Of course, there was more to see than just emerging artists. I knew I could count on Rudolph Kicken to have a scintillating booth filled with a combination of stellar names and less-well-known artists. Of the first type, there were wonderful examples of New Objectivity school and an array of first class photos of Christer Strömholm. Also, I was taken by a beautiful and powerful photo by Ryuji Miyamoto.
Of the second type, there was a very large scale installation by the art couple Anna and Bernhard Blume. I was unfamiliar with their work. I was told that this work is in the collection of MoMA and that they are better known in European collections. This work was from the 80's. I was surprised by the scale(over 10 feet high and at least 20 feet across), and the surreal and serial nature of the work. I had not seen anything quite like it. I will be looking to learn more about this work.
I was really impressed by the show at Postmasters this past year of the young artist, Anthony Goicolea. Aurel Scheibler Gallery (http://www.aurelscheibler.com/) had a larger scale work from that show. It was a standout.
Galerie Anhava from Helsinki had a strong showing you would expect from Helsinki school artists (www.anhava.com). Of particular note for me was the work of Pertti Kekarainen. The series on view was of hallways and glass doorways filled with light and geometric forms. These are "straight" photographs that compel with their formal rigor and luminous aspect. Unlike so much work that I commented on from day one in berlin, this work has the appearance of 3 dimensions while existing in the traditional 2 dimensions of a photo. One can walk into these photos. They may be a little emotionally cool for some tastes, but I like them alot.
Of the second type, there was a very large scale installation by the art couple Anna and Bernhard Blume. I was unfamiliar with their work. I was told that this work is in the collection of MoMA and that they are better known in European collections. This work was from the 80's. I was surprised by the scale(over 10 feet high and at least 20 feet across), and the surreal and serial nature of the work. I had not seen anything quite like it. I will be looking to learn more about this work.
I was really impressed by the show at Postmasters this past year of the young artist, Anthony Goicolea. Aurel Scheibler Gallery (http://www.aurelscheibler.com/) had a larger scale work from that show. It was a standout.
Galerie Anhava from Helsinki had a strong showing you would expect from Helsinki school artists (www.anhava.com). Of particular note for me was the work of Pertti Kekarainen. The series on view was of hallways and glass doorways filled with light and geometric forms. These are "straight" photographs that compel with their formal rigor and luminous aspect. Unlike so much work that I commented on from day one in berlin, this work has the appearance of 3 dimensions while existing in the traditional 2 dimensions of a photo. One can walk into these photos. They may be a little emotionally cool for some tastes, but I like them alot.
Anna and Bernhard Blume was an important part of my understanding of photography when I was studying. Esp. because they, as you pointed out, moves in other directions than other I know of using the photographic lens to produce art. Where I studied, oslo, they were well apreciated. Mainly because they were subjective - but not the "stiff" german / northern europe subjective ness (as master Strömholm did it), nor american "pulp" subjectiveness.
ReplyDeleteThey used surrealism in a different way than what i was used to back then. Also it was important to me (us, the students) that they were german, but not stiff germans like the düsseldorf school (becher school).
I cannot remember properly, but wasnt the prints of Strömholm not that expensive?
LMT,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post. I'll be eager to learn more from you about the Blumes. They are not well known at all among US photo lovers.
I didn't check on the prices of the Stromholms. My memory is that they are not expensive relative to his place in photo history and his prints are always exquisite. Still, this fair I wasn't buying so I didn't ask that question.