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Guggenheim Examines New Developments in Contemporary Photography with Photo-Poetics: An Anthology
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(NEW YORK, NY—September 16, 2015)—The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum presents Photo-Poetics: An Anthology,
an exhibition documenting recent developments in contemporary
photography and consisting of photographs, videos, and slide
installations by ten international artists. With more than 70 works by Claudia Angelmaier, Erica Baum, Anne Collier, Moyra Davey, Leslie Hewitt, Elad Lassry, Lisa Oppenheim, Erin Shirreff, Kathrin Sonntag, and Sara VanDerBeek,
the exhibition runs from November 20, 2015–March 23, 2016, and presents
a focused study into the nature, traditions, and magic of photography
in the context of the rapid digital transformation of the medium.
Organized by Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator, Photography, with
Susan Thompson, Assistant Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Photo-Poetics: An Anthology
offers an opportunity to define the concerns of a new generation of
photographic artists and contextualize their work within the history of
art and visual culture. These artists mainly pursue a studio-based
approach to still-life photography that centers on the representation of
objects, often printed matter such as books, magazines, and record
covers. The result is often an image imbued with poetic and evocative
personal significance that resonates with larger cultural and historical
meanings.
The artists in the exhibition attempt to rematerialize the photograph
through meticulous printing, using film and other disappearing photo
technologies. Drawing on the legacies of Conceptualism and invested in
exploring the processes and techniques of photography, they are also
deeply interested in how photographic images circulate. Theirs is a sort
of “photo poetics,” an art that self-consciously investigates the laws
of photography and the nature of photographic representation,
reproduction, and the photographic object. The works in the exhibition,
rich with detail, reward close and prolonged regard; they ask for a mode
of looking that is closer to reading than the cursory scanning fostered
by the clicking and swiping functionalities of smartphones and social
media. Both the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue are conceived
as anthologies, as independent vehicles to introduce each artist’s
important and unique practice.
This exhibition is supported in part by Affirmation Arts Fund and The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.
The Leadership Committee for Photo-Poetics: An Anthology is
gratefully acknowledged for its support, with special thanks to Erica
Gervais and Ted Pappendick and Chair Rona Citrin as well as to Angelo K H
Chan and Frederick Wertheim, Manuel de Santaren, Toby Devan Lewis, Ann
and Mel Schaffer, Patty and Howard Silverstein, Cristina von Bargen,
Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Ann Cook and Charley Moss, Susan and Arthur
Fleischer, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, Lauren and Scott Pinkus, and
Barbara Toll.
Additional funding is also provided by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Photography Committee.
About the Catalogue
Photo-Poetics: An Anthology
is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue featuring an
introduction, afterword, and ten monographic essays by Jennifer Blessing
that provide focused, contemplative readings of each artist’s work. The
catalogue’s design, in which each artist’s practice is presented
individually, reflects the exhibition’s structure as a series of solo
presentations. The catalogue will be available for $50 at the Guggenheim
Store and online at guggenheimstore.org.
Education and Public Programs
To coincide with
the exhibition, the Guggenheim will host a series of panel discussions
featuring the participating artists. Moderated by Jennifer Blessing,
these conversations will address the issues raised by the exhibition.
Each discussion will be preceded by short talks from the featured
artists. Details about the public programs presented in conjunction with
Photo-Poetics: An Anthology will be posted on guggenheim.org/calendar.
About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to
promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the
modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education
programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim network
that began in the 1970s when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New
York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, has since
expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997), and the
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (currently in development). The Guggenheim
Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that
celebrate contemporary art, architecture, and design within and beyond
the walls of the museum, including the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art
Initiative and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Chinese Art
Initiative. More information about the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
can be found at guggenheim.org.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Admission:
Adults $25, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12
free. The Guggenheim’s free app, available with admission or by download
to personal devices, offers an enhanced visitor experience. The app
features content on special exhibitions as well as access to more than
1,500 works in the Guggenheim’s permanent collection. Additionally,
information about the museum’s landmark building is available in
English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Verbal Description guides
for select exhibitions are also included for visitors who are blind or
have low vision. The Guggenheim app is supported by Bloomberg
Philanthropies.
Museum Hours: Sun–Wed, 10 am–5:45 pm; Fri, 10
am–5:45 pm; Sat, 10 am–7:45 pm; closed Thurs. On Saturdays, beginning at
5:45 pm, the museum hosts Pay What You Wish. For general information,
call 212 423 3500 or visit the museum online at: guggenheim.org
guggenheim.org/social
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