Things On

Hey All,
We hope everyone is getting over the post PDN30 hangover that seemed to consume the internet the past week. We have a few bits of information concerning shows & the photo world we thought we might pass on to y'all:
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Nothing groundbreaking here but Glenn reminded us of the plethora of brilliant exhibitions currently being hosted by some of Manhattans finest Museums:

Head to the Upper Eastside of town for a dynamite of an exhibition, I Want To Believe featuring Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang in the Guggenheim. Chances are you have seen some of his highly publicized drawings recently, there not hard to miss, there the ones made with gun powder & explosives. In addition there's photographs from what he calls "Explosion Events" and an installation of what else, cars that are exploding with rave lights. Be sure to catch it before it ends on May 28 or you might just explode.
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While in the area make your way downtown a bit to the always entertaining MoMa, that houses not one but two captivating shows. The first of the two is, Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today. Half retrospective half social conquest, Color Chart asks us to look back at color and how it has affected the artist choice and thus our relationship with it. The accessibility of mass produced and standardized color has paved the way for concepts like Crayola, Benjamin Moore & Pantone to become common place in our society. So next time you are searching for Vivid Tangerine in your Crayola Crayon box maybe think about that.

Carrying on with the social effect & change theme, The MoMa also presents, Design and the Elastic Mind. In a nutshell this exhibition attempts to present a timeline of essential & clever bits of design that have helped progress society in a time of hyper globalization. One quote we felt holds the essence of this show was;

"One of design's most fundamental tasks is to stand between revolutions and life, and to help people deal with change."

It seems both shows have a lot of questions for you to pounder afterwards but we think it's quite nice the MoMa seems to not be highlighting any superstar artists but rather the well-being & understanding of today's evolving society.
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If museums aren't your deal than jump on a Brooklyn bound train to check out a couple gallery shows thanks to Jami & Sean. The first of the two is a bit installation and a bit photography and is Suspended Realities by Sarah Lynch at Klompching Gallery. Lynch's genius in this series lies in her ability to create great tension between seamlessly mundane objects. Her neutral color palette, low angles and distant horizon line do wonders for her simple composed accents, they have a way of feeling playful but ever so serious.

So if installations or perhaps sections of walls going thru gallery spaces are more of your thing than check out Smack Mellon and the architectural installations of Amanda Mathis. Under Renovation addresses the ongoing trend of interior renovation and focuses on building materials & methods to juxtapose the new & the old. Using materials from the original Smack Mellon, the refurbishment and new materials, Mathis replicated parts from the original structure to offer us a new perspective on something old.
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On last minute and upcoming addition, Bond Street Gallery hosts Coney Island of The Heart with pictures by Harold Feinstein, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Gilden, Sid Grossman, Harold Roth & Henri Silberman. Feinstein represents the majority of these nostalgic images but the exhibition also features selected work of the latter. It looks to be a blast from the past and is bound to get us all ready & excited for that summer thats just around the corner. Be sure to check out the Opening Night on the 27th of this month.
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Lastly, The New York Photo Festival has announced their programming for what looks to be an exciting couple of weekdays & weekend in May. The highlight clearly appears to be the curators (Martin Parr, Kathy Ryan, Lesley A. Martin & Tim Barber) laying out their personal roadmaps & visions for contemporary photography, its sure to make one think alot.
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Cheers to Jami, Glenn & Sean for keeping us well informed.

Massive Respect,
The Forum Crew