It's Been A While...With a BONUS Photo Review!

Sorry for the delay between posts, but as I am not equipped with an Internet connection I can only post once or twice a week. But, fear not loyal readers (man am I hopeful!) I write a lot and always have things ready to be updated whenever I come across a connection...On to the photo stuff!


A review of the first, Second Thursday opening now happening in the Fishtown/North Northern Liberties area of the city...Lets just say I was a little heated when I wrote this a week ago.


Photography has gone too far. Let me qualify, first off, that I understand that growth and progression are positive values when placed upon just about anything. And, photography is growing, expanding, and progressing at a wondrous rate. OK, so then what is the problem you ask? The problem is when you go out to a gallery opening, excitedly wanting to be drawn to a body of work from across the room, hearing the music and chatter of a couple dozen viewers as you approach the building (hope is rising), and seeing smiling faces all around as you are pleasantly greeted with food and drink...only to end up standing in what was described by another as "such a cool space" looking at absolutely dreadful photographs. And be sure that I mean in every possible way, dreadful. There did not appear to have been an attempt at what I deem silly postmodern statements, like the desire to work against structured craftsmanship or about how any subject matter is of value (so don't think that this is simply a rant against work I don't like, Sherrie Levine most likely would have laughed off this stuff). No, these were just bad pictures, plain and simple. One could make an argument for the snapshot aesthetic (if one really wanted to grasp at straws) but in no way was the representation of the images following any sort of snapshot guidelines (if you will). In other words, the artist actually tried to make beautiful photographs, took the time (assumption) to render and print highly saturated color schemes, and took the liberty of being cute with the framing (smallish, about 11x14); mattes with painter-styled elaborate frames (there are photographers doing this type of framing, and when it works it is excellent, but when it doesn't...). Sad.

I would rather not talk about the other body of work I saw, for fear of getting myself angrier and you believing that I am just too negative a person, but I will say that someone learned how to use photoshop filters (they never make bad pictures good) and thought it ironic to put images on pillowcases and other little trinkets. All kidding aside, it was laughable.

Overall, I can most easily relate this experience to that of eating at a new restaurant. You work up an excitement about going, especially if you have not been out in a while (my own fault), you patiently wait just to get a chance to talk to the chef (artist) to learn how he or she created what they did, and you leave the restaurant (gallery) full and happy. None of this happened...the restaurant was crap. Wasted enthusiasm. It makes you think twice before you go back to the same place. I guess I can always give it a second chance, and just hope for a better chef.