The AIPAD Photography Show New York at the Park Avenue Armory
March 16 to 20, 2011
Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street
New York City
Show Hours
Thursday, March 17 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 18 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Run, don’t walk to the Park Avenue Armory, for this weekend’s cornucopia of fine photography from around the world. A veritable feast for the eyes, ranging from incunabula to the latest experiments in photographic abstraction, this is a chance to see many prints that otherwise remain in the private domain.
If this year’s show feels more New York-centric than usual — with predominantly American gallery participation, and with Irving Penn, Diane Arbus or Nobuyoshi Araki all in the mix – there is nonetheless a striking Japanese flavor to the fair. Among galleries showcasingJapanese artists, there is a palpable effort to support Japan in its heartbreaking state.
Representing Japan directly is the Picture Photo Space Gallery from Osaka, with a selection of Araki’s Polaroid series artfully installed, along with astonishing work by Ayano Sudo, a young artist from Kobe. At first glance, her portrait series appears to be of 1970’s Manga-styled young guys and girls. Upon further examination, their gender bending ways become subtly apparent, with sparkles of glitter embedded into the prints. Ayano Sudo will be present at the gallery’s exhibition this weekend, dressed in her native garb, to answer any questions directly.
A few galleries are showing work that contends with, questions, and challenges the boundaries and relationship between painting and photography. Often, the results confound. Higher Pictures’ exhibition of work by Sam Falls and Claire Pentecost does just that. Sam Falls, a recent ICP-Bard MFA recipient, plays with and manipulates his photographs, so by the time he’s done, the viewer is not exactly sure what medium was used. Kim Bourus of Higher Pictures points out that it has now been ten to twelve years since artists began playing with Photoshop, and that this is the first generation of artists to integrate technology into their work successfully. Claire Pentecost documents her drawings on walls by photographing them using an 8 x 10 camera. She then makes palladium prints, referencing the early history of photography. On first regard, one must ask: are these drawings or photographs? Over at Steven Kasher Gallery, four portraits of an African-American family ask the same question.
Bruce Silverstein Gallery often shows beautiful, vintage Kertész prints at AIPAD, amongst many other classics. This year he also offers work by Shinichi Maruyama, and the series Kusho: gigantic photographs of paint in mid-air. For the diehard Andy Warhol fan, Deborah Bell Photographs offers Andy Warhol’s Street Series, a fascinating series of black and white photographs taken from 1981-1986 right here in New York City. Additionally, several works by the singular Gerard Petrus Fieret are included in her exhibition.
Saturday will also bring a slew of all-star panel discussions throughout the day, beginning with Photography Now: How Artists are Thinking Now, moderated by gallerist Julie Saul with Larry Fink, Shirin Neshat and Alec Soth. The last session of the day at 6 pm, AIPAD and the IPAD: New Technology and Photography, moderated by Barbara Pollack, focuses on the ramifications of new technology.
Tickets for the panel discussions are available in advance, at $10 per session, and are also available on-site
www.aipad.com/photoshow/new-york
