4th edition of the Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography – Berlin Foto Biennale 2016

4th Edition of Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography

Throughout October 2016 Berlin welcomes once again the largest German festival for photography–the 7th European Month of Photography. The Grand opening of the 4th Biennial is at the elegant Palazzo Italia, situated in the historic heart of of Berlin as Associated Partner of the EMOP Berlin the first edition of the Berlin Foto Biennale.

Olivia always finds her way!

I have the honor of being one of the finalists in the 7th Edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Female Photographers in the Nude and Figure category. One of my photos from my Pain and Loneliness series was chosen to be on exhibit.

Pain and Loneliness 33

I’m also honored to be included in the special section about the Holocaust and Second Generation with works by Aliza Augustine, Hannah Kozak, Sebastian Holzknecht, Beth Bursting, Vienne Rea and Quyen Pfeiffer. I was also given the honor of 1st prize documentary photo from the series He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard and 1st prize children’s category. Show opened on October 6, 2016 and will run through October 30.

Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Sobibor Triptych
by hannah kozak.

Five of my images from my ongoing series–He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard were finalists in the 8th Edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award.

He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard

He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard

He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard

He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard

He Threw the Last Punch Too Hard

Here are some other photographer’s works from the Binnial 2016.

Marea Reed, Australia
Mareareed.com
Cooling the Blood, 2014

Mareareed.com

Boguslaw Maslak,
bobbyart.com
United Kingdom
Spirit of Ganges, 2013

Bobbyart.com

Isabel Karl-Herunter
Austria
Back to Paradise, 2014

Marilyn Maxwell,
United States
MarilynMaxwellphoto.com
Long Reach, 2014, Tanzania

Marilynmaxwellphoto.com

Chris Scavotto

Aline Smithson,
Alinesmithson.com
Lucy in Turquoise, 2013

Alinesmithson.com

Sebastian Holzknecht,
sebastianholzknecht.com
Jacek, from the series “Not Guilty”

sebastianholzknecht.com

Andrea Star Reese,
United States
Andreastarreese.com
Disorder 01, 2010

andreastarreese.com

Steve McCurry,
Walking on High Ground, Bangladesh, 1983

Karmen Corak, Italy
CL1, 2014, Spain

https://www.facebook.com/karmen.corak

4th Edition of Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography

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Photo LA & Classic Photos LA 2015

Photo LA & Classic Photos 2015

From back in the days when Photo LA was at Santa Monica Airport to the latest venue in DTLA at The REEF in the historic LA Mart building, Photo LA is ever evolving and provides me with a way to cross paths with many photography friends. I stopped by JDC Fine Art and was taken by various photography by Paul Cava, and Paul Turonet’s photography & art. I have loved Marjorie Salvaterra’s photography from the moment I saw her black and white series, Her.

Paul Cava, Belatage (Blue)
2008
Archival Pigment Print
11 1/2 x 18 3/4 in.
Edition #2/5

Paul Turonet
Tierra Brava explores the challenges, struggles and hopes of life in Mexico along the U.S.-Mexico border. saddle-stitch book with 50 color prints, 1 loose print in folder, 1 double-sided map in brown box.

Marjorie Salvaterra
When the Universe Has a Bigger Plan For Your Life, 2012
Archival Pigment Print
16 x 24 in. Edition of 20

Marjorie Salvaterra
Her – book

Shulamit Gallery’s mission it to broaden cross-cultural awareness and understanding through contemporary art. Their primary focus is Middle Eastern artists of diverse backgrounds like Jessica Shokrian, whose self portraiture resonated with me.

http://www.shulamitgallery.com

http://shulamitgallery.com/jessica-shokrian/

Jessica Shokrain
Boardroom Power Struggle
(Polaroid Series)
2000-2012

Jessica Shokrian
Boardroom Power Struggle

Amanasalto, a premium photography and publishing company in Tokyo, Japan. The following are all from Amanasalto’s book: Imogen Cunningham, The Eye of Imogen Cunningham.

http://amanasalto.com

Imogen Cunningham,
Unmade Bed
1957
Platinum and palladium print, 2013
20 x 24 inches
Edition: Open

Frida Kahlo Rivera

Imogen Cunningham,
1928

Imogen Cunningham
The Eye of Imogen Cunningham
Mirror 2, 1923

Photographer Dan Fauci’s Untitled Sharon Lockhart

Dan Fauci
Sharon Lockhart
Untitled, 1996
Chromogenic print

David Skernick
The Rat Queen, 2015
11 x 14 inches
Archival photograph
Edition 1/15

Aline Smithson’s Revisiting Beauty made the Critical Mass Top 50 for 2014. Smithson captures girls between the ages of 14 – 17 on the cusp of womanhood not fully aware of their own loveliness and physical presence.

This series is inspired by portrait paintings from the eighteenth to the twentieth century including artists West, De La Roche, Stroganov, Sargent, Whistler, Hockney and portraits created in the mid 1900’s by many anonymous painters. Her background as a painter also informs this work. There is a dreamy quality to this series not to mention Smithson shoots with film, giving increased depth and richness to her work always and in particular to Revisiting Beauty.

www.alinesmithson.com

Aline Smithson
Revisiting Beauty

Aline Smithson
Pink Feathers, 2013

Shot of Elizabeth Taylor, who never gave a damn what anyone thought.

Timothy White
Elizabeth Taylor
Culver City, 2000
Archival Pigment Print
40 x 30 inches
Ed. 23 of 25

Benno Graziani belonged to the founding team of Paris-Match in 1949. He was an exceptional journalist, war photographer, reporter and editor-in-chief who lived intensely the great era of magazines. Suffice it to say it was he who inspired Fellini for La Dolce Vita.

Benno Graziani
Jackie Writing,
Ravello, August 1962
Edition 7/10
Silver gelatin, Printed later.
Size 23. 6 x 15.7 in/60x 40 cm
Captioned, dated, stamped and signed on back

Another photograph by Benno Graziani of Jackie Onassis:

Benno Graziani
Jackie and Paparazzi, Amalfi, August 1962
Edition 5/10
Silver gelatin. Printed later.
Size 23.6 x 15.7 in / 60 x 40 cm
Captioned, dated, stamped and signed on back.

Curtis Wehrfritz
He Speaks with the raven, first as a boy
Collodion on Velvet Board, 1 of 1
54″ x 36″, 74″ x 52″ w/Frame

Nick Brandt
Lion Family Portrait
Maasai Mara, 2003
Archival Pigment Print
29.5″ x 36.75″

Kamil Vognar
Island
Mixed Media on canvas
30″ x 30″

Tom Chambers
Burn to Shine
Archival Pigment Ink Print
20 x 20 inches

John Dominis
Steve McQueen with pistol at home, Palm Springs, California, 1963
Gelatin silver print, estate bind stamp

Susan Swihart is part of a photography collective known as VERGE, which is sponsored by Duncan Miller in L.A. Swihart an observer who takes pictures to capture small moments and translates her personal experiences into shared ones.

Susan Swihart,
Verge Photographers

I just loved the way this man was holding his baby.

Classic Photos 2015 at the newly remodeled spaces at Bonhams on Sunset featured 20th century artists with vintage masterworks as well as wonderful 19-century material. It originally began with ten exhibitors and now has twenty seven galleries and dealers from four countries.

Michael Dawson Gallery in Los Angeles. Since 1905, Dawson’s Book Shop has been a leading source in Southern California for rare and out of print books in the fields of California history, Western Americana and photography. In fact, Dawson’s is the oldest continuously operating book shop in the city of Los Angeles. Ernest Dawson started the shop in downtown Los Angeles.

After three moves downtown and a transfer of ownership to the second generation of Glen and Muir Dawson, the shop settled on Larchmont Boulevard in the Hollywood/Hancock Park area in 1968. Michael Dawson marks the third generation of the Dawson family to helm this Los Angeles treasure. He had a gorgeous selection of classic photography.

http://www.dawsonbooks.com

Judy Dater:
Self portrait with stone
1981, gelatin silver

Edward Weston:
Nude
1920, printed 1977, Platinum

Lou Stoumen, Black Cat Bar & Brothel, San Juan, P.R.
1941, printed later.
Gelatin Silver

The Scott Nichols Gallery is a fine art photography gallery located in downtown San Francisco. His gallery shows a combination of established, up and coming and contemporary photographers. Scott Nichols, a Southern California native, has been a private dealer since 1980 and is considered one of the experts on Group f/64 and Brett Weston.

http://www.scottnicholsgallery.com

Mona Kuhn
Merle
2003
Fuji Crystal Archive print
30 x 30 inches

Baron Wolman,
George Harrison
1969
Gelatin silver print
7 x 4 3/4 inches

Horace Bristol,
PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul
1944, printed 1990’s
Gelatin Silver print
7 5/8 x 7 1/2 inches

Contemporary Works/Vintage Works

www.contemporaryworks.net
This Edward Boubat, Little Girl with Dead Leaves, is one of my favorite photographs. I love the passion of Edward Boubat. He sold his six volume dictionary to fund the purchase of his first camera: a 6 x 6 Rolleicord.

Edward Boubat
Little Girl with Dead Leaves,
1946-47/1940’s

Erwin Blumenfeld
Nude under Wet Silk
1936/1940’s
13 1/2 x 10 1/2

Peter Fetterman Gallery

www.peterfetterman.com

Willy Ronis
Isabelle, 1990
Gelatin Silver print
14 x 11 inches
Titled and dated in pencil with the photographer’s stamp on verso; Signed in ink on recto

Wolf Suschitzky
Charing Cross Road from No. 84 (Marks & Co), 1937
Gelatin Silver Print
20 x 16 inches
Signed, titled and dated in pencil in verso

Photo LA & Classic Photos 2015

The Next: Emerging LA Artists at Perfect Exposure Gallery

I met Aline Smithson when I wrote to her at Lenscratch late in 2011. My Forgiveness and Compassion series was featured on her blogzine, I enrolled in Aline’s Next Step One class at Julia Dean Workshops where I met other photographers whom Aline has guided with a roadmap on how to create a fine arts photography career.

On Thursday, November 15, 2012 the reception for The Next: Emerging LA Artists at The Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los Angeles showed a mix of established and new photographers, some showing work the first time. The opening last night was a celebration of art, photography, friendship, and love in Los Angeles.

From portraits to nudes, each photographer featured in the show have studied under the tutelage of Aline Smithson who teaches a three part course called The Next Step at the Julia Dean Workshops. Julia Dean, a passionate photographer and teacher,  studied under Berenice Abbott, the photographer who was part of the straight photography movement.

Aline Smithson is a photographer, educator, and reviewer. She writes and edits the blogzine Lenscratch, has been the Gallery editor for Light Leaks Magazine and has curated exhibitions for many galleries and online magazines. But most importantly, Aline has created a community for us with her caring, non-competitive spirit and giant heart. Aline has created a tight knit family of photographers that lean on each other for advice, questions, help and commitment to helping each other grow as artists.

Armando Arorizo – Perfect Exposure Gallery owner

Jodi Champagne

Lori Pond

Patty Lemke

Rina Shapira

Sandra Klein

Susan Swihart

Allison Turner

Cindy Bendat

Savannah Johnson

Aline Smithson’s The Lonesome Doll

hannah kozak, Los Angeles Sky

Photo l.a. January 2012- 21st annual Photographic Art Exposition

From Light Work, an artist-run, non-profit photography and digital media center to Moby, Colin Finlay to Charlotte Dumas, to Meg Madison part of LA Artist Bookarts, Jennifer O’Keefe, Lisa McCord, Alison Turner, Aline Smithson,Vivian Maier and Stephen Cohen Gallery; Photo LA had something to offer all over the Santa Monica Civic Center.

I discovered Light Work two years ago when I found this Todd Gray image of Michael Jackson from 1979 at their booth. I bought the print which I love because Gray intimately captured the essence of Michael; a deep, thoughtful, quiet, soulful young man. Gray was Michael’s chosen photographer from 1974 to 1984 when he was a charming, laughing, carefree person and before all the demands of celebrity weighed so heavily on him. Gray shares a story that Michael would whisper instructions to his brothers about a vocal arrangement while recording not because it was a secret but because he was so shy he didn’t like to yell.

Michael Jackson - circa 1979 by Todd Gray

Moby discussed his process of his book “Destroyed.” I didn’t know Moby was a photographer for 40 years and I loved listening to him speak about how he studied photography as a young boy and was so excited about his first Nikon F.  Moby likes to take pictures of what people don’t have access to hence his point of view of the audience is unlike any on stage photos I’ve ever seen.  He grew up obsessed with photography and even though he’s been taking pictures as long as he has studied music,  he was still hesitant to call himself a photographer. From the time he was growing up, he kept going through a book about Edward Steichen’s that was in his parent’s home. His influences were Margaret Bourke White, Irving Penn and Wolfgang Tillman.

“It’s a really odd way to live” Moby said of being a touring musician.  He continued that touring is weird and isolating because of the constant nomadic, peripatetic existence and the complete isolation of hotel rooms.  He loves to document strangeness and beauty and shared that people want to pigeon hole others as in how could a musician possibly be a photographer? I love the picture he drew on the inside of my book.

Moby-PhotoLa - 14 January 2012

Moby - PhotoLA - 14 January 2012

Moby & Colin Finlay - 14 January 2012

With this book, Moby wanted to document the strangeness of touring. Instead of lying in bed miserable and unable to sleep with insomnia, he thought why not walk around taking pictures? He included music that he wrote at 3 am when he was wide awake with insomnia so the music on “destroyed” and  photos in “destroyed” work with each other as both were created at roughly the same time.

I had an opportunity to spend time with documentary photographer Colin Finlay. His photography is breathtaking as he captures the rawness of people with so much truth and compassion. Colin is an other centered person. It’s part of what makes his photography so touching, he sees people.

http://www.colinfinlay.com/

Colin brought me a copy of Life Magazine’s 1997 issue of Michael Jackson at home with his new son Prince. I was thrilled beyond words.

Life Magazine - December 1997

Charlotte Dumas discussed her book on the search and rescue dogs of 9/11. Through FEMA, she located 15 of the surviving 100 dogs that were part of the network of dogs that searched day and night for survivors in the 9/11 tragedy.  Dumas explained that the animals were all at the same place at the same time a decade ago to work.  She photographed the dogs in their homes where they still live with their handlers. When I saw the images of the dogs flashing on the screen, I wept.

 http://www.charlottedumas.nl/

Meg Madison is part of the LA Artist Bookarts group. I love the way her eye sees the world. She brings an authenticity to her work that makes me stop and linger for awhile.

 http://megmadison.com/

One of the best parts of Photo LA is meeting other photographers just from walking around the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.  I spent time with documentary photography Lisa McCord:

http://www.lisamccordphotography.com/enter

Alison Turner:

http://www.alisonturnerphoto.com/

Jennifer O’Keefe:

http://jenniferokeeffe.com/

Aline Smithson:

http://www.alinesmithson.com/

Vivian Maier was virtually unknown during her lifetime. Through viral exposure on the internet she has become a posthumous sensation in the art world. I love her photography. One of the employers Maier worked for described her as a “very strong, very determined, don’t intervene in my space attitude” person.  It’s that intense solitude that created an incredible 100,000 negatives. Her self portraiture helps us see part of who this artist was and her street photography is perfect in each frame from lighting to composition.  An audio recording of Maier’s voice is shared where she speaks of what happens to your art after you die. “Well, I suppose nothing is meant to last forever. We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on. And somebody else takes their place.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWEDOnBfDUI

Every portrait of another person is a self portrait of the photographer.

-Susan Sontag