Matthew Pillsbury and Ryan McGinley, 2 Photography shows not to miss...
The Matthew Pillsbury show, "Elapsed", at Bonni Benrubi Gallery, and the Ryan McGinley show,"I Know Where the Summer Goes," at Team Gallery both open tonight!
These two young hot photographic artistic talents work in so completely different ways and their images are on opposite extremes of the contemporary photographic spectrum. One using cerebral, dusty old world, black & white photos of long studied quiet settings, and the other working in blazing firecracker colors where he perfectly captures that instant of irreverent exuberance of today's butt naked youth culture. Also, One show is in an elegant dignified uptown gallery established over 20 years ago, and the other is in a hip trendy SOHO gallery, well at least it's not on the art world's bleeding fringe, The Uber Chic, Lower East Side! Such huge differences.. but MAO loves them both. They perfectly frame the quickly changing world of contemporary photographic art today.. and we're so excited to see these 2 shows. Now if we could only be both up and downtown at the same time tonight!
First.. Matthew Pillsbury, Elapsed at Bonni Benrubi Gallery. As most MAO readers already know... we're totally crazy obsessed with this young up and coming photographer..
We've written about Matthew's work before, he's won some big prizes, and we continue to be totally amazed with Matthew's thoughtful B&W time-laps images. Here is part of the galleries note about the new show..
(Photo #1,Matthew Pillsbury, Arteries, Nerves and Veins, Royal College of Surgeons, London, 2007)
This show expresses Pillsbury's continued interest in the relationship between humans and their technology. Incorporating the screens of television, cellular telephones, and computers as his primary artificial light source, Pillsbury's scenes are depleted of solid human forms and we are left with their ghosts. Using long exposures and a large camera the non-human elements of each image reveal themselves in greater detail than the people they belong too. Each player on these carefully designed stages of life evokes a sense of isolation to the viewer and we find their interconnectedness only in what they have "plugged into." Pillsbury has gone beyond the interior personal space and has taken on public spaces where we see ourselves moving anonymously through our world: blackberry's in hand, mere ghosts. It is truly time elapsed.
Also, Matthew has a website worth checking out as well. The show is up at the Bonni Benrubi Gallery on 57th street till May 31st.
The Ryan McGinley show, "I know where the Summer Goes," is at the Team Gallery in Soho.
OK, I know.. We at MAO have blogged on and on, about how much we love the work of young photographer Ryan McGinley. But this artist just keeps living up to all the
MAO hype potential.. and it looks like he's delivered once again! From what we've seen so far, Ryan is showing additional growth in his artistic vision and signature style.
Here's a exert from the gallery show announcement..
Ryan McGinley’s “snapshots” have been evolving steadily since his guerilla show at 420 West Broadway in 2000. In the intervening eight years he has moved away from an artistic practice that was the soul of casual and towards an elaborated production schedule that raises the ante on “being there.” McGinley has gone from being perceived as the hottest young photographer in town to being considered a serious artist with a rare gift for creating enduring color photographs — photographs that show us the best of youth.
The title of this exhibition, taken from an early B-side by Belle & Sebastian, is more than just a piece of poetic musing. McGinley does, in fact, know where his summers go. In the summer of 2007, for example, he traversed the United States with sixteen models and three assistants, shooting 4,000 rolls of film. From the resulting 150,000 photographs, he arduously narrowed down the body of work to some fifty images, the best of which are on display here at the gallery.
The inspirational images for the project were culled from the kinds of amateur photography that appeared in nudist magazines during the 60s and early 70s. McGinley would sit with his models and look through all of the ephemera of the period that he had collected, discussing with them the mood that he was hoping to capture that day. McGinley had chosen a very specific itinerary that would bring his troop through the incredible range of landscapes that are available across the US and carefully planned a battery of activities, sometimes orchestrating the use of special effects. He has always been quite fond of fireworks and fog machines and in this new work they play a major role.
The very artificial constructedness of the project allows for situations in which the models can both perform and be caught off guard. The resultant pictures of nude young men and women playing and living in the great outdoors are innocent yet erotic, casual yet calculated.
(photo #2, Ryan McGinley, Question Mark, 2007-8, c-print, available in only one size, 30x40, edition of 3)The McGinley show is up at The Team Gallery in SOHO until May 3rd.
Don't miss these 2 Shows!
Hey MAO!
I will covering Ryan's show.I bet is going to be scene.Everybody and their mother is blogging about this event.Good thing I posted different photos ...lol.
I hope changing my mind about not buying tonight!
Matthew Pillsbury looks like a good one too!
Thanks for the info!
Posted by: Ruben | April 03, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Honey, I'm not a math whiz, but run the numbers on this equation.
(1 monkey + 16 models) x 150,000 exposures + 1 editor.
I'm guessing it would = magic at least 50 times.
Posted by: Phyllis Diller | April 03, 2008 at 01:58 PM
I've just distributed your photo to the Lower East Side Facebook group with a "DO NOT ALLOW IN" sign. Kisses!
Posted by: Kenny T | April 03, 2008 at 02:15 PM
I hope that was for MAO. I can spot a purple suit everyday. Besides today I am sporting business drag so if it is for me...you will never find me ...ha! Hugs~!
Posted by: Ruben | April 03, 2008 at 04:13 PM
Ryan McGinley's brilliant. He's a great editor...he's meticulous...a singular artist whose work just keeps getting stronger.
"...casual yet calculated."
Like all truly great artists.
Posted by: Paul Pincus | April 04, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Show was a real scene spilling onto the street.
A lot of hipsters and art students. Ryan is creating a cult of followers like every major sucessful commercial artist (Warhol)
Sparkling photos are fantastic!
The question mark photo...just beautiful. MAO knows all about this one.
The bear photo was not there...MAO?
Another Hudinni trick?
Posted by: Ruben | April 04, 2008 at 10:40 AM
it was a good night for art I think Ryan is maybe a few steps ahead of today's art curve. While Matthew over the years is building a quiet ,elegant body of work that will ,if we remain sane , become classical standards of photography/art. The crowd at Ryan's was pressing with rock concert energy (lots of people blocking exits as they text messaged ,what have to common sense and good manners ? ), At Matthew's along with the standard opening refreshments there were cookies by Nate ,wonderful ,artful , inventive fresh and heavenly cookies by Nate.
Posted by: joneluv | April 04, 2008 at 12:24 PM
I don't think Ryan is "ahead of today's art curve" at all...I believe what makes his work so great is that it's very of-the-moment which is what sometimes translates to timeless.
His work next year and the year after that will also be of-the-moment and in turn timeless. He is modern in a way Larry Clark isn't.
There are moments when he seems to have more in common with the brilliant Phil Collins (Young Serbs) than with Nan Goldin, Tillmans, etc. McGinley will continue, I think, to surprise those who love his work and those who don't.
Posted by: Paul Pincus | April 04, 2008 at 06:52 PM
15,000 pics and thats the best he could come up with?
Posted by: fqua | April 04, 2008 at 10:45 PM
15,000 photos, that's nothing!
Many famous photographers like Tod Papageorge, Steven Shore and even William Eggleston took thousands of photos per month.
Posted by: Tim | April 05, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Ruben, of course that was not for you. You're ALWAYS invited down here. Just warn me so I don't wear that suit.
Posted by: Kenny T | April 05, 2008 at 01:36 PM
Paul says: "I believe what makes his work so great is that it's very of-the-moment which is what sometimes translates to timeless.
His work next year and the year after that will also be of-the-moment and in turn timeless."
How can something be "of the moment" and "timeless." What happens when next year comes around? Is the work from last year also "of the moment" this year? Doubtful. And by extension, not timeless. Seems you're making a case for the work to become dated quite fast.
Pillsbury's work, on the other hand, seems probable to be timeless in a way that McGinley never will. It will simply "work" year after year and not be dependent on the "moment."
I think "of the moment" is a negative comment, by the way. But that's just me.
Posted by: huh | April 07, 2008 at 10:36 AM
something happened to my post last week. would Ruben mention Nate's cookies.
Posted by: jonelov | April 08, 2008 at 06:04 PM
"...it's very of-the moment which is what sometimes translates to timeless."
huh: there are many examples from the world of fashion, design, architecture, and yes, even the world of art, where something is seen as in vogue, sometimes even part of a trend, and, in time, it becomes a classic or the standard (timeless). -PP ; )
Posted by: Paul Pincus | April 09, 2008 at 10:32 AM
15,000 exposures? The press release said 150,000 exposures!!
Posted by: Polly Jean | April 09, 2008 at 08:15 PM