AIPAD Photography Show 2011: Things I like (Soth, Martine Fougeron, Richard Rothman)

Is it just me? This year’s AIPAD seems less stuffy, has the right mix of contemporary work and great master/minorpieces, and is just lighter in feel (thanks Rachel for mentioning the beautifully crumbling side rooms). I’ve gone twice so far and in small doses which might have something to do with it to (the preferred way) but others, such as the New York Times seem to concur.

Weinstein Gallery has gone all Soth all the time. It’s booth is covered with the stuff. Not that I am complaining: one of the standout images is the large black and white photograph set in a forest, with an eerie light bulb hanging (forgive the incredibly poor image; see it for yourself).

At Galerie Esther Woerdehoff, I liked some of the photographs by Martine Fougeron, who captures images of her sons and her friends living a carefree upper middle class life–sans angst (with a few drunken nights at a refined strip club thrown in). What I find compelling is the is the intimacy, naturalism and light narrative feel to the work, as well as the technical lighting accomplishments. In Martine’s words, from Esther’s web site:

“Tête-à-Tête is an on-going series naturally staged, which reflects the face-to-face of the mother-photographer and the private world of two adolescent sons.
My inspiration comes from Dutch painting, especially Vermeer’s mysterious domestic scenes and Rembrandt’s expressive tableaux. I am also influenced by conventions of cinema, especially the dramatic effects of set lighting.”

Another photographer that I came across is Richard Rothman at Robert Morat Galerie. The landscapes of dense forests with slivers of light streaming through and tree stumps remind me of (and I usually dont like compairing artists) Robert Adams meets Lee Friedlander. Ask to see the rest of the portfolio where a few odd but interesting nudes pop up.