Rincon Artificial Island and Pipeline, Ventura, California by Ian Baguskas

Hope it's not too early to say, Happy New Year everybody! There are only eight days* in the new year to take in Mixtape at Jen Bekman Gallery, which runs through January 9th, 2010. Mixtape is a delirious, kaleidoscopic show, but one reason we're so excited about it is that nearly every photographer included, going back half a decade to our first round in 2005, has held the rank of Hot Shot.

On-screen reproduction just does not do this work justice, but for those of you who can't make it to the gallery, I've taken the liberty of linking up the following list to each photographer's piece in the show so that you can click through and get a peek at the work:

Jessica Eaton—2009 Second Edition
Mike Sinclair—2009 First Edition
Michelle Arcila—2009 First Edition
Colleen Plumb—2008 First Edition
Yijun (Pixy) Liao—2008 Second Edition
Gregory Krum—Summer 2007 Edition
Scott Eiden—Fall 2007 Edition
Kate Bingaman-Burt—Summer 2006 Edition
Ian Baguskas—Spring 2006 Edition
Joseph O. Holmes—Fall 2006 & Fall 2005
Matthew Tischler—Spring 2005 Edition

Another thing to note is that many of the prints in the show are genuine 20x200 editions. If you see something you like at the show, it may be more affordable than you think! Make sure to check the Mixtape page on 20x200 to see what's available for collecting. Stay tuned for news about out 2009 Second Edition Hey, Hot Shot! Showcase which is set to open in early March 2010.

* The gallery is closed on January 1st but will reopen from 12–6 on the 2nd

Untitled by Colleen Plumb

Well, aside from gaining the attention of Miss Jen Bekman, the trio are all participants in an online group exhibition entitled, The Un-Natural Nature of Food. The show was curated by Melanie McWhorter from the photography zine, Fraction. Scroll through the show here, but be forewarned, some images are, as the title might suggest, distressing.

From the curator's statement:

This exhibition is an extension of a personal exploration of my own relationship with food and, intentionally or not, is a political statement about the current relationship our society has to food -- where it is produced, how it is produced, who produces it and with what. I have grouped these images to create an aesthetic flow leading from comfortable to uncomfortable, practical to ridiculous, natural to artificial, knowledge to ignorance. It is in contrast to many of the aspects of pre-production and post-production. Here I am interested in food as an aesthetic, a commodity.

All of the photographers also have limited prints available on 20x200. Colleen's prints Amish Horses, Field Museum Sue, and Tiger Rug, Cabrini Green, are dwindling as we speak, as are Kevin's prints, Jones Boulevard Location, #1 and Highway 94 Location, #1. Brian's edition print, Untitled, Thrift 2006 (0635), is now sold out.

We are pleased to report that Juliane Eirich, a 2008 first edition Hot Shot and 20x200 superstar, will be part of SCOPE Basel 2009. On view from June 8th through June 14th, you can see Juliane's solo show Korean Diary as part of Berlin based Galerie Schuster. This series developed out of a 2007 fellowship in Seoul, Korea in which the artist took one photo everyday, creating a visual diary of her stay. Also, this is the first year that the Gallery has represented just one person at Scope Basel, so many congratulations are in order for Juliane!

Luckily for you, two of Juliane's images from this series, Balloons and Fishline are still available on 20x200, get them while they last!

20x200 edition-maker Kevin J. Miyazaki curates and compiles the tinytinygroup show, a mini "electroexhibit" of images centered around a unifying theme. This month's work brings nocturnally-inspired images together on your screen, and features the work of Hot Shots Juliane Eirich and Noah Kalina alongside 18 other photographers.

See the current exhibit here (click twice to make it big) and see past exhibits here!

We've been all a buzz lately about 2008 First Edition Hot Shot Colleen Plumb. Jen just caught up with her at the NEXT Art Fair in Chicago where Colleen teaches at Columbia College and reviewed some of her new work from Animals are Outside Today. This last weekend, Jen + I were still lingering over the photos as she paired one of Plumb's pics with a poem and I drafted a post for Flavorwire. Jen + Colleen's conversation about Animals must have really stuck with Jen because it was still swirling in her head as she wrote today's 20x200 newsletter.

If you happen to be in Denver and would like to see some more of Colleen's work up close and in-person, swing by van Straaten Gallery (formerly Sandy Carson Gallery) at 760 Santa Fe Drive this Thursday night, May 14th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The show will be on view through June 20th.

2008 First Edition Hot Shot Colleen Plumb's star is on the rise! She was recently awarded a Solo Exhibition Award at the Center of Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, was indexed in the inaugural Artists' Showcase catalog with an essay by juror Darius Himes of Radius Books, and she is featured in the February edition of PDN! Those are certainly enough reasons to throw roses at her feet, and yet, there is more good news!
Colleen's first solo exhibition of her series, Animals Are Outside Today, will open tomorrow, February 12 and run through through April 26 at the City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower on Chicago's North side.

Reception: Thursday, February 12 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm
806 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

Colleen has also been a three-time 20x200 artstar:
Tiger Rug, Cabrini Green
Field Museum Sue
Amish Horses

We released a third photograph, Amish Horses, from 2008 First Edition Hot ShotColleen Plumb on 20x200 today. Amish Horses and the previous editions, Field Museum Sue and Tiger Rug, Cabrini Green, are from Plumb's series Animals Are Outside Today (she has a flash site so you'll have to click around a bit to get to the work). Immensely popular with 20x200 fans, work from this series has also been collected by the Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Hot Shots' work gets around. In addition to being featured on 20x200 (Hot Shots and Contenders featured here, on the HHS blog, have their work reviewed by Jen for 20x200 editions), Hot Shots exhibit at Jen Bekman Gallery in a group show and are also in the running for solo exhibitions and representation. (Y'all know that the freshest crop of Hot Shots will be opening a show this Friday.)

From 2008's 10 Hot Shots, volume iv, edition i, including Ms. Plumb, and volume iv, edition ii, 2 will be selected as Ultras and slated for their solo exhibitions at the JBGallery. We'll be announcing 2008's Ultras very, very soon, stay tuned.

Another thing we'll be announcing sooner than I can type "hop to it"... the opening of the next round of competition!

Keep your eyes here or sign up for our low-volume mailing list to be automatically notified when 2009's first competition is open.

Field Museum Sue by Hot Shot Colleen Plumb

One of our newest Hot Shots, Colleen Plumb writes, about one of this week's 20x200 editions:

Animals Are Outside Today

I began this project looking at "fake nature", wondering what substitutions for nature can satisfy in people. Looking deeper I began photographing live/real animals and how they can be a link for us to a world far from the reality and pace of contemporary life, as well as provide an intangible link to a deeper world of instinct and rawness.

This series of photographs examines the essence of our connection, as well as our fragmentation from the natural. I am interested in the increasing disconnection that exists between humans and the natural world. The work explores simulation, consumption, destruction, and reconstruction as well as notions of endurance and the reality of loss.

...

With this series I seek to understand how the human connection to the rest of nature is often developed through assimilation and appropriation. I hope this work will incite contemplation about the lives of animals and generate dialog about resource usage.

Yesterday's 20x200 blog was awash in Hey, Hot Shot! goodness.

First, Kara posted about two Hot Shots, Kelly Shimoda (Spring '07) and James Rajotte (Summer '06), who frequently shoot for the New York Times these days.

Then, Jen announced a special Monday edition of 20x200, by current Hot Shot Kate Orne. Orne's edition is also a benefit for a recently established school for the children of sexworkers in Pakistan which was founded under the umbrella of Sheed Society (an organization Orne founded to address the social issues particular, not to mention particularly brutal, to Pakistani sexworkers.

Hey, Hot Shot! opening at Jen Bekman Gallery on August 8, 2008

On Friday night the gallery was packed. The rain stopped shortly before start time so the crowd was, luckily, able to spill over onto the sidewalk and into the street for a lovely evening near the great work of our newest Hot Shots.

Head to PhotoShelter's Shoot! The Blog to read a one-question interview with Ms. Bekman, and check back here for talks with the Hot Shots soon.

It's time for you to stop by the gallery too. Hey, Hot Shot! Volume IV, Edition I is open at Jen Bekman Gallery until August 23.

Opening Tomorrow: Hey, Hot Shot! (volume IV, edition I)

Friday, August 8, 2008

Hey, Hot Shot! (volume IV, edition I) | five photographers to watch

Our first Hey, Hot Shot! showcase for 2008 opens tomorrow (Friday) at Jen Bekman Gallery on Friday August 8th.

The exhibition features photographs from:

Juliane Eirich | Derek Henderson | Kate Orne | Roc Herms Pont | Colleen Plumb

Please join us for the opening reception.

Opening Reception: Friday August 8th | 6pm-8pm
On view through Saturday, August 23rd.

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

Colleen Plumb may be one of the newest Hot Shots, but she's already running with a crowd of past winners and others who have shown at Jen Bekman gallery. Colleen's photo, above, is currently featured on Flak Photo, in a section devoted to this year's Review Santa Fe, an annual juried portfolio review for photographers who have created a significant project or series and are seeking wider recognition.

Later this summer, Jen Bekman will be at Sante Fe, to jury the Center's Singular Image Prize for color photography.

Colleen Plumb
Currently residing in Chicago, Illinois

Website: www.colleenplumb.com

Work statement
My photographs examine the increasing disconnection that exists between humans and the natural world. My work explores simulation, consumption, destruction, and reconstruction. It addresses the essence of our connection, as well as our fragmentation from the natural. The series looks at points of intersection with wild in the human-made world -- our coexistence -- and explores notions of endurance and the reality of loss.

For over ten years my work has examined how and where the natural world -- in real or artificial form -- appears in an urban environment. Growing up in Chicago gave me an urban childhood: running through gangways and exploring alleys with my friends. Something more and more kids today don't experience. Early on, seeds for my interest in nature were planted through lots of outside play, camping trips, and odd pets (our duck named Sir Francis Drake, for example). I am sure these beginnings influence and inspire my work.

I began this project looking at 'fake nature', wondering what substitutions for nature can satisfy in people. Looking deeper I began photographing live/real animals and how they can be a link for us to a world far from the reality and pace of contemporary life, as well as provide an intangible link to a deeper world of instinct and rawness. With this series I hope to incite contemplation about the lives of animals and and generate a dialog about resource usage.

Bio
Born in 1970, Colleen Plumb grew up on the north side of Chicago and went to school at the University of Illinois in Urbana; graduating in 1992 with a BFA from Northern Illinois University in Visual Communication. In 1999 Plumb received an MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago where she is currently an adjunct faculty member. Before earning her MFA, Plumb had a job at a design firm and one day, while driving home, she saw some amazing light on the side of a brick building in Chicago and decided to follow her heart and start making pictures. Plumb lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters and, of course, Jack the dog, and exhibits her photographs nationally.

Porsche by HHS! winner Juliane Eirich

Juliane Eirich
Currently residing in Munich, Germany and Seoul, South Korea

Website: www.julianeeirich.com

Work Statement
When I was 14 my father gave me his old video camera. I made dozens of films with friends, mostly shooting at an abandoned airport in my hometown. It was a great time and I think that's where my love for places evolves from. It might sound trivial, but when this camera broke I switched to photography.

The main subjects of my work are physical places. I am interested in the relation between man-made environment and nature. This relation can be of very different types within the topics I choose: harmonic, complex, funny, surprising, or shy.

Most of my work is photographed at night. Night photography is slow and calm, but at the same time the very precise process that suits me and my way of working. I like the way I can focus at night, since there is less distraction -- both visually and acoustically -- than during the day. The artificial, rendering-like aesthetic, the light and color atmosphere that can be found during night, appeals to me and matches my understanding of beauty.

The series "Snow Night" is a personal project that emerged from the half happy, half sentimental feeling of being home after a long stay abroad. While away I missed my homeland. I was looking forward to re-exploring it, since before I left I never realized how much I actually appreciated it.

Through photography I feel I have the "license to be curious." There is always a reason to wander around and look for new places and topics. This curiosity is what inspires me and makes me enthusiastic about photography.

Bio
I was born in Munich, Germany in 1979. After finishing high school in 1999 I got an offer to do an internship at a fashion photographer in Miami. At the end of the internship I knew I didn't want to be a fashion photographer but I was sure I wanted to become a photographer. I successfully applied at the Academy of Photographic Design in Munich and graduated in 2003.

Like many young photographers I went to New York City right after graduation to work and pursue my own projects. Also, like many young photographers, I did not have an easy time there and after about one year I decided to leave New York, since I felt I was not moving forward.

I started working at a vacation rental in Hawaii. I was working during the day and taking photographs at night. Later on, I received a scholarship to show my work at the reviews of Fotofest 2006 in Houston.

Since then, my work has been exhibited in the USA, Canada, Syria, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, and was featured in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Stern Magazine, and European Photography. My work has been awarded in several competitions like the Flash Forward 2007 & 2008 and the Voiglaender New Talent Award 2007.

In 2007, I received a scholarship of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) to live and work in Seoul, South Korea for one year. This is where I am now, working on a project about a German village in South Korea.

Le Hermitage Painting by HHS! winner Roc Herms Pont

Roc Herms Pont
Currently residing in Barcelona, Spain

Work Statement
Close to photojournalism, with a strong graphic design background, I started using photography to capture and remember what I found interesting though my eyes. People, places, details ... I use photography to share my view of the world, to express myself.

Bio
Roc Herms Pont sounds German, but it is Catalan. 3 monosyllables and three vowels is all he need for presentation.

Born of the hands of the Spanish constitution (1978), he later discover the world of photography, when this became, thanks to digital cameras, the most mainstream form of artistic expression. He left his job as an art director at an advertising agency and embarked on advertising photography, personal projects, and something close to photojournalism.

He currently works as a freelancer within the world of design, advertising photography, and photojournalism.

Reids Farm by HHS! winner Derek Henderson

Derek Henderson
Currently residing in Auckland, New Zealand

Website: www.derekhenderson.net

Work Statement
My photography is about what people don't see even when it's right in front of them. Making the mundane sublime. Having empathy with others and the environment. I am fascinated by thepursuit of happiness and how people live their lives. I believe happiness in life is about balance, moderation, and living in harmony with the environment.

Bio
I was born in a rural town called Napier, in New Zealand. Where I'm from you couldn't really study photography at the time. So I became an assistant for an advertising photographer in Auckland, New Zealand. I then worked in London for magazines like ID, Arena Homme Plus, The Observer Magazine, Exit, and a few more. I wanted to work on more personal projects so I moved back to New Zealand and I'm currently working on my second book which will be published by www.michaellett.comm in November.

Sex Worker Entwined With Client by HHS! winner Kate Orne

Kate Orne
Currently residing in New York, New York

Website: www.kateorne.com

Work Statement
Since '00 I have worked among the neediest people in Afghanistan and Pakistan and using photography as a tool to fight against indentured slavery and for the wellbeing of women, children, and animals. My commitment to social causes has become the defining part of my life as an artist. I have worked on several essays in South East Asia where the poor are sentenced to lives of disease and want. Throughout, I have been documenting their struggles in photos -- using art as a connection to wider awareness in the outside world.

Since '05 I have worked among the sex-workers and their families in Pakistan -- being the first photographer to document this shunned community. This body of work examines the uneasy peace between Islamic fundamentalism and profanity in the brothels. Repressive fundamentalist Muslim laws not only shun these women's existence but in some areas make their actions punishable by death. However, in their brothels the women are the breadwinners. This underlying dualism surfaces in portraits of the women sitting proudly on the same beds where they not only service their customers but share with their husbands and children.

I use this project to raise awareness about this little known community, and to raise funds for the two little schools, the first ones ever to offer education to the children of the sex-workers with the mission to break the cycle of children being born into prostitution, sex abuse, drug addiction and crime. There are currently 80 students enrolled.

Bio
Born in Stockholm, Sweden. Based in New York City.

'99 - present
Artist focused largely on women and children issues in developing countries.

'94 - present
Commercial photographer focused on portraiture and fashion.

'02 - Present Established myfarawayfamily.com, an organization providing Afghan refugee children with education and their widowed mothers with micro loans and guidance to start their own businesses. Provided food distributions in Kabul and Peshawar among refugees.

'92 -'94 Editor at Interview magazine.

'88-'91 Producer of still shoots for art and commercial photography.

Publications
The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Interview, Artnet.com, Arena, Vibe, Spin, Marie Claire, Dansk, Harpers Bazaar, Glamour, Tokion, +81, Dune among others.

Exhibitions / Selected Awards
2008
Show&Sell Chelsea Art Museum NYC
Sideluck Potshow.
Selected participant, Review Santa Fe.
American Photography 24 Best Photography of 2007

2007
Act of Faith Nordlicht Photofestival, Netherlands 2007. Curated by Wim Melis
Up& Now! Photographic Center Northwest Judged by Charlotte Cotton, curator of LACM
Spectra '07 Silvermine Guild Arts Center Curated by Peter McGill, Pace/McGill Gallery NY