William Gedney: “Houses at Night” (1960-1973)
William Gale Gedney (October 29, 1932 – June 23, 1989) was an American photographer whose work did not gain momentum until after his death. Gedney died of AIDS in 1989, aged 56, in New York City and was buried in Greenville, New York, a few short miles from his childhood home. He left his photographs and […]
Vietnam Zippo Lighters (‘DEATH FROM ABOVE’)”
Vietnam War-era Zippo lighters featuring personalized and anonymous engravings chosen by U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airmen during deployment. The collection has been compiled individually by American artist Bradford Edwards over several years in the 1990s, on-site in Vietnam. (Images @ Cowan Auctions)
An Interview with Lucien Samaha (2013)
TWA Jumbo Jets at JFK, 1984 courtesy of Lombard Freid Gallery Vladimir Gintoff interviews Lucien Samaha for ASX, June 2013 I met Lucien Samaha at his studio-loft in the afternoon, for an interview that went past midnight. The photographer’s verve for storytelling and artistic wanderlust made leaving unimaginable. Samaha is a lean man in his […]
Francis Bacon and ‘Narrative’, the Natural Enemy of Vision
“I do not want to avoid telling a story, but I want very, very much to do the thing that Valery said – to give the sensation without the boredom of its conveyance. And the moment the story enters, the boredom comes upon you.” – Francis Bacon By Ernst Van Alphen, brief excerpts from Francis […]
Interview with Fred Ritchin – “The Best and Worst of Times” (2008)
Portrait of Antonia, 2007. @ Loretta Lux The Best of Times and the Worst of Times – A Conversation between Media Expert Fred Ritchin and Rong Jiang The interview took place at International Center of Photography in New York, December 5, 2008. Originally published in the April Issue of the Chinese Photography magazine Rong Jiang: In your new […]
Raymond Pettibon – “Black Flag – The Art of Punk” (2013)
On the first episode of “The Art of Punk” we dissect the art of the legendary Black Flag. From the iconic four bars symbols, to the many coveted and collected gig flyers, singles, and band t-shirts, all depicting the distinctive Indian ink drawn image and text by artist Raymond Pettibon. We start off in Los […]
Lee Friedlander: Photography and the Aesthetics of Abstract Painting (2012)
New York City, 1963. Lee Friedlander (Fig. 2) What I have been trying to argue is not intended as a criticism of Friedlander’s work nor as a challenge to his status within the world of (art) photography. If anything it is a challenge to the ideas that held such sway through the fifties sixties and […]
Jean Depara: “Kinshasa” (1951-1975)
Lemvo Jean Abou Bakar Depara, known as Depara (1928–1997), was an Angolan-born photographer who worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Depara purchased his first video camera to record his wedding in 1950; four years later, he was made official photographer to the Zairian singer Franco. In 1975 he became official photographer to the […]