More Books by Hot Shot Mickey Smith


I guess I don't talk much about what art I buy, but I am happy to report that I recently snagged a great print from Winter '07 Hot Shot Mickey Smith's 20x200 edition -- More Books. The subject! That color! I love so much about it.

More Books is from Smith's series Volume, which she describes as "an ongoing project documenting bound periodicals and professional journals in public libraries. Most of these publications are being replaced by their online counterparts." 

I love books about art and art about books.  I'm moving soon, and I am really looking forward to hanging up a bunch of prints from Nina Katchadourian's Sorted Books series and some shots I took at an installation of Martha Rosler's Library about as much as I am to setting up my real library.  And now I'll have Smith's book print to add to that collection too.

Speaking of Smith:  even if you didn't purchase one of her flying-off-the-shelves prints yet, you have plenty of opportunity to see her work in the near future.  You should also head over to the 20x200 blog to read Kara's great interview with her and you should definitely visit one of Smith's upcoming shows too.

In the interview, Mickey even talks about collecting:

KC: Do you collect art?

MS: 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.

Smith's work can currently be seen in these shows:

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

Soon, you can see Smith's work in these 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

Hot Shot Nina Berman on www.artforobama.net

Today was the kind of day that made me really thankful that Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish year, is in a few days. I think I need a new beginning. I think we all need a new beginning. Banks failing, jobs disappearing, prices rising, and so on. So I can't help but be a little bit enlightened/encouraged by those who are also searching for change:

On 20x200, Kara reports on Art for Obama, a photography auction initiative to raise money for the campaign. Some JB-related — Alec Soth and Nina Berman — are even involved.

And then there's this: The Great Schlep. It has nothing to do with photography, and when it was forwarded to me, I immediately assumed I would hate everything about it. But I don't. It is silly, but they have a point. I hope they help.

Also, Lipstick for Change. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from an old friend asking if I wanted to take some photos for a new project she was about to begin. There was lipstick. And there was exciting thinking. There was hope. And there was, of course, Obama. You should shoot some photos for them too.

P.S. When I went to Flickr, just now, to upload the photo for to complete this post, I found this, from my talented friend, Carrie McClean. It's a photo, so it's related. And it's adorable. You should think about wearing one of her rings. And take photos. (I should stay more on task: photos.)

Needle-Needle-Nee by Coke Wisdom O'Neal on 20x200

I've had one of Coke Wisdom O'Neal's medicine cabinets hanging in my bathroom for years. I got mine, from Mixed Greens, for free. They sent it in the mail a long time ago; I wish I could remember exactly why. It wasn't a bribe; I wrote this sort of overblown blurb in The Village Voice about Coke's work all on my own.

That said, you need one hanging in your bathroom too. Visit 20x200 to see what, if any, of each edition is left. I was happy to see these two pieces in my inbox today. I still love how the cabinet serves as a perfect frame for his portraits. Also, his work makes me think about how I have pills all over my house and maybe I need some structure. Morning medicine near the front door, night medicine near the bed, mid-day pill cases in every purse, etc. It's like I live in a medicine cabinet; as such I'm afraid I'd be a terrible subject for O'Neal.

P.S. Do visit Mixed Greens. It was one of the first places I loved for its art-for-everyone ethos. I knew I'd found a good group when I used the bathroom, on my first visit, and in there they had a shelf lined with a Ryan McGinness work that consisted of tall gold plated sports-figurine topped trophies bearing phrases like "#1 Artist" and "Best Artist Ever in the World."

Katarina, from Hot Shot Karolina Karlic's Dear Diary series

Spring '07 Hot Shot, Ne Plus Ultra, and 20x200 contributor Karolina Karlic is in a show. Work from Karlic's Dear Diary series is up now through November 8 at the Independent Feature Project in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The IFP notes:

The lush large scale prints of ... Karolina Karlic radiate a sensuality revealing everyday lives longing for meaning and connection.

...

Intrigued by the motivations of those that post Internet classifieds through “Missed Connections” on Craig’s List, Karolina Karlic sought out the posters to create her images. Perhaps by helping to complete their need for connection she was able to draw them into collaboration to make photographs of vulnerability and longing in our contemporary world of impersonal Internet communication.

On the art-inspired-by Craigslist ads note, check out the songs of Gabriel Kahane's "Craigslistlieder." The music has been touted as, "His song cycle, Craigslistlieder, art-song settings of eight anonymous posts he found on the ubiquitous personals/classifieds website Craigslist, has won over fans and critics with its affiliation of raucous pop culture and deft high-art craft. " And it is true. Perhaps it's time for a music and photo show for Karlic and Kahane together.

P.S. Only one print is left from Karlic's 20x200 edition (pictured above)!

P.P.S. Full disclosure: I shot some photos for Kahane's recent album.

Today's 20x200 edition is from Fall '07 Hot Shot Shuli Hallak.

Shuli had this to say about her work:

I am compelled to understand, both visually and conceptually, how things really work, in industry and agriculture, from steel mills to farms. My work is an unveiling of nearly invisible networks that we depend on but of which we know very little.

Photography is my process of discovery and the expression of fascination with what I find.

And Jen Bekman had this to say in her newsletter this afternoon. Sign up for 20x200 news and be the first to hear about great editions like Shuli's.

Greetings collectors! Welcome to your Wednesday dispatch from 20x200 land. I'm a bit bleary-eyed today, having indulged in a night out on the town that kept me up past 2 a.m. One of my favorite things about NYC is that you can stay out till the wee hours on any night of the week; there's always something entertaining going on, usually lots of things, in fact. I might not do it all that often, but there's something comforting about knowing that it's there.

This need for 24 hour living is integral to my city girl identity, which means that all my country living fantasies are just that. I must confess, however, that today's photographs are gorgeous enough to make me consider turning in my night owl wings for a more bucolic life.

Hay Harvest, New Jersey and Cotton Field, Mississippi are from Farms, an evolving body of work by Shuli Hallak. Shuli is a Summer '07 Hot Shot, a recent SVA MFA Photo grad and someone who I happily run into out and about at various photography events in New York City and beyond.

Visually, this new body of work might seem like a dramatic departure from the hard-edged nighttime shots of her Cargo series, but it is gorgeous and monumental evidence of Shuli's ongoing investigation of what she describes as "nearly invisible networks that we depend on but of which we know very little."

The Farms series is particularly resonant for me right now since my literate lefty leanings having me thinking, reading and talking a lot about Slow Food, sustainable agriculture, CSAs and really getting to the bottom of where bacon comes from. Being a city girl makes all of this stuff that much more of a mystery, giving me a voracious appetite for words and images on such matters, not to mention its delicious results. (Although I'm not unquestioning about the inherent privilege of being able to preoccupy myself with such things.)

Many of the photographers that I work with are developing projects related to farms, sustainability and the environment. It's been interesting to see how each artist's individual style is manifested in the results. One of the things that I like so much about the images of Shuli's series is that they are hers, clearly kin to Cargo in spite of the very different subjects, colors, light and environment. To me, being able to establish a distinctive visual style and carry it across a diversity of subjects is one of the true indicators that a photographer is talented.

All this talk of farms and food has given me a hankering for some fresh air and fancy treats. With the editions explicated, that's my cue to take my leave and head out into the sunny afternoon to sniff out some sustenance. As always, you won't have to miss me for long; there's lots of good art in the hopper and I'll be back soon to share it with all of you.

Wednesday's 20x200 edition is by Shuli Hallak, a Fall '07 Hot Shot.

Untitled 5 (wallpaper) and Untitled 2 (raft) by Summer '07 Hot Shot Dan Boardman. Pay no attention to those numbers, prints are moving fast. Check out 20x200 to see what's left.

You're not signed up for the 20x200 newsletter? First, sign up. Then, read this, from Jen's latest note about Summer '07 Hot Shot Dan Boardman's edition:

"... Untitled 2 (raft) and Untitled 5 (wallpaper): These quiet and lovely photos are by Dan Boardman, another member of the JB family by way of his participation in the Summer '07 edition of Hey, Hot Shot!, where he also exhibited work from this series, Home. His statement, much like the work itself, is simple and charming and (dare I say it?) sweet:

To grow up in a small town is to always be looking for something bigger, to be looking out to the next chapter, waiting, daydreaming. To move away from a small town is to long for its innocence and its comfort.

As it has been amply evidenced here, I am a fan of the square format for photography. My enthusiasm about the opportunities for elegant composition within an equally sided image are apparently infectious. (Not to mention alliterative, I see.) A friend is newly fixated on getting himself a Hasselblad and has rented one for the upcoming weekend, just to be sure. I don't even need to see the results! I am sure already.

What could be better than a square photo? Why, two square photos, naturally, especially two that go together as well as these do. All of the images from Home bring out the tender-hearted sentimentalist in me*, but I love how these two are the same and different all at once.

The compositional similarities practically hit you over the head, so much so that I was slightly sheepish when suggesting the pairing to my JBP cohorts. The counterpoints are perhaps a little more subtle — the opposition of the expansive outdoors against the intimate interior, the bright, cool blues and greens vs. the creamy intimacy of the domestic tableau. It's divine, if you ask me, and the sum of them is better than either on its own."

Untitled (Max) by Fall '05 Hot Shot Dorthe Alstrup

Dear Jen,

The next time you receive a 20x200 newsletter that contains a piece of art you really really want to buy, you need to just buy it. You do not need to first e-mail Jen B. to say, "OMG. I really really love today's 20x200 edition! I am going to buy it right now! XO, Jen S."

When you write notes like that and then click back to 20x200 to buy the edition in question it might be sold out in the size you want. I'm just saying. For next time, remember: purchases first, exclamations second.

Love,
Jen

P.S. I bought this one instead.

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.

Andrew, Revere MA, 2006 by Hot Shot Robert Knight

It is shaping up to be a busy summer for Hot Shots from all seasons. Summer '05 Hot Shot Robert Knight was just part of a two-man show titled Things I've Seen, put together by student curator Simeon Durham, of the Hyde Leadership Academy. Knight’s photographs explore the personal space of the bedroom. The exhibit was up at ARTSPACE, a non-profit organization presenting local and national visual art, provides access, excellence and education for the benefit of the public and the arts community in New Haven.

You can see some of Robert's interiors work on his well-designed website and you can purchase an edition at 20x200.

Laugaras Iceland by Hot Shot Bob O'Connor, from 20x200

There are only a few left! Merely a handful remain of Winter '06 Hot Shot Bob O'Connor's 20x200 edition that went on sale just this morning.

O'Connor lives in the suburbs outside of Boston with his two Australian Shepherd dogs. His commercial work has appeared in a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, Fast Company, Technology Review, Dwell, and London Telegraph magazines. O'Connor's work has also been shown at Jen Bekman Gallery (Hey, Hot Shot! Winter 2006), The Photographic Resource Center, and The Griffin Museum of Photography. He was named one of "30 Emerging Photographers to Watch" by PDN in 2006.

Bob writes:

"The rural landscape of Iceland is full of horses that are allowed to run wild for most of the year. Unfortunately, this also means that the horses aren't that interested in seeing people with cameras. Everytime I got out of the car to attempt a photograph the horses would turn and run away. On the last day of the trip, after two weeks of trying, I found some horses that were cooperative and let me photograph them. It took a bribe, in the form of some green apples and grass, but I think we all won out in the end. I got my photograph and they got a tasty snack."

Torn by Jonathan Allen

The print above — today's 20x200 edition — is not a photograph, but it does depict a pack of photographers and Ms. Bekman explains its link to Hey, Hot Shot in her newsletter description:

Jonathan's distinctive style has all kinds of intersections with past and future 20x200 artists. Faux bois has popped up in lots of our editions, and his saturated geometric planes are reminiscent of Paradigm Shift, an early edition from painter Jessica Snow. Those hues and lines are also somewhat unexpectedly akin to new work from 20x200 favorite Carrie Marill, recently completed for her solo show that's opening at the gallery next month. (The suspense might be killing you, but you'll just have to wait!) And don't you see a connection with Curtis Mann's Treetops in Jonathan's choice of subject and media? I sure do. Most randomly, his crowd of shutterbugs reminds me of Michael David Murphy's own photo-journalism and the insightful criticism that you'll find on his blog 2point8. And there are personal connections as well. Jonathan was encouraged to submit to 20x200 by fellow LMCC resident Amy Park and is (perhaps unbeknownst to him) connected to Dorthe Alstrup via their participation in the Bronx Museum's prestigious Artist in the Marketplace program.

Who's Dorthe you say? As Google will tell you in its top results, she's a former Hot Shot. She's also got a great print coming up with us here in a few weeks. Another surprise to look forward to!

And now I'm moving forward myself. This year's first round of Hey, Hot Shot! winners make their debut at the JB on Friday and there are preparations to attend to.

I admit, all that I can think about is swimming. Even the indoor pool at my YMCA is suddenly insanely appealing. How lucky, then, that swimming pools are another oft-photographed subject among Hot Shot entrants.

Above, a great image from Carlo Van de Roer's "Swim" series. Carlo is a Hot Shot from Fall '07 and his work has been featured twice on 20x200 too. Carlo's work pays grand attention to form and function, to the color and feel of these man-made bodies of water, but he also pays particular attention to the human element and emotion in each frame.

Maybe he's working on another series now and I can accompany him on a shoot? A girl can dream.