6-9pm
Occidental College
Weingart Art Gallery
1600 Campus Road
Los Angeles, CA

Wendy's 20x200 edition print: Darkness moves
Wendy's website

Stephen Shore at Strand Bookstore
September 9, 2008

Hello collectors! Here is what a slightly edited and hyperlinked email from Jason Polan looks like:

I will be working on a project this weekend at the Editions/Artists' Books Fair. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I will be making drawings for a book called 100 People I Saw At The Editions/Artists' Books Fair. The book will contain 99 people I saw during these three days. Once the drawings are completed I will print the book, in an edition of 100 to be available on Sunday at noon. The book will be available for purchase at the Esopus table at the fair. The book will cost $20. If you choose to purchase a book, you will be drawn in your copy, completing the project and becoming the 100th person in the book.

A limited number of books called POINTS OF INTEREST will also be available at the fair from Glenn Horowitz Bookseller. The work in the book will coincide with an exhibit I am having at the space in East Hampton opening November 15.

An edition was just released on this website.

I hope everyone is doing well and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
Jason.

I just realized that the email neglects to mention one more show that Jason will be in opening this weekend in DC. Who can blame Jason? He's just got so many project going at once. Here are the details:

A FRIEND INDEED: Contemporary Art and the Academy
November 3 - November 28
Katzen Arts Center Rotunda
4400 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC

More Jason here, and here and here!

Image from Nina Berman's Homeland series

20x200 documentary photographer Nina Berman (and former Hot Shot! and Ultra) has work up in the gallery as we speak. Nina was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions for us for this week's interview.

As a participant in 20x200 you must be interested in making art available in affordable ways, what is your philosophy on this?
I'm mystified by the valuation of art. When I go to galleries, I often walk out wondering why something is valued at $30,000 instead of $3,000 or
$300. It seems to me based on hype and what the market will bear and so something like 20x200 which flies in the face of all of that, is a breath of fresh air.

Image from Nina Berman's Purple Hearts series

How has participating in Hey, Hot Shot! furthered your art career?
I had shown my Purple Hearts and Marine Wedding pictures at many venues in the U.S. and Europe, but hadn't had the opportunity to show in a gallery space in New York. Hey, Hot Shot! allowed me to do that very quickly.

Image from Nina Berman's Marine Wedding series

Do you have a favorite painter?
Francis Bacon and Gerhard Richter

Photographer?
Ray Metzker

Musician?
Miles Davis, Patti Smith and Antony and the Johnsons.

Author?
Franz Kafka and Junot Diaz. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is spectacular. Read it.

Image from Nina Berman's Under Taliban series
How do the above influence/inspire your art (if at all)?
They mainly influence me by showing me what brilliance looks and sounds like.

Top 20x200 artists?
I like Andrew Hetherington, Colin Blakely, Laura Levine and Amy Park.

Do you collect art?
I have a few photographs taken by friends, and two paintings, one I bought at a NYFA auction and one I purchased at a residential facility for people with mental illness.

Image from Nina Berman's Megachurches series

Describe a perfect day:
Taking a picture I had never imagined in a place I had just encountered, and then finding somewhere near there a place that had really good ice cream.

When did you first feel a calling to be an artist?
When I realized that the journalism world was too straight for my tastes.

What would be the first thing I'd notice upon entering your studio?
Chaos and clutter in a cramped space.

What are you working on now?
I'm working on moving my Homeland exhibition around.

What are you looking forward to?
A New York City real estate crash.

Wouldn't that be nice?!
Thanks, Nina!

If you're in New York, swing on by the gallery to see images from Nina's Homeland series. The show will be up through November 15th.

Also be sure to read more about Nina on the The NYMPHOTO Blog.

Nina's website
Nina's 20x200 editions:
9-11-02
G.I. Goat
Nina's images on JenBekman.com