Mario Algaze: Focus

At Robert Mann Gallery, we consider all the artists we work with family, and some actually are. Robert Mann Gallery is pleased to announce our summer exhibition, FRIENDS + FAMILY. This exhibition features works by artists connected not only through the gallery that exhibits their work, but also through the strong ties built between artists sharing a craft. Many artists or thereafter their estates have been with Mann since the 1980’s. After 40 years this is certainly family! Within the group of twenty-one artists included in this exhibition, there are husbands and wives, fathers and sons, teachers and students, and professional and personal colleagues. The dynamic duo ringl+pit (Grete Stern and Ellen Auerbach) are a wonderful example of the exhibition’s theme. Having met in 1929 at the famous Bauhaus school, where Maholy-Nagy was a professor, the two created one of the most important Avant Garde photography and design studios in Berlin. When the Nazi’s came to power, Auerbach and Stern fled with their respective partners. Stern immigrated with her husband, Horacio Coppola, to his hometown of Buenos Aires where both artists continued to define themselves as important photographers. Auerbach settled in the United States with her husband, Walter, where they too continued to work as photographers. After their marriage ended, Ellen had a brief relationship and made a collaborative project with the photographer Eliot Porter.

The City of Namara by Robert G. Achtel presents an American city that exists somewhere between reality and fiction through nine original composites meticulously created from the artist’s photographs and designs. The citizens are nowhere to be seen, yet it's the implied human drama presented in each piece that pulls the viewer into a thrilling narrative of excess and despair. On the surface, the series alludes to a period of architectural upheaval when the standards of Modernism were questioned, if not rejected, by a new school of designers. At the end of the 1960s, the truth had become all but relative and this new age was embedded in the architecture through irony, seduction, and profitability. In 2008, among the outskirts of “Old Vegas” far from the strip, Achtel found a dubious yet magical place where the demise of Modernist ideals and the rise of postmodern concepts still lingered in the desert air. Having closely studied the work of architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Achtel found a creative lead worth pursuing, a larger story about society and modern life, reflected in the American roadside; "Glass facades reflect the opposite side of the street, but they also reflect the hopes and fears of the society from which they originate." Through his inventive architecture, the artist subtly reflects upon existential human themes such as love, loss, sexuality, and addiction. Achtel’s imagined city is a place of contradictions where the promises of postwar America still resonate, yet at the same time, the realities of postmodern life take the stage, with isolation and emptiness being a dominant theme. It’s no coincidence as his initial photography took place during the recession of 2009 when countless commercial buildings were left abandoned. The viewer discovers this conceptual duality in the pieces through neighboring structures such as the “Relapse” nightclub near his psychedelic drugstore or the conflicting messages of neon signage, as in the “Lost Lovers” facade which encourages one to forgive and forget, but at the same time offers you to “win ‘em back”. To create this perpetually sun-drenched yet sardonic memento of late 20th century America, Achtel has pioneered a truly unique digital process, compositing thousands of his reference images made across Nevada, Florida, and California. From these disparate and exceedingly complex elements, he has arranged light, shadow, texture, and color with exacting precision. In each work, a chord of vivid hues reminiscent of early chromatic films saturates the scene, perhaps as a metaphor for the energetic, uninhibited ambitions of the period. As a result, The City of Namara, like the outskirts of those urban oases from which its components originate, appears simultaneously real and artificial, oscillating between optimism and cynical jest. Robert G. Achtel (b. 1980) lives and works in Wiesbaden, Germany. Coming from a prolific and awarded background as a graphic designer, it's easy to recognize the influence of Achtel's tradecraft in his art practice. For this presentation, the artist is sharing many of the source photographs used to construct each piece for the first time, providing an entertaining insight into his working process and vision.

This summer at Holden Luntz Gallery, we are embracing the inevitable heat. As temperatures rise and the summer sizzles, we present our newest exhibition, Temperatures Rising – Surrender to the Heat. Temperatures Rising is a photographic exhibition that explores the different implications of the word “hot.” Owing to our predisposition to the tropical South Florida weather, we expand on the idea of hotter temperatures through some striking photographs. Celebrating the summer climate, we dive into what “hot” has meant to different photographers over the years, exploring pictures that present the emotions, physicality, and nature of heat. Firstly, we present some of the steamiest and sexiest photographs from our collection, including works by Bruce Weber, Andre De Plessel, and Norman Seeff. We cool down the warmer temperatures with pictures highlighting the refreshing, liberating joys of jumping in the water with photographs by Lawrence Schiller, Terry O’Neill, and Jim Lee. Lastly, we contemplate the charming summertime landscapes with pictures by Stephen Wilkes, Andre Lichtenberg, and Melvin Sokolsky. Why fight the heat? We invite you to Holden Luntz Gallery to cool off and celebrate the hot days and nights of summer.

Eli Klein Gallery is proud to present “Ji Zhou: Symbiosis” - the artist’s third solo exhibition with the gallery. The artist, based on his observation and reflection on the current situation of the contemporary environment, focuses on plants in the works in this exhibition. Every piece was shot and laid out on a specially designed structure, the light from which allows the artist to isolate and inspect each plant, with an emphasis on its pattern. The contrast between the natural plants and the appearance of artificial photography suggests a symbiotic relationship between what is ordinarily provided, and what is altered by humans. Since Ji Zhou’s 2017 solo exhibition at the Gallery, the world has changed radically due, in part, to the global pandemic. By experiencing this global change, the artist began to shift the focus of his works from urban landscapes to honeysuckle - the flower whose leaves endure the winter - and created the Metempsychosis - 2022 (2022) series. Honeysuckles are very adaptable and are not strictly dependent on soil and climate. When photographed, the flowers can wither faster than they grow naturally, but it is also because of the photography that the flowers can be framed as they once bloomed. The Metempsychosis series is a group of abstract expressionist photographs inspired by Jackson Pollock's paintings. “Vitality in Action” is the emphasis for these works. The images are given a gradient effect and the plants are brought to life by the illumination of the light. The blooming flowers and the wilted flowers intertwine with each other: they seem to be struggling and blooming in the withering. The real and the illusory captured in these photographs showcase the full cycle of the plants’ lives in one united display. Under a monochromatic filter, Twining Florets (2021), a lightbox work, shows a seemingly contradictory, but intertwined, scene of reality and fantasy. Staying home during the pandemic forced many people to lose direct contact with the natural world, leaving their memories of nature and plants blurred. The sides of the lightbox are left uncolored, allowing the viewers to see the original color of the work through the slit. Although the entirety of the image is still inaccessible via this view, it is enough to restore, aided by one’s imagination, the original appearance of the part covered by the filter. Symmetry and asymmetry, order and disorder, are embodied in Ji Zhou’s works. In Full Bloom (2021) and Prosperity (2021), the artist placed plants and flowers in man-made arrangements, misrepresenting what’s natural. Plants grow wildly around a central pattern composed with flowers and branches to form a vibrant scene and reflect the vitality that plants exude. Although Hasht Bihisht (2021) follows a similar plant placement format, the artist chose to arrange each plant in a more disorderly placement. A few colorful flowers bloom and are intertwined with withered branches and leaves, creating a paradox in which vitality and gloom co-exist. Additionally, the disordered arrangement of plants in Ji Zhou’s works indicates the blurred boundaries amongst plants. The duration required for plants to grow to maturity is concealed when stacking them together; each plays a valuable role in the natural environment and should be respected. This exhibition is also the debut of the Plant portrait - Tillandsia (2022) series. In contrast to Ji Zhou’s other works in this show, sophisticated plant arrangements are absent. Tillandsia, a tenacious plant that can grow merely by absorbing nutrients and moisture in the air, are presented in monochrome in this series. Even in a “hopeless” environment, this plant can still grow exuberantly. Each work was made by combining two photographs: the left and right half. While both photos seem to match perfectly in each work, there are still subtle dissonances. In fact, Ji Zhou intentionally arranged the photos to create a barely noticeable distinction in each work, creating another layer of artificiality to what at first glance, suggests natural growth. Under this symbiotic setup, different snapshots are fused into a new hybrid.

Modern Women/Modern Vision: Works from the Bank of America Collection presents more than 100 images by women artists. The traveling exhibition, which has been loaned through the Bank of America Collection Art in our Communities program, will be on view in May 1, 2022, through August 28, 2022. Modern Women/Modern Vision celebrates the bold and dynamic contributions of women to the development and evolution of photography in the 20th century. Diverse in style, tone, and subject, these images range from spontaneous to composed, detached to empathetic, monumental to intimate. The exhibition is presented in six thematic sections, including Modernist Innovators, Documentary Photography and the New Deal, the Photo League, Modern Masters, Exploring the Environment, and The Global Contemporary Lens to reflect the impact of female artists in the medium of photography.

Catherine Couturier Gallery is delighted to present Into the Mist, an exhibition of new work by gallery artist Wendi Schneider. Wendi Schneider is a Denver based visual artist illuminating impressions of grace in the natural world with photography and precious metals. In her latest series, Into the Mist, Schneider offers glimpses of respite amidst the vague unknowing that has defined living in the time of COVID. She ventured into the mountains of North Carolina at the end of summer 2020 to find a reprieve in shinrin-yoku, the Japanese term for the practice of forest bathing. The photographs captured on a drive amongst the trees and fog inspired Into the Mist. Seeking balance between the real and imagined, Schneider layered the images digitally with a limited palette of color and texture. The images were printed with archival pigment inks on Japanese kozo paper – made from the inner bark of mulberry trees, and white gold leaf was then applied on the verso. The filtered, dappled light that glimmered through the branches is echoed in the shimmer of the gilded prints. Schneider follows intuitively where each print takes her, creating the variations within the edition. Born in Memphis, TN in 1955, Schneider holds an AA in Art History from Stephens College and a BA in Painting from Newcomb College at Tulane. Schneider’s photographs have been exhibited and collected internationally and are held in permanent collections at New Orleans Museum of Art, Memphis Brooks Museum, Auburn University Library Collection, the Try-Me Collection, and numerous private collections.

The exhibition Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli: Downtown offers a collection of recent images photographed in and around Downtown Albuquerque between 2017 and 2022. As a self-described documentary photographer, Tetsuro is known for his compelling portraits and a unique ability to authentically engage with his subjects to produce images that suggest both an implicit trust between artist and subject and a desire to “take part in his surroundings and as opposed to an outsider taking some snapshots of what’s going on.” From family to lowriders, nightlife and community, the spirit of Albuquerque is on view through this intimate visual exploration of Downtown, a story told through the camera that puts the pillars of Duke City culture on full display. Curated by Daniel Ulibarri, professional photographer, educator, and 516 ARTS staff member. Born in California, Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli has lived within three miles of downtown Albuquerque since he was nine months old. A graduate of Freedom High, Tetsuro grew up immersed in the Duke City culture, which influenced his photographic eye with a taste for the dynamic and unique. He has taught photographic workshops to a variety of audiences and has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally. Several pieces of his work can be found in the photo archive of the Albuquerque Museum.

Galerie XII is thrilled to introduce French Photographer Sacha Goldberger first exhibition in Los Angeles. The show includes his two most recent series shot in LA in 2020. Alien Love tells the story of an Alien invasion... Men are turned into cacti, and there are only a few women left. UFOs are very strange and look more like colanders than high-tech spaceships. Roswell walks by a diner near a California desert, and he seems to be having a good time.

Peter Fetterman Gallery is pleased to invite you to join us for our upcoming exhibition, The Power of Photography. Our exhibition will include a reception and book signing for Peter's new book, The Power of Photography, published by ACC Art Books which features many of the works on display. Over the course of a few decades -Peter Fetterman has collected photographs and stories featuring the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Sebastião Salgado. Inspired during the long months of lockdown, Peter shared his memories and images, one photograph per day, in a digital collection that struck a chord with followers from around the world. The Power of Photography exhibition offers a moving overview of the medium while paying homage to masters of the art and the beauty of the fine art print. Including works by Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, David Bailey, Lillian Bassman, Edward Curtis, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Martine Franck, Elliott Erwitt, Fred Lyon, Kurt Markus, Sabine Weiss, Max Yavno and many more. The Power of Photography lies in its ability to ignite emotions across barriers of language and culture. This exhibition of inspirational images, celebrates the photograph's unique capacity for sensibility.

Pace is pleased to present Irving Penn: Burning Off the Page, a solo exhibition bringing together 44 works created by the artist—whose work transcended the pages of magazines to the walls of museums and galleries—between the late 1930s and early 2000s. Photographing for Vogue for nearly 70 years, Penn left an indelible mark on the history of the medium. His inventive fashion photographs, which transformed American image-making in the postwar era, continued to appear in the magazine up until his death in 2009. The artist was also highly accomplished and experimental in the darkroom, having engineered, among other innovations, a complex technique for making platinum-palladium prints. Four works of this kind figure in Pace’s upcoming exhibition, which is curated by art historian Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann. Burning Off the Page centers on the formal strategies and experimentations that shaped Penn’s distinctive style, which he termed “photographism.” Penn, who was trained as a painter before becoming a photographer, found inspiration in the fine arts and often began his photographic process by drawing. As traced in Pace’s 2021 exhibition Irving Penn: Photographism in New York, Penn’s creative process entailed the translation of drawing, painting, and sculpture, among other art forms, into photography—a hybridization that blurred the line between high art, graphic design, fashion, and photography. The gallery’s latest exhibition of Penn’s work continues this exploration of his photographism by focusing on how the printed page's mediation of photography impacted the artist’s compositional choices, yielding an arresting simplicity that belies Penn’s complex interpenetration of media. Pace’s exhibition takes its title from a quote by the artist, who believed that a powerful image should “burn off the page,” a notion revealing Penn’s intention to create photographs that could exist as timeless and autonomous works of art well beyond the magazine pages shaping their immediate reception. Burning Off the Page also aims to highlight the often-overlooked physicality of Penn’s oeuvre and his virtuosic handwork in the creation of photographic prints. Burning Off the Page foregrounds Penn’s fine-tuning and reinvention of certain visual devices over time. Works in the show are grouped into five categories—“Focus and Dissolve,” “Balance,” “(De)colorize,” “Materialize,” and “Estrange”—reflecting Penn’s creative agency in his experimentations with composition and form throughout his seven-decade career. In the “Focus and Dissolve” section, works such as Isamu Noguchi (1983), Georgia O’Keeffe (1949), and Girl Behind Glass (Jean Patchett) (1949) demonstrate how Penn skillfully directed the gaze through lighting, internal frames, and his iconic corner backdrop but also different blurring and fragmenting techniques. “Balance” focuses on the artist’s ability to forge harmonious yet tense compositions, featuring works including After Dinner Games (1947), a dynamic still life of cards, dice, poker chips, a cordial, and a cup of coffee. “(De)colorize” explores Penn’s penchant for restricted color palettes, evident in photographs like Lisa Cant in Dior Haute Couture by John Galliano (2005) and Bedside Lamp (2006), which reveal the power of a single hue and the iridescence that can emanate from seemingly monochromatic objects. “Materialize” underscores Penn’s interest in conveying a sense of materiality and tangibility in his images, with Three Steel Blocks (1980), a striking photograph of three robust blocks of varied sizes and hefts, among the pieces included. Finally, “Estrange” examines the ways that Penn defamiliarized the everyday through juxtapositions, unusual poses, and plays of scale. Girl with Fruit, Shoe and Butterflies (1946)—a surreal tableau featuring a figure, a bisected fruit, and a few articles of clothing, all adorned with winged creatures—is among the works in the “Estrange” section of the exhibition. Burning Off the Page will also feature a selection of archival materials—including drawings, props, and contact sheets—that shed light on Penn’s process in the studio. Additionally, several archival issues of Vogue will be on view, illustrating the transformation of Penn’s images on the page and their simultaneous ability to function as standalone works of art.

Today, tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world, but traveling for pleasure reaches far back into history. This rotation in the Collection Gallery looks at how the invention of photography in 1839 helped to expand visual understanding of the world, especially for those without the means to travel. Additionally, the selection of objects from the museum's photography and technology collections highlights how the history of photography has intersected with the evolution of tourism in the United States and abroad. From views of the Victorian Grand Tour to snapshots from road trips on Route 66, the photographs-including travel albums, stereocards, daguerreotypes and woven inkjet prints-examine how photography and tourism influence each other. Works by Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984) and Fannie E. Coburn (American, 1848-1928) highlight the impacts photography had on burgeoning tourism destinations following the creation of the National Park Service in the United States. Pieces by Shan Goshorn (American, Eastern Band of Cherokee, 1957-2018) and Lala Deen Dayal (Indian, 1844-1905) give us a lens into the cause and effect of cultural tourism, while photographs by Martin Parr (British, b. 1952) and Steve Fitch (American, b. 1949) show a comical side of tourist pictures. Tourism and photographic technology were similarly interrelated. Camera designers advanced the concept of portable cameras from the earliest days of photography. The introduction of commercially manufactured gelatin dry plates in the 1880s increased the size of the amateur photographer market, and portable cameras were designed specifically for this emerging group. Illustrating the changes in cameras for the tourist photographer, the selection on view includes the ca. 1882 Touriste, a folding dry plate magazine camera manufactured by E. Enjalbert of Paris; the ca. 1913 Tourist Multiple, one of the first 35mm cameras ever made; and the ca. 1925 Leica I Model A, which set the styling trend for 35mm cameras. The display also includes a rare example of the original 1936 35mm Kodachrome film, Eastman Kodak Company's first natural color film, whose high-contrast colors made it ideal for travel photography. Also on view is an example of the ca. 1938 Kodaslide Model 1 projector, the Kodak projector designed for use with Kodachrome transparencies (slides), and the Kodak Carousel Model 550 projector, ca. 1963.

We’re thrilled to exhibit a selection of stunning images from John G. Zimmerman’s latest monograph, Auto America: Car Culture 1950s-1970s. The exhibition offers a compelling look at three decades of America’s fascination with the automobile. At a time when self-driving vehicles and climate change are transforming driving around the world, John G. Zimmerman’s pictures capture the optimism and even utopianism of a beloved period in American car culture. The exhibition also celebrates the book launch of Auto America: Car Culture 1950s-1970s (Rizzoli) which consists of approx. 224 pages and almost 200 photographs drawing on the Zimmerman Archive’s collection—including his best-known photographs of Fords, Chryslers, and GMs in their heyday alongside ephemera, tear sheets, and outtakes from his assignments. The book celebrates the automobile’s central place in American culture during those decades when the timeless silhouettes of classic cars ruled the roads.