Big Night

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Glamorous Hair © Tim Davis

Boy there are a lot of great shows opening in the next few weeks. Of course, I will be preoccupied with my own opening at ClampArt on Thursday night so I wont be able to see these other great exhibitions for a few days:

Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station, Nottinghamshire © Simon Roberts

Simon Roberts' We English at Klompching Gallery
If you can’t make it out to Brooklyn on Thursday, Simon will be giving a talk and book signing on Friday at 6:30pm. I may be missing his opening but I’ll be there for this!

Todd Hido A Road Divided at Bruce Silverstein
Todd is a big hero of mine and I always enjoy seeing his work.

Nicolai Howalt Car Crash Studies at Bruce Silverstein
I blogged about this wonderful series a few months ago and I'm excited to see the prints in person.

States of Union 8 © Alix Smith

Alix Smith States of the Union at Morgan Lehman
Fellow SVA grad and newlywed, Alix Smith, will be showing her new, highly anticipated body of portraiture work.

New York doesn't have exclusive rights on kick ass openings. In a land far far away called San Francisco, friend and all around great guy Brian Ulrich’s double header with Charnay is opening at The Koch gallery.

And, back in New York this Saturday...

Tim Davis’ The New Antiquity at Greenberg Van Doren Gallery

Talia Chetrit’s Reading at Renwick Gallery
Her work is intelligent and mesmerizing.

Todd Hido and Suicide Story

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© Todd Hido for The New York Times

In case you missed it, great moody images from Todd Hido illustrate an article on suicide in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine.

Beyond the Backyard at MoCP

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This morning I will be flying to Chicago for the opening of Beyond the Backyard at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. It will be a short trip, but I always love rolling with the Chicagraphy crew. If you are in the area stop by the opening and say hi. The show has an amazing lineup of photographers including Kohei Yoshiyuki, Bill Owens, Todd Hido, Sally Mann, Garry Winogrand, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Gregory Crewdson, and Portland's own, Shawn Records.

The image above was sent to me by Zach Abubeker, a photography student at Columbia College and an intern at the MoCP. Pretty cool.

Here are the details:

Beyond the Backyard
Museum of Contemporary Photography
June 20 - August 23
600 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 26, 5-7pm

Bunny Hops to F-Stops

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Brian Ulrich and Todd Hido getting rad!

Last Tuesday at Aperture I saw a great lecture by the talented Todd Hido. As he talked about the long hours he spends driving around looking for his next subject and finding influence in the work of Robert Adams I realized that we share a very similar vision and approach to working. It really was an inspiration.

Much of what Todd said will soon become career canon for me, but one thing he mentioned really piqued my interest. His early years were spent in Ohio on a BMX bike.

This got me thinking about another photographer I know who rode BMX back in the day, Brian Ulrich. I started to wonder if there was a correlation here. Maybe the future stars of MoMA can be found getting agro on the dirt tracks and in the parking lots of America. Perhaps photography grad schools should cut the curriculum and just show this to incoming students:

Hmmm...

If you are a modern photographer genius who spent their youth doing tail whips, table tops and endos, let me know and please send me a photo. I think I can get a grant for this.

Todd Hido at Aperture Tonight

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Untitled, #4078 2005 © Todd Hido

The very talented Todd Hido will be giving a lecture tonight at Aperture. Todd consistently produces images that are uncanny and haunting, but never foreboding. Much like Hopper his work propagates the kind of mystery that invites you into the scene instead of warning you to keep a safe distance. I am a big fan.

I am feeling sick today, but if I can drag myself out of bed and onto to the F train I will be there.

If you can't make it, check out the video of Todd below.

Viernes Gigante!

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This Friday will henceforth be referred to as Viernes Gigante! Big Friday! A big opening in SoHo and a big closing in Chelsea and me without my roller skates to zip between the two.

First up, the opening for a great show with some top notch photographers curated by two fabulous people.

© Shen Wei

A New American Portrait
Curated by jen bekman + Jörg Colberg
Opening: Friday, June 22, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
jen bekman gallery
Featuring photographs by Christine Collins, Jen Davis, Benjamin Donaldson, Amy Elkins, Peter Haakon Thompson, Todd Hido, Alec Soth, Brian Ulrich, and Shen Wei

© Zoe Strauss

From there it's across town to Chelsea and Silverstein to celebrate the closing of If You Reading This with Philadelphia's third greatest export ever, Zoe Strauss. (Number one is the US Constitution and number two is Dr. J, naturally.)

Zoe Strauss: If You Reading This Closing Party
Silverstein Photography
Friday, June 22, 8:30 p.m.

Should be a great evening with great friends.

Going Back to Cali

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Watering Hole © Amy Stein 2005

Xin Nian Yu Kuai...Feliz Año Nuevo...Godt Nytår...Happy New Year!

I will be in Southern California January 4 through January 8 to spend time with my inlaws in Huntington Beach and attend the opening of a show I am in at the Paul Kopeikin Gallery. Here are the details on the show and opening reception:

3 x 5
Paul Kopeikin Gallery
January 6, 2007 - February 3, 2007
6150 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 6:00 to 8:00 PM

If you are cruising down Wilshire on January 6, please stop by the opening and say hi.

While in SoCal I hope to make the museum and gallery scene and see some top notch photography. Definitely going to catch the Todd Hido show at the Rose Gallery and the Where We Live exhibition at The Getty. If you know of any other 'can't miss' openings, shows, or concerts going on in LA or the OC, drop me a note.