“Even among art that aims to be free of traditional categories and definitions, there is an ever-present danger of calcification and rampant commercialization,” warns a recent dispatch from Atwater Village gallery Black Maria promoting its upcoming “No Brow” exhibit. “These dangers threaten to turn even the most unorthodox of movements into an exercise in mainstream banality. The very success of the Lowbrow movement may curb those features that once distinguished it from ‘Highbrow’ art, with its rules and value judgments.” I’ve actually been hearing this line of critique for a few years now — particularly since 2006 with the sudden departure of longtime Juxtapoz editor Jamie O’Shea and equally untimely demise of the Lowbrow journal of record’s publisher Fausto Vitello. Juxtapoz, which claims to be the most widely read art magazine in the world, and Lowbrow were completely synonymous for a time. But the once-hermetic underground comics/hot-rod/tattoo/graffiti scene has exploded more than anyone could have imagined, with a bigger tent that includes digital artists, sneaker designers, collector’s-doll manufacturers and several generations of commercial illustrators ±— and an increasing number of gifted young artists from the Highbrow art world.
we have read quite a bit in the “comments” about the “a good time was had by all” at this year’s Visa Pour L’Image (Perpignan)…and surely this was true….at least by most…however, this year’s photo fest, which celebrates conflict photography above all, was in fact, in itself, a scene of violence and death…
In the past year, contributing editor Sebastian Junger and contributing photographer Tim Hetherington, winner of the 2007 World Press Photo of the Year award, returned to Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley to embed with Battle Company
Kim Jong Il’s mysterious failure to show up for his country’s 60th birthday bash has set off a wave of speculation about Dear Leader’s health. To find out what might be happening in Pyongyang, FP spoke with expert Ken E. Gause, who has been studying the North Korean regime for two decades.
Seven years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden remains as elusive as ever. Most analysts believe the al Qaeda leader is hiding out in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. So, FP asked five Pakistani experts to tell us how to catch him.
Next time you hop on a crowded subway, remember not only to keep your cool, but also your smile — Aaron Alamo Fernández might be taking a picture.
The 37-year-old Mexico City native has been taking snapshots of unsuspecting straphangers ever since he moved here two years ago, and he says people hardly notice.
“I shoot from the hip,” says Alamo Fernández, patting his rather large Leica camera holstered to his right leg.
An unnamed “French Magazine” has published pictures of a rather spectacular new Leica lens, the Noctilux 50mm ƒ0.95 ASPH (the ASPH means Aspherical, which is a good thing). It will be officially announced at this month’s Photokina show.
A series of preemptive police raids on Twin Cities anarchist groups prior to last week’s Republican National Convention roiled the blogosphere, after prominent progressive writers such as Salon’s Glenn Greenwald and Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake posted video from the scene. But according to a warrant affidavit filed by the Ramsey County sheriff, it was a YouTube video that may have piqued the authorities’ interest in the first place.
The project (a brainchild of art collaborative PROCESS) supplied each artist with a train car illustration, either as a vector file or a screenprint. They were then instructed to take complete creative control over the trains, resulting in a miniaturized versions of THE BEST train cars you’ll ever not see chugging along the tracks
It takes but a glance to see that the Sony Alpha A900 is unique among modern digital SLR cameras. The large, pyramidal shape behind the SONY logo suggests that a very large pentaprism glass element lies underneath. A quick glance through the viewfinder completes the impression: it’s like a room in there, into which it seems you might fall if you’re not careful. 35mm camera owners from the last century will find the Sony A900’s viewfinder comforting, then quickly forget about it and begin composing with an impressive photographic tool.
It has been a long wait and rumours have been circulating the photography forums for many months but today Sony has announced the A900, their flagship model which sets a new benchmark with a 24.6 megapixel full frame sensor.
I recently had the opportunity to get my hands on one for a day, along with a Canon 1DsM3 kindly loaned to me by Kayell Queensland. I was able to see for myself how the new camera stacks up against what has up until now been regarded as representing the pinnacle of dSLRs.
Photokina is nearly three weeks away, and as the conference draws nearer we can’t help but notice various blogs and gadget Web sites claiming to have reliable sources on new full-frame cameras from Canon, Leica, Nikon, Pentax and Sony.
Andreas Gefeller is a German photographer well known for his series Supervisions, which pushes the boundaries of photography by elevating the view point off the ground. I have been extremely interested in Andreas’ work for a long time, and I recently had the chance to talk to him about it.
Back from Beijing, Gabriel Dance of nyt.com puts the viewer there during Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention. I was struck by this pano in that I can’t find a single stitching error anywhere, which is impressive given the situation and subject matter.
I asked Gabriel about the shoot and his gear. Here’s his response