Good news, photo fanatics: this weekend The New York Photo Festival takes over Dumbo, Brooklyn from today until May 20. The festival, which is free and open to the public, explores the tension between artistic photography, social documentary, and contemporary photography through four curated sites.
Jen DeNike, 'What Do You Believe In', 2008
© New York Photo Festival 2012
An exhibition curated by Glenn Ruga, entitled "On the Razor's Edge: Between Documentary and Fine Art Photography" casts skepticism over the contemporary trend of obfuscation in photography. While much marketable photography revels in its own artifice, documentarians in pursuit of truth and social change have to fight from being labelled as obsolete. Straddling truth and lie, form and content, artistic pursuit and the demands of the marketplace, documentarians discuss the struggles and contradictions particular to our age.
Yamini Nayar, 'Memorious', 2012
Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Erben Gallery, New York, © New York Photo Festival 2012
Claude Grunitzky's "the Curse and the Gift" focuses on the effects of Instagram and Picasa on the meaning of photography. In an age when we are all instant photographers, editors and mass-distributors, where does fine art photography fit in? Grunitzky features work from photographers who use the medium as means of oxposing the strange ramifications of our instant-gratification age. Photography helps us understand the ways photography has changed our entire lives.
Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid
All public domain images come courtesy of Paul D. Miller’s The Book of Ice with special thanks to the State
Library of New South Wales, © New York Photo Festival 2012
A show entitled "What Do You Believe In" features an all-star cast of photographers including Hank Willis Thomas and Namini Yayar. Curated by Amy Smith-Stewart, the diverse exhibition proffers the possibilities of contemporary photography, from political video to mystical sculpture.
Matthew Spiegelman, "Portal {Matthew Spiegelman in his studio with mirror, two way mirror, c-stands, clamp with suction cup, two geared tripod heads, three strobes, 4x5 camera, 180mm lens} [Variation 6]" 2010
Courtesy of the artist, © New York Photo Festival
Finally Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid is predicted to "stupefy the senses with 'Sinfonia Antarctica (The Book of Ice).'" This exhibition examines how Antarctic history as seen through photography and design has shaped digital media aesthetics. His work features an intersection of sculpture, moving image, architecture, digital media and more.
Tickets are required for the artist and curators' presentations. Visit the website for more info.