Dodge & Burn: Diversity in Photography History

Jaime Permuth's "Yonkeros" Touring Gallery Exhibition with En Foco

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:48:00 +0000

© Jaime Permuth, Untitled, Yonkeros series.

Photographer Jaime Permuth has a wonderful B&W project called Yonkeros that will be featured as an En Foco Touring Gallery Exhibition. Mark your calendars and go see this show!

"Yonkeros" is a popular term for businesses that strip wrecked cars and sell them as scrap metal or for parts. The term is a Spanglish derivative of "junk", conjugated grammatically to refer to people who engage in this line of work.
Read more of the artist statement at En Foco.

Dates: February 28–April 5, 2012

Opening Reception: Wednesday, March 7 from 5:00 to 6:45pm

Artist Talk: Saturday, March 24 from 2:00 to 3:00pm

Location: Pregones Theater 571 - 575 Walton Avenue (between 149 & 150th Streets, one block west of the Grand Concourse) Bronx, NY 10451
Tel: 718-585-1202

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography and Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

New Photo Show at NYU Explores Time, History and Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Benevolent Oschun at Pyramids
Giza, Egypt 2003
© Chester Higgins

Artists include: Brett Cook, Sonia Louise Davis, Daniel Dawson, Stephanie Dinkins, Michael Forbes, Tahir Hemphill, Chester Higgins, Sheila Pree Bright, Shani Peters, Jamel Shabazz, Deborah Willis, Hank Willis Thomas

Opening Reception: Monday, February 6, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
1 Washington Place NYC 10003

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Currently Reading "Mixed Blessings: New Art In A Multicultural America"

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:21:00 +0000

As you know I'm in the MFA in Advanced Photographic Practice program at ICP-Bard, so since last September I've started (re)using the analytical and critical part of my brain more than I have in 11+ years!

Needless to say I've had to dust the cobwebs off and discard useless information to make room in my brain's memory bank for all the artists names, artworks, art institutions, art shows that we talk about... but I finally feel like I'm getting into a groove.

Now let me tell you about my lists. My free time is ruled by lists of things to see and read - one such list is books about art. (Perhaps I'll publish these lists as future blog posts?) A book I discovered lately is Lucy Lippard's "Mixed Blessings: New Art In A Multicultural America" published in 1990.

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Best Of Dodge & Burn's 2011 Posts

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:49:00 +0000

So I started off writing this post thinking that I wouldn't have anything much to link to, but looking back at this year's posts I surprised myself. Despite my new-Mommy lifestyle, enrolling in graduate school for my MFA and a few personal struggles, I managed to keep this blog afloat with some good content.

Here are a few headlines of note:

Bonham's Auction in Dubai Signals Demand for Middle Eastern Photography

Get a wake up call with this guest post by photographer Sinden Collier, Copyright Insurance - Protect Your Work. That said, I'd like to have more! Feel free to contact me with any submissions for guest posts on this blog.

Following his release from prison came the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei: New York Photographs 1983–1993 show at the Asia Society in NYC.

Dawoud Bey, Eli Reed (both African-American) and Nobuyoshi Araki (Japanese) all honored at the 9th Annual Lucie Awards this year.

Global Launch of HistoryPin, powered by Google - this social media site invites you to share your old photographs with the world.

My two "fototazo f100" picks of photographers who deserve more recognition.

This year my interviews broke the photographer mold to get some insight from those on the business side of photography, which I'd like to continue as a new series on the blog. Check out my interview with photography consultant Marc Prüst and gallerist Jennie Ricketts.

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Photographer Interview Ayana V Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:30:00 +0000

It's rare that the Black experience in Latin American culture is acknowledged, let a lone documented via photography. In her series African by Legacy, Mexican by Birth, photographer Ayana V Jackson's commitment to showing this part of the African Diaspora that has been shoved under the rug, is what drew me to her work. Ayana's work is opinionated and steeped in the scars left from colonial history without being didactic. Read on to learn more about her journey to becoming a working fine art photographer and her recent experience at Paris Photo 2011.

D&B: Where are you from?
AVJ: I was born in New Jersey, USA however I live between Johannesburg and New York.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?
AVJ: My practice is quite diverse. I began with reportage/documentary in 2001 with projects centered around Contemporary Africa and African Diaspora identity. Via portraiture I created several bodies of work aimed at exposing the complexity of black identity worldwide. From hip hop artists in West Africa to African descendents in Latin America I sought to uncover narratives that are rarely associated with people in the regions I worked in.

Recently I began creating self portraits. This transition marked the beginning of my studio practice. "Leapfrog (a bit of the other) Grand Matron Army" was the first of that series. In it I present my body in the form of 9 female archetypes from the precolonial to afrochic. The reason for this shift was that I wanted to have a more specific conversation with my work. Maintaining my body as a constant allows my audience to consider my concept and intentionality rather than examine my portraiture via an ethnographic point of view.

Regarding "formal" training: it is limited to an introductory class during undergrad and a more concentrated study during summer term under Katharina Sieverding at the Universitat der Kunst in Berlin. The latter was quite formative as it was during that time that I learned large format analogue printing and began to study photographic theory.

Grid view of Grand Matron Army series 2010, Copyright Ayana V Jackson
(Click to view larger)

D&B: What cameras or techniques do you use?
AVJ: I use a YashikaMAT 124G and a Canon 5D.

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Recontres de Bamako and Paris Photo 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

From "The Ancestors Land" series by Malala Andrialavidrazana

November 10-13, 2011, a week after the opening of the 9th edition of Bamako Encounters (running from November 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012), the Paris Photo show is celebrating its 15th edition at the Grand Palais. African photography, from Bamako to Cape Town, is the theme this year. Learn more about this event at Paris Photo 2011.

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Interview with Gallerist Jennie Ricketts

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 21:06:00 +0000

D&B: How did you get your start in the photography industry?
JR: I started working on the picture desk for the Observer colour supplement in the latter half of the 1980'a after meeting then picture editor June Stanier. But I had actually been working with photography in an advertising context for a few years before that.

June Stanier was looking for an assistant on her desk and had heard of me from a past colleague of mine at the ad agency. We met for lunch one day and I agreed to go work as her picture desk assistant.

The move to the picture desk really marked a graduation from the "applied" photography used in advertising to the more profound work of photojournalism and art photography that existed in colour supplements at the time, and that lead to my deeper interest in fine art photography.

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African-American Photographers Honored at 9th Annual Lucie Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:30:00 +0000

The Lucie Awards is the annual gala ceremony that celebrates master photographers and their contributions to the field of photography. Honorees are determined each year by the Lucie Awards Advisory Board, and pre-announced.

So basically, the Lucie Awards is like the Academy Awards for the photography industry.

At this year's 9th Annual Lucie Awards held on October 24th in NYC, it was great to see two African-American photographers honored. The 2011 honorees of note are:

Dawoud Bey for Achievement in Portraiture

Eli Reed for Achievement in Documentary Photography Award

Also honored was the Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki for Achievement in Fine Art.

Congratulations!

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography and Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

Giving Away 2 Free Copies of the Fall 2011 Issue of SPE's Exposure Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:00:00 +0000

To celebrate the publication of my portfolio profile on UK photographer Marcia Michael in the Fall 2011 issue of exposure (the journal of the Society for Photographic Education) I'm giving away 2 free copies to the first 2 readers who contact me via Twitter.

This issue also features:

Todd Hido and Elaine O'Neil in conversation
Interview with artist Ann Hamilton
A review of The Mexican Suitcase: The Rediscovered Spanish Civil War Negatives of Capa, Chim and Taro
Nine Audio Photo Assignments by Gregory Halpern and Jason Fulford
and more...

Come and get them!

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography and Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

24th Carroll Harris Simms Black Art Competition and Exhibit

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 04:41:00 +0000

The African American Museum is the only one of its kind in the Southwestern Region devoted to the preservation and display of African American artistic, cultural and historical materials. It has one of the largest African American Folk Art collections in the United States.

Black artists across the nation compete for awards in the categories of Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Photography and Mixed Media. Winning artwork entries in the various categories have become part of the African American Museum's permanent collection.

The Competition is named in recognition of Mr. Simms' outstanding contribution to art and art education. He joined the faculty of Texas Southern University (formerly Texas State University for Negro's) in 1950 and was co-founder of the art department. Professor Simms served on the faculty until 1987.

Simms developed a unique program of ceramics and sculpture at the University. The body of Terra Cotta Shrine sculptures created by Professor Simms' students represents a distinct contribution to the evolution of Twentieth Century African American sculpture.

Deadline October 22, 2011 - get more info and download the entry from the African American Museum website.

Read Caroll Harris Simms' obituary in the Houston Chronicle for more info about this artist, author, professor and key figure in African American Art History.

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography and Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

Mambu Badu's Second Annual Call for Entries

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 02:13:00 +0000

Check out the recent Dodge & Burn interview with the founding women of the Mambu Badu collective. I also urge any women photographers of African descent to submit your work - see details below:

Mambu Badu, a photography collective founded in 2010 with a mission to find, expose and nurture women artists of African descent, is seeking work for our second annual publication. Our first issue, Memory, garnered positive reviews for the photographers featured: Nikita Gale, Sheree Swann, Tonika Johnson, Jen Everett, Yodith Dammlash and Nkechi Ebubedike.

We are officially a year old and we invite you to submit your work for our second publication. There is no planned theme for this issue; we're looking for collage, conceptual, documentary and all work in between.

Please submit the following by December 20, 2011: A complete body of work (8-14 images), in either jpg or gif format.

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Australian Aboriginal Artist Fiona Foley

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:30:00 +0000

From the series HHH (Hedonistic Honky Haters) by Fiona Foley

Photography is just one of the mediums in which indigenous Australian artist Fiona Foley explores themes of sex, race and history and their various manifestations within her own life and Aboriginal culture.

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Photographer Interview: Carol Sachs

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:45:00 +0000

Whether using film or digital, you can't get a great image without a unique eye. Photographer Carol Sachs is yet another example of someone who's visual perspective on life translates so well through the medium of photography, irrespective of what camera she's holding.

Friend Carol Sachs on Facebook.

D&B: Where are you from?

CS: I am from a city called Curitiba, in the south of Brazil, but currently share my time between São Paulo and London.

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Photographer Interview: André França

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:39:00 +0000

Barbie dolls frozen in water. These subversive and beautifully jarring images in fine art photographer André França's Vanishing series are what first drew my eye in to his talent.

Follow André França on Twitter @andrefranca and/or friend André França on Facebook.

D&B: Where are you from?

AF: I was born in Brazil, in Canavieiras, a coastal city in the state of Bahia. I have lived in Salvador (Brazil) since I was 14 years old, but I usually make my photography series in other cities and countries.
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Interview with Mambu Badu Photography Collective

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:57:00 +0000

In this interview, I speak to 3 photographers: The founders of the Mambu Badu Photography Collective - they are Allison McDaniel, Kameelah Rasheed and Danielle Scruggs. A unique photography collective, these 3 women have organized to support, acknowledge and promote the work of other Black female photographers who often go unnoticed within this industry.

Follow Mambu Badu on Twitter @mambubadu.

D&B: Please introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about your backgrounds. (where are you from, where do you live, are you all photographers?)

DS: I was born and raised in Chicago and currently live in Washington, DC. I'm a photographer and on occasion, a writer.

KR: I was born and raised in East Palo Alto, a small town of 30,000 in the Bay Area, CA. On July 4, 2010 I made the big move to Brooklyn, NY. I am a self-taught photographer - mostly documentary projects and portraiture in the US as well as abroad in South Africa. I am also a writer completing a series of interviews with NY-based artists like Dread Scott, Jamel Shabazz and Akintola Hanif. Last, but certainly not least, I am a high school world history teacher in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

AM: I'm originally from Roselle, NJ but call the DC metro area home (for now). I stumbled upon 35mm photography in 2001 and have been utterly obsessed since. I'm also a writer, Associate Editor of Recipes for Good Living Magazine and a Graphic Designer when I find the time.

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Fototazo Picks 100 Photographers Deseverving More Recognition

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:32:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I was approached by photographer Tom Griggs, founder of fototazo - a site that combines social giving and photography.

Tom asked if I would participate in fototazo's "f100" series.

Here's a description of the series:

fototazo has asked a group of 50 curators, gallery owners, blog writers, photographers, academics and others actively engaged in photography to pick two photographers that deserve (more) recognition - the under known, the under-respected as well as not-appreciated-enough favorites.

I am honored to be amongst the 50 asked to participate and would like to share with you my 2 "fototazo f100" picks of photographers deserving more recognition.

I want to know: What photographers would YOU have chosen? Leave your picks in the comments below!

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography and Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

Interview with Photography Consultant Marc Prust

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:45:00 +0000

Photography Consultant Marc Prüst has created a unique career for himself working with some of the oldest and newest photo organizations. Here Marc let's Dodge & Burn pick his brain, sharing his personal journey on how he came to work in photography, sound advice for photographers and what he thinks great photo work should do.

D&B: How did you get started in your career within the photo industry?

MP: My start in photography happened unexpectedly. I graduated from university with a major in International Policy Studies and Japanese language. With an interest in photography, sure, but without real ambition in that direction. I had taken a few years amateur courses at a cultural centre in Groningen, the Netherlands, but was not a very talented student.

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Photographer Interview: Nadirah Zakariya

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:39:00 +0000

It was Nadirah Zakariya's photographs of children that fixed my attention while aimlessly wandering the internet one night.

Seemingly frozen in time, each portrait captures the natural, uncorrupted beauty of Nadirah's subjects.

There's an innate sensuality in Nadirah's photographs and I think your eyes too will be seduced. Follow Nadirah Zakariya on Twitter or read her blog.

D&B: Where are you from?

NZ: Born in Malaysia, I had a childhood in Texas, bravely struggled through adolescence in Kuala Lumpur, found my path in Japan, and realized myself in New York. A lot of my work revolves around the theme of the absence of the concept of home.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?

NZ: I photograph mainly portraiture, especially of women and children. I do have a BFA in Photography.

Eve, Copyright Nadirah Zakariya

Off To Graduate School This Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 05:44:00 +0000

It's been a long time coming.

Following 11 years of corporate work in the web production and digital marketing fields, I'm FINALLY going back to school to get my MFA in Photography! Having been accepted to all the schools I applied to, my choice was the ICP-Bard MFA in Advanced Photographic Studies program.

Sometimes life gives you many chances. It's just a matter of one being able to see and have the courage to take them. After experiencing 2 layoffs from work in less than 10 months, I decided to live my dream of pursuing a graduate degree - something I've (day)dreamed about since finishing college in 1999.

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Photographer Interview: Roxana Marroquin

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:29:00 +0000

Recently I went to a "Editing Your Portfolio" workshop held by En Foco. Photographer Roxana Marroquin pulled out a stack of Lith prints that combined images shot on black & white film with photograms.

These images (as seen below) were haunting and dream-like, leaving us all with our jaws dropped in awe and admiration.

D&B: Where are you from?

RM: I'm originally from El Salvador in Central America. I moved to the United States when I was 8.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?

RM: I consider myself a fine art photographer and I do work about my own experience: such as being displaced as a child, my migrant experience, my own psyche, my body, and the experiences of being a woman. My photographs begin with self portraits or from Nature, which then I explore and develop further until I find some truth about myself that is also universal.

My training began in college, in my Junior year when I took my first photography class and I fell in love. I have a BA in Photography from New Jersey City University.

From the series, Realm of Shadows by Roxana Marroquin

D&B: What cameras or techniques do you use?

RM: My cameras and techniques are still very traditional and vary from project to project. I have worked with Polaroids, 35mm SLR's, large format, medium format, and my favorite - the Holga!

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Global Launch of Historypin, Powered by Google

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:00:00 +0000

July 11th marked the global launch of Historypin, a site where you can compare your own and others' photos of the present and the past - all geotagged via Google Maps technology.

The Museum of the City of New York was a great venue for the site's launch as the museum recently launched a historical online photography archive including work by notables like Jacob Riis and Bernice Abbott.

The concept of Historypin is inspired by the boxes of old photographs that most of us have in our family archives. To realize their philosophy of creating a shared history of the world, the folks at Historypin invite you to upload your own photos and other content (audio, video) captioned with your personal stories.

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Photography Quote by Eli Reed

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 22:05:00 +0000

Credit: Photofocus.com

Photographer Eli Reed is interviewed by Wayne Lawrence in the "Heroes & Mentors" feature in August 2011 issue of PDN.

In the interview, Reed discusses his seminal book Black in America, his friendship with film director John Singleton, becoming the first African-American member of Magnum and more.

Most importantly, Reed had this to say to minority photographers:

"One thing you have to do is not get distracted by the bullshit, by the racism or ageism or any of that crap. If you get deterred from the direction in which you're going, the other side has already managed to throw you off stride. Over and over again, the best thing is to do the god-damn work."

Stellar advice from a photographer who's broken the color barrier with his exceptional photographic work!

DISCOVER TALENT
See all photographer interviews on Dodge & Burn.

STAY IN TOUCH
Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email.

Follow me on Twitter @mestrich for more on photography or Like Dodge & Burn Blog on Facebook.

My Wishlist of Photography Books

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 02:51:00 +0000

This July 4th weekend I scored a gently used copy of Nan Goldin's The Ballad of Sexual Dependency for $12.95 at a bookstore in Saugherties, NY.

Oh, if only all photo books were such a bargain!

I'm an Amazon junkie and in between ordering the latest box of diapers for my son, I peruse their photo books - adding to my Wish List in hopes that someone will send them to me as gifts...

Recently I realized (took me long enough!) that I could buy used copies at a fraction of the cost. This will certainly drive me to become a photo book collector.

Arriving this week about a subject near and dear to my heart (diversity in photography history) is Photography's Other Histories, edited by Christopher Pinney and Nicolas Peterson.

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Photographer Interview: Chester Higgins Jr - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Welcome to part 2 of my interview with photographer Chester Higgins, Jr. Read part 1 of my interview and see some of Chester's elegant black & white portraits.

D&B: Why did you decide to remain with The New York Times for this long?

CH: The NYT is the most influential newspaper in the world. Working at the NYT offers me the daily opportunity to exercise my eyes with each new assignment. It gives me a unique window into the various levels of our society. I love my job. The constancy of having such a job gives me the financial freedom to save and do the research necessary to execute my personal projects.

Q. What advice do you have to give on the business side of photography to aspiring photographers?

CH: I believe that in order to make a living as a photographer, you must see yourself as a business. Your skill is your eye. Your product is your images. In order to make money, you have to find your market. That means finding who or what entity is willing to pay you for your skill; there is immense competition so you need to do something to stand out from the crowd. Finally, there is the issue of getting paid. This requires more skills: knowing how to make an invoice and calculating what you think your labor is worth as well as your expenses.

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Breezeless: A Contemporary Japanese Photography Exhibit in New York, Post 2011 Tsunami

noreply@blogger.com (Qiana Mestrich) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:55:00 +0000

Haruna Kawanishi, Call Sign # 2, 2009

Sous Les Etoiles Gallery presents "Breezeless" an exhibition dedicated to Contemporary Japanese Photography running from June 23 - August 26, 2011.

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