JOYCE TENNESON – DRAPED AND VEILED

Posted on 2022-09-12

Standing behind the substantial presence of the large format Polaroid 20×24 camera—weighing 200 pounds and the size of a refrigerator—artists peer through the viewfinder towards another world. The process of creating the unique large dye transfer prints imparts framing to a scene and quality to an image that balances subtlety with boldness, softness paired with an undeniable presence. The 20×24 Polaroid adds an additional layer of veiling and diaphanous softness to the imagery in Joyce Tenneson’s Transformations series, which she began in 1985 and engaged with through 2005.

Opposite – Untitled from the Transformations series, 1985–2005

Exhibition runs through to October 10th, 2022

Asheville Art Museum
2 South Pack Square
Asheville
NC 28801

www.ashevilleart.org

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MELISSA SHOOK – EARLY SELF-PORTRAITS 1972-1973

Posted on 2022-09-12

The Daily Self-Portraits 1972-1973 series is a pioneering project exploring intimate female identity in photography. Shook captured herself in a simple setting in her downtown New York loft against an empty wall space. Over the next 8 months, Shook developed a personal landscape, taking control of her attractive body while feeling shy, playful, melancholic, tired, or intimidated. With potted avocado plants often by her side, Shook posed wearing worn-out jeans, a wrinkled chintz robe, bath towels, etc.

Featuring 25 images, the exhibition highlights Shook’s critical series in several segments: a transition from everyday scenes in December to posed portraits in January and February; torso close-ups capturing the beauty of feminine features in March; face portraits with eloquent hand gestures from March to April; dance-like movements of her naked body with childlike playfulness in May. In addition, the exhibition features 6 reclining nudes (circa 1973) which Shook appeared to have worked on in parallel to her daily photographs.

Opposite – December 13, 1972, 1972

Exhibition runs through to October 15th, 2022

Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery
24 East 64th Street
New York
NY 10065

miyakoyoshinaga.com

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JAN GROOVER – LABORATORY OF FORMS

Posted on 2022-09-12

Jan Groover (American, 1943 – 2011) was among the very best still life photographers since the medium’s invention. Her Kitchen Still Life photographs were first exhibited at Sonnabend Gallery. She received a John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1979. In 1987, Groover had a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art which subsequently toured the United States. Her work has been exhibited and included in the collections of most major museums worldwide, and continues to influence a new generation of artists. Groover moved to France in 1991, with her husband, the painter Bruce Boice, who still lives there.

Exhibition runs through to October 15th, 2022

Janet Borden, Inc.
91 Water Street
Brooklyn
NY 11201

janetbordeninc.com

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IN FOCUS – SOUND

Posted on 2022-09-05

Though photographs are silent, photographers have long conjured sound in their images. Whether depicting crowded urban spaces, musicians performing, people engaged in conversations, or even more abstract depictions of sound, the pictures in this exhibition show photography’s power to communicate beyond the visual. The images date from the 19th century to the recent past, and in each, the audible plays as much of a role as the visual. As you look at these photographs, you are invited to imagine what you might “hear” as well.

Opposite – Tap Dancer, September 29, 1949, Gjon Mili

Exhibition runs through to October 2nd, 2022

J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles
CA 90049

www.getty.edu

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SIGNS: PHOTOGRAPHS BY JIM DOW

Posted on 2022-09-05

American photographer Jim Dow has long been fascinated by the ingenuity and creative spirit found in the built environment. Between 1967 and 1977, his first decade as a young photographer, he drove along old U.S. highways on numerous cross-country road trips, focusing his large format camera on time-worn signage extracted from billboards, diners, gas stations, drive-in theaters, ice cream stands, burger joints, and other small businesses. Indebted to Harry Callahan, with whom Dow studied at RISD, and the work of Walker Evans, another key mentor, Dow’s early photographs highlight the effects of time’s passage, as commercial tastes and styles shift from one era to the next. Though most of the subjects Dow photographed have long since disappeared, his images avoid nostalgic longing or ironic commentary. With reverence and humor, Dow conveys the importance making one’s mark on the land and celebrates the desire to express individual agency and creativity in the landscape we inhabit.

Opposite – Fortune Teller” Sign. US 79 & 80, Greenwood, Louisiana, 1975

Exhibition runs through to October 9th, 2022

The Nelson-Atkins Museum Of Art
4225 Oak Street
Kansas City
MO 64111

nelson-atkins.org

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THE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE KAMOINGE WORKSHOP

Posted on 2022-09-05

In 1963 a group of Black photographers based in New York formed the Kamoinge Workshop. Committed to photography’s power as an art form, Kamoinge members depicted Black life as they saw and experienced it. They hoped to offer an alternative to the mainstream media of the time, which often overlooked Black culture or portrayed it negatively. Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop is the first major retrospective presenting photographs from the collective during the 1960s and 1970s. Highlighting each photographer’s individual artistry as well as the Workshop’s shared concerns, this exhibition celebrates the group’s self-organizing, commitment to community, and centering of Black experiences.

Opposite – Kamoinge Members, 1973, Anthony Barboza

Exhibition runs through to October 9th, 2022

J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles
CA 90049

www.getty.edu

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