Cool Urban Photographs
Kassandra Korgan, Owner
Urban, street photography
Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Exhibitation Introduction
Cool Urban-ness
Lee Friedlander
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Alex Fasko
JR
MR.T
Martha Cooper
Paviani
Keegan Gibbs
Jurgen Grobe
Yanidel
This show is an exhibitation of urban artists from all ages and styles. In the beginning you will see a sequence of younger, more street photographers, then towards the end there is more of the well-known photographers who are famous for their photos. There are twists of graffiti artists who are known for their wall art photographs and there are also photographs from the 1980's to 2012. While i was creating my gallery, i wanted the sequence to include different types of photos of different situations through out, with the softness, more calm in the beginning, then the rebellious graffiti towards the middle, and the Paris-like photos towards the end to create a mood. Since urban photography is very situational and isn't just photos of streets and buildings i wanted to create more urban diversity.
Lee Friedlander
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Alex Fasko
JR
MR.T
Martha Cooper
Paviani
Keegan Gibbs
Jurgen Grobe
Yanidel
This show is an exhibitation of urban artists from all ages and styles. In the beginning you will see a sequence of younger, more street photographers, then towards the end there is more of the well-known photographers who are famous for their photos. There are twists of graffiti artists who are known for their wall art photographs and there are also photographs from the 1980's to 2012. While i was creating my gallery, i wanted the sequence to include different types of photos of different situations through out, with the softness, more calm in the beginning, then the rebellious graffiti towards the middle, and the Paris-like photos towards the end to create a mood. Since urban photography is very situational and isn't just photos of streets and buildings i wanted to create more urban diversity.
What i learned
In the process of organizing an exhibitation of various artists, i learned that even though they may be in the same genre or theme, but every artist has a different story. They all have a background that explains who they are, how they became an artists or how they found their work, even what inspires them to photograph. Researching and finding out about each photographer's background was definitely the most challenging but it also was the most interesting part of the gallery. The easiest part was picking out my favorite photos of course. The job of a curator seems quite amusing though there seems to be some challenges in finding reliable works, but who wouldn't enjoy looking at beautiful works of art every day!
I also learned that in a nut shell, urban photography is more than "street photography", it is everything that is urban: cityscapes, subjects, objects and all that is in between. Urban photography is also critical rather than natural and should have deeper meaning than just something that is funny or foreign. The power of visuals is everywhere so why not use it!
I also learned that in a nut shell, urban photography is more than "street photography", it is everything that is urban: cityscapes, subjects, objects and all that is in between. Urban photography is also critical rather than natural and should have deeper meaning than just something that is funny or foreign. The power of visuals is everywhere so why not use it!
Photo 1: Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander – 1499-3: New Mexico, Photograph, 49.61 KB (50,800 bytes), 2001
Statement: "It fascinates me that there is a variety of feeling about what I do. I'm not a premeditative photographer. I see a picture and I make it. If I had a chance, I'd be out shooting all the time. You don't have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you." -Friedlander
Background: Friedlander has made humorous and poignant images among the chaos of city life, dense landscape and countless other subjects.
Connection: There is a great relation of the urban style in this photo, it is very selfless and simple but it is also very street... literally. I chose this photo because i appreciated the simple accents of the lighting and the black and white film.
Photo 2: Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson FRANCE. Paris. Place de l’Europe. Gare Saint Lazare. 166.42 KB (170,417 bytes) 1932
Biography: Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be
the father of photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format,
and the master of candid photography.
Statement: "To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Background info: A show at New York's Museum of Modern Art explores the many facets of photographs and his most protean talent.
Connection: This connects to the theme of this gallery because it focuses on the urban style using the black and white lighting and the Paris city life. I chose this photo because i thought the reflections of the shadows and bundles of water were quite fascinating and beautiful.
Photo 3: Alex Fasko
Biography: Alex Fakso began his career in the early 90s as a skate photographer. He embarked upon a more targeted personal quest which led him to record the entire process of graffiti writers in action, in both train and subway depots. He lives and works in London, working on different personal projects.
Statement: In Heavy Metal, the Italian photographer Alex Fakso brings us behind the scenes of the secretive and low-down-glamorous world of European graffiti art, documenting the daily (and nightly) lives of that continent's most celebrated street artists--spraycans in hand.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8889431490?ie=UTF8&tag=berlinstreeta-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1638&creative=6742&creativeASIN=8889431490
Background info: Heavy Metal is a photographic work documenting the life and work of Europe's most celebrated street artist.
Connection: This photo connects to the urban theme because it cultivates the city life and urban style. I chose this image because it represents the street style very well and the shadow and edges of the lighting reflecting off of the man is fascinating.
Photo 4: JR
JR and Liu Bolin, JR Through the eye of Liu Bolin, New York, Photograph, 57 1/2 x 78 3/4 inches (146 x 200 cm) , 2012
Biography: The France photographer, activist, and public art artist JR, not only documents his journey, he sticks out his black and white portrait photos as giant paste ups in various cities in the world. He also embarked on a long international trip in 2008 for his exhibition “Women Are Heroes,” a project underlining the dignity of women who are the target of conflict.
Statement: "The TED Prize is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, 'One Wish to Change the World.' Designed to leverage the TED community's exceptional array of talent and resources, the Prize leads to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact."
http://www.ted.com/participate/ted-prize
Background info: JR flyposts large black-and-white photographic images in public locations in a manner which is similar of the built environment by the graffiti artist. He states that the street is "the largest art gallery in the world."
Connection: This photo is greatly connected to my theme because it is street, rebellious, and was taken in New York in a city environment. I chose this photo because it was interesting and remarkable, its so unique and captures your attention.
Photo 5: Mr. T
Mr. T, 75013 Train, Photograph, 39.61 KB (40,565 bytes), 620px × 270px, 2010
Biography: The Frenchman Mr. T is also an important urban photographer. His photos often convince with attractive perspectives and interesting colors.
Statement: " I am a digital shutterbug for all occasions, wherever and whenever I can. That's me to a T!"
https://www.facebook.com/TuanPhotography
Connection: This image connects to the urban because of the city environment, the graffiti, and the subway. The lighting is great and catches the lights in the distance.
Photo 6: Martha Cooper
Biography: Martha Cooper is an American photojournalist born in the 1940s in Baltimore, Maryland where she picked up photography at the age of three. She is best known for documenting the New York City graffiti scene of the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s she put together a book of photos illustrating her Graffiti subculture called Subway Art.
Statement: "While not the first book on the subject, “Subway Art” has been considered graffiti’s New Testament since its release in 1984. Staking out subway stations and sneaking into the labyrinthine transit system’s yards and tunnels, the photographers Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant documented the early masterpieces and culture of renegade graffiti artists in the 1970s and ’80s who risked their lives to mark New York City’s rusty trains with their interlocking and animated nicknames". (New York Times)
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/showcase-5/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
"Some time around 1976 I started to take pictures of graffiti on the trains. I’d be living in New York since ’73 and saw them developing and thought they were amazing." -Henry Chalfant
http://arrestedmotion.com/2009/06/martha-cooper-henry-chalfant-interview-subway-art-25th-anniversary-edition-black-rat-press/
Background info: During the 1970s and 80s, photographers Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant captured the burgeoning New York City graffiti movement. 25 years and more than a half a million copies later, Chronicle Books is happy to offer their book Subway Art in a large-scale, deluxe format.
Connection: This connects to my urban theme because graffiti is a huge part of urban photography. It also captures the New york city environment which also creates that urban feel. I fell in love with this photo and the story of how the photographer developed this interest in graffiti art.
Photo 7: Paviani
Biography: Belgian photographer Vivian Hertz aka Paviani is an urban art documentarist. His mostly monochrome graffiti photos often portrait writers. Vivian Hertz is a brussels based photographer specialised in corporate, events, european affairs, industry, portraits, sport and wedding photography.
Connection: This image is a great example of urban photography because it includes city-like characteristics along with the graffiti and black and white tones. I chose this image because it was a clear example of my theme.
Photo 8: Keegan Gibbs
Biography: Keegan Gibb's main focus lies more on the artists than on the artworks. Because of that, he went along with several well-known American writers, such as Augor from Los Angeles.
Statement: "As a photographer I want to be remembered as someone who was able to shine light on subjects in a direction that was never seen before." - Keegan
Background info: Keegan took this photo on an annual pilgrimage to Sumatra, Indonesia with friends.
Connection: This photo connect to this theme because it is so personal and captures the object (which is the boat) but also lightens up the photo with the sun set. I chose this photo because i saw the beauty in the personality of the photo, it is unique yet simple.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Photo 9: Jurgen Grobe
Jurgen Grobe, Urban Art Photography Series, Photograph, 38.99 KB (39,929 bytes), 620px × 270px, 2007
Biography: Jurgen is a Berlin based photographer who documents urban art. He was born in 1962, lives and works in Berlin as a landscape gardener and city photographer.
Statement: "It‘s also about capturing things. But actually it‘s about freedom, the feeling of being on the road.
Walking down streets, courtyards and open spaces, entering empty houses and abandoned construction sites". -Jurgen Grobe
(http://www.urban-art.info/englisch/publications/uap/)
Background info: This photo, along with many others are documented in his book Urban Art Photography that shows interesting and high-quality impressions from the streets in Berlin on about 200 pages.
Connection: This photo connects to the them on the show because it captures the urban look in the city and the words "true love" in graffiti are beautiful and loud while capturing your attention. I chose this image because it is simple but interesting.
Photo 10: Yanidel
Yanidel, The Most Beautiful Flower, Photograph, 546.88 KB (560,003 bytes),1,280px × 852px , 2011
Biography: Yanidel is a street photographer who snaps photos around the world, his most popular photos are those of Paris, showing people of all ages and settings.
Statement: "The most beautiful flower has always two stems". -Yanidel
Background Info: This photo was taken in Paris as Yanidel was snapping photos of people around the world. He discovered street photography while living in Paris and haunted the streets for five years.
Connection: This photo connects to my cool urban theme because it has characteristics of a simple street/city style. The flower stand reading "fleurs" (which is flowers in french) adds an urban touch as well creating a Paris theme. I chose this photo because I was fascinated by the simplicity in the image and I enjoy photography that is something you can find anywhere you go and it doesn't take much to perfect. You can tell Yanidel was most likely just going about his business and came across something beautiful and just snapped a picture of it.
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