Ah, summer. A time for endless white sand beaches, a glamorous golden tan, and bottomless icy daiquiris. Ok, so maybe our beach is Coney Island, our tan is SPF 50 over a sunburn, and our daiquiri is lukewarm coconut water from the corner store, but DANG IT, we love this time of year. That's why we're rolling out our second annual Swimsuit Edition(s). Come on in—the water's fine. – Team 20x200
Lake Michigan, Chicago by Daniel Seung Lee
We’re gearing up for warm, sunny days by spotlighting our most summery editions, like the upended seaside scene of Lake Michigan, Chicago by Daniel Seung Lee. Pale legs point skyward, crossing the horizon in a perfect underwater handstand. Seung Lee captured this image as part of a series centering on what he calls “the untouched pauses”: fleeting moments of quiet poetry, from which he draws inspiration.
125 Swimming Pools by Jenny Odell
For her series of puzzle-like prints, Jenny Odell culled Google Satellite images from the farthest corners of the Internet. From these images, she cut out distinct pieces, recomposing them meticulously into a single mesmerizing image. The soothing blues of her assembly of 125 Swimming Pools create a harmonious patchwork that feels at once man-made and quintessentially warm-weathery. It’s an unexpected ode to chlorinated bliss.
Poolside by Helena Wurzel
Helena Wurzel’s paintings focus on quiet, intimate moments of femininity (so intimate in fact, that she paints only herself or her friends). These paintings are not concerned with highlighting women’s beauty so much as elevating their everyday: presenting them in various states of undress, in the midst of decompressing, reflecting, gazing in the mirror. Poolside shows us a familiar summer scene from a unique vantage point, drenched in Wurzel’s distinctively vibrant palette. And—wait for it—she manages to depict a pretty lady in a bikini without a hint of objectification. (HOLLA!) But what has us hooked on this print is the way it captures that elusive feeling of summer serenity, of slow, relaxed contemplation. We wanna live with that seasonal je ne sais quoi all year round.
Waiting by Ian Baguskas
NYC-based artist Ian Baguskas has been a member of the Jen Bekman Projects tribe for years. He's shown at the gallery many times and his Kamping Kabins was one of our very first editions. Waiting embodies the peculiar, loaded stillness in his photographs that will always captivate us. Baguskas caught these surfers in a moment of meditation, floating in the swells after a day spent carving the sizeable waves brought on by the impending Hurricane Earl. There’s both a sense of anticipation and a hint of exhausted satisfaction. Baguskas has left quite a bit of distance between the surfers and himself, and none of them face the camera, underscoring their anonymity. It’s as if they’re part of the ocean, completely in their element. Even those of us with no hand-eye coordination (hello, friends) might be tempted to hang ten. Fortunately, we can get a limited-edition print of Waiting and live vicariously through these dudes.
Want more warm weather art? Well, dive right into our full collection of Swimsuit Editions!
