Fine art photography was on view in Chelsea as the 2013 season starts (many are happy to see 2012 go; lingering remnants of Hurricane Sandy remain in the form of still-dark galleries).
Sabine Hornig at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Starting at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery’s main floor gallery are photo sculptural installations and traditional photographic prints by German artist Sabine Hornig. Although she presented several pieces using transparent images mounted on Perspex and resembling a half open room which is experienced by walking around the multiple layered images, the traditionally printed and framed photographs seemed more to my liking. These were of shop and store windows, doors, and views within views, photos within photos.
Dirk Stewen at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Upstairs at Tanya Bonakdar are more photographs, and are by Dirk Stewen. Here, similar to the work downstairs, are sculpturally-based work using photographs, photographs with collage and some nearly “straight” photographs.
Several black and white images of a man turned holding a subway poll and taped or collaged with another image in the smaller gallery were oddly compelling, and were the most simple and effective.
Charlotte Dumas Anima at Julie Saul Gallery
Next: Charlotte Dumas: Anima at Julie Saul Gallery. Here, are mysterious and emotive images of horses. In “repose”, resting and in their stalls are large 44 7/8 x 59 7/8” (edition of three; smaller size available) portraits of the majestic burial horses of Arlington National Cemetery. They are shot using natural light. From afar, they look photographic; on closer inspection (“pixel-peaking”) the prints are quite noisy—the digital equivalent to grain—and this can be distracting, at least to me (full disclosure: I’ve made many high-noise images, so I wont begrudge a fellow artist creative license to print as they see fit).
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