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For those of you lucky enough to be passing through the City of Lights (aka Paris) this weekend, you might want to take time to check out the 12th annual Paris Photo exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre. It will be featuring a wide range of international photographers, some of whom you’ve already seen on Homo Neurotic including Lise Sarfati (last photo).
Marilyn Minter’s brand of hyper-realistic paintings have quickly risen from marginalized curiosity to full-fledged fame. While she shies away from the label of “photo-realism”, her work does indeed begin with photographed moments. What starts as a compilation of multiple scanned negatives turns into the inspiration for the canvas where Minter memorializes grit, sweat, and make-up mashed together with extreme angles and close-ups of body parts. In her most recent exhibition, The Pam Show, Minter takes on sex icon Pamela Anderson and creates electric images that diffuse her media-popularized brand of sex appeal and explores the artists own interpretation of sensual desire.
With winter weather on it’s way and the fading of falls colors soon to give way to the washed-out pallor of winter, it seems appropriate to feature the work of German photographer Henk Wittinghofer. His photos bear traces of influence from well-known photographers Jeurgen Teller and Homo Neurotic favorite Ryan McGinley but have their own distinct voice, especially notable in his bleak, wintry landscapes.
Samantha Cohn captures some beautiful, pensive moments that inevitably draw the viewer into the story of the photograph. It probably doesn’t hurt that many of her subjects happen to be rather handsome men in their own right. There is an air of loneliness, or perhaps nostalgia, that plays well with the desaturated blues and greens in each photo.
For our latest installment of In the Spotlight, we sit down with 24-year-old Norwegian photographer Markus Bollingmo to learn a little of what makes him tick as he makes his first steps along the route to becoming an established photographer. For past interviews with other young and exciting photographers, sift through the previous posts or click the links at the end of the post.
S: Hi Markus, thanks for giving us the chance to get to know you a little better. I see you just got back from a trip to Japan. What were you there for and how did it go?
MB: Hello! Yes I just got back from there a couple of nights ago. I went there with some French friends here from Paris. Not really any other reason than we have all been there before and know what a special place it is. It’s so crazy over there! All you can think of is “Shit, why can’t people be more like this in Europe?”. It is so beautiful everywhere, and the people are so sweet. Western people often think Japanese are cold and hiding their emotions - which is true in a few ways, but I find more warmth and sweetness there than anywhere I have been in Europe and America. They have aesthetic sense in a completely different way than here, and they have such a relaxed relationship to new concepts and ideas. Everything is just inspiration overdose!
S: Do you get to travel often?
MB: I suppose the only regular traveling I do is when I go home to Norway to see my family and friends there, which is usually a few times a year. I am going there again for Christmas next - Norwegian Christmas is very nice! Other than that, I don’t know? Maybe I have been traveling more than most, but there are many who travel more than me. Thing is, my life is so loose and random and I never really know what will happen until they are happening. I am so very bad at planning ahead that I barely even try anymore. It has worked well for me so far in life though, I like that feeling of freedom.
SB: You’re originally from Norway, but you live in Paris now. What makes Paris a great place for a photographer to live?
MB: Norway is very small…very few inhabitants. Before I came to Paris I lived a couple of years in Stockholm, Sweden, which is very nice, but compared to a big city like Paris it is just a little shit. When you have a big city like Paris with millions of people it is just bound to have a lot more opportunities for photographers and artists. Also, it is one of the biggest artistic centers in Europe and the world. Personally I just like the slow pace here a lot, it fits me very well. I live my life so randomly without much stress or ambition. When I was still living in Stockholm I considered going to NYC, but I am not sure that place would have been as nice to me. Paris is perfect!
S: Who and what inspire your photography?
MB: People always ask what photographers I am into and I always think “Shit, I don’t know”. I barely know of any! I never took any class or education in photography. Actually, other photographers’ works don’t inspire me much at all. I can enjoy it of course, some photographers really make me dream, but it is not what makes me want to take photos myself. Inspiration is more something that comes from real life. Like experiencing Japan, as I said before. Experiencing situations and atmospheres that have an impact on you, you know? Watching a sexy naked boy on my bed is a lot more inspiring to me than going to see an exhibition.
S: How do you meet the guys that you photograph?
MB: Most are friends and lovers that I know from elsewhere in my life. And as my photos are online I get contacted sometimes by guys who would like to work together. I never really go “model hunting” though, as you need a certain level of comfort and ease, especially when doing naked stuff.
S: You also do a fair bit of self-portraiture. Is that something that you do to fill time or do you have plans for a formal series of self-portraits?
MB: Heh! As I said before, I am very bad with planning anything at all. What happens will happen! As for my self-portraits, it is a little bit of exhibitionism and a lot of the fact to be able to work in peace. It is very relieving not to have to communicate your ideas to another person. When you work with yourself you know exactly what you mean. And if the photos turn out to be shit, no one will ever know.
S: Has your work been published anywhere that readers in the US might be able to see?
MB: Well, no. I suppose you can say I am still new to a lot of this…
S: What direction do you see your work and career taking over the next few years?
MB: I have nooo no no no idea. Lack of ambition, being unable to plan far ahead etc., etc. Doing exhibitions with only my work is something I want to do though, and I suppose it is only a matter of time. Who knows what will happen!
Thanks Markus! For past installments of In the Spotlight, click on the links.
This week I’ve been unearthing some work from the early pioneers of male nude photography - visions that shaped the artistic direction of many photographers that followed. French photographer Raymond Voinquel’s vision drew inspiration frequently from classical Greek imagery, with sculptural poses that showcased the masculinity of his subjects but which also hinted at slightly feminine qualities. The photos here were taken primarily during the 1940s but it’s amazing how parallel they run to much more modern pieces.
Inspired by the weekend’s Halloween revelry, I’d like to share some work from a very gifted and visionary fashion photographer, Ruven Afanador. The Columbian-born artist has established himself as one of the greats of his profession and it’s likely that you’ve seen his portraiture gracing the pages of the New York Times or The New Yorker or any number of editorials that he has produced in recent years.
Among his well-known projects was a monograph published in 2001 exploring the oft-overlooked eroticism of the toreros, bull fighters from Spain and various South American countries. In the eponymous book, Toreros, Afanador takes an almost Mapplethorpe-like perspective with his subjects as he explores the costumes, pageantry and youthful masculinity of the sport. More of his work can be found here.
Filmmaker and photographer Bruce LaBruce is rolling into New York City this Halloween season for a screening of his new zombie porn film, Otto: Or, Up With Dead People, that has been making it’s rounds at film festivals across the globe. The Toronto-based artist is known for his controversial melding of indie filmmaking with gay pornography that has produced cult films like Raspberry Reich, Skin Flick, Hustler White, and Super 8 1/2. Check out the trailer… it should put you in the mood for some ghoulish fun of your own.
Among the gallery shows opening this week, Lise Sarfati stands out with her collection of photographs taken while she lived in Russia during the period from 1991 to 2000. She chooses as her setting the many deteriorating buildings and old-world architecture that characterized the years preceding and including the Soviet era and juxtaposes this with portraits of young gay men - a movement that emerged to greater visibility in the post Soviet era after homosexuality was decriminalized in 1993. Her beautiful handling of color (somewhat reminiscent of Michal Chelbin, although more muted) and choice of setting is consistent throughout much of her work. She has published several beautiful monographs and has been included in Magnum’s volume on women in photography. The exhibition Rough, Cold, and Close: A Russian Poem is on display at the Yossi Milo Gallery through Dec. 6th.
Lise Sarfati’s NSFW work also popped up earlier this year (March) in the French magazine, Tetu, featuring several porn stars posing in similarly bleak, yet beautiful settings. NSFW AFTER THE JUMP. More… »
Occasionally I’m reminded of artists’ work that can’t be called current, but which is timeless or, at minimum, possesses some quality that resonates with the immediate moment. British photographer and filmmaker Toyin blends artistic elements that place her work both in the past and the present, always with a distinctly sexualized perspective. Her imagery suggests a personal and intimate connection with her subjects. The recent Bill Henson exhibition, with beautiful, melancholic youth and defocussed light reminded me of Toyin’s collaboration with designer Kim Jones for the A/W ‘03 collection. The video is below. Her Cult of Boys series, easily found on YouTube, also provides brief but visually intense bites of her work and her collaboration with Replay gave rise to another great video (which gave rise to the stills in this post).
She also collaborated with musician Patrick Wolf in producing a music video in the same vein as her Cult of Boys series and Kim Jones collaboration. Check it out.
