Robert Doisneau, one of France’s most popular and prolific reportage photographers, is known for his modest, playful, and ironic images of amusing juxtapositions, mingling social classes, and eccentrics in contemporary Paris streets and cafes. Influenced by the work of Kertesz, Atget, and Cartier-Bresson, in over 20 books Doisneau has presented a charming vision of human frailty and life as a series of quiet, incongruous moments. He has written: “The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.”
Text from ‘The Encyclopedia of Photography’ (1984) – Robert Doisneau

Artist’s Statement

I create large icons such as a Buddha or a traditional vase, using materials from the fashion industry. The process of building large installations are time consuming and repetitive and it requires manual effort which provides a form of self-meditation. I hammer thousands of pins into a wall like a monk who, facing the wall, practices Zen. My works are divided into two groups. In the first, pins are used to hold buttons remain free to move and suggest the genetic human tendency to be irresolute. I choose buttons, which are as common and ordinary as human beings. In the second group of works, a massive number of pins connect yards of thread creating a negative space of the presented images, threads suggesting connections between human beings and a communication network between seemingly unlinked human experiences. The filled negative space in the absence of the positive space suggests mortality at the heart of self-recognition.

The Black Hills has been the home of the Lakota Sioux Indians for centuries. White men have only settled in the area for the last 120 years. Even so, many legends tell of the early white settlers. One of these is the Ghost Dance.

Kelly McKernan is a fine artist and illustrator based in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work is defined by internal struggle in its many forms through personal growth. She illustrates various situations for her female protagonists to interact with through symbolic elements in vague settings. These scenes often comment on the operating consequences of idealism and fantasy due to naivety and youth with two opposing forces at work: natural inclination versus cognitive reasoning. There is deeply personal meaning to be found as the multi-layered struggles depicted in her current body of work reflect her interests and concerns as a growing woman with a penchant for idealism on a journey of self-awareness. Artists Website

Work described by the Artist in his own words

Arts and drawing has always been my passion, it’s the only thing I do best most of the time. I’ve been drawing way back since I was old enough to hold a pencil, all the way from high school, to my college years. 5 years ago, I’ve stopped temporarily and pursued a career in web and graphic design. Fairly a year ago I have picked up my pen tablet and started drawing again, but this time it’s for good!

I consider myself multi-talented and very fortunate about it. Aside from art, I’m also musically inclined, I play guitar and bass and listen to different forms of rock music. I’m also athletic and play ridiculous hours of tennis. If I’m not drawing, I’d be playing tennis. I consider myself a semi retired gamer, as I don’t have much time for it right now. My favorite games are strategy like Warcraft and Starcraft, I would spend mad hours playing these games and actually forget to eat or sleep at times. For now my focus is getting back to my drawing, improve and make my mark it the world of art.

There are all kinds of jobs in the world. Some range from mind-numbing to wet your pants dangerous but when you have a job like these honey hunters in Nepal, where you basic survival depends on incredible risks to life an limb, our jobs that we whine about seem inconsequential.

These images of Nepal’s honey hunters were taken by Eric Valli as he documented the lives of the men who harvest the massive hives of the world’s largest honey bees.

VF.com released these behind the scenes photographs to mark the Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back movie, . Each of the images were pulled from the The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back book released in 2011. These certainly some really nostalgic photos!

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

“My work is about the sensations suggested by grotesque anatomies. I want people to be intrigued by the possibility of impossible bodies, I want people to imagine the feeling of touch skins and textures. My attention goes to the topics of hybridization, transformation, self identity and the bizarre. I’m inspired by the unusual, by what is behind the first impression, in shapes and meanings. I believe that Art is Beauty, but to me it means neither harmony nor balance.

Internationally collected artist E. J. Paprocki was born in Chicago, IL in 1971. An avid painter since childhood, he studied Business and Fine Art at Loyola University in Chicago. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Paprocki augmented his formal art studies with extensive travels in Europe, painting and visiting the great museums. Exhibited widely, he has been geatured in 14 one-man exhibitions and many prestigious group shows on two continents. His work has received critical acclaim and has been featured in several national magazines including Art of the West, Southwest Art, and Gulfshore Life. Paprocki exhibits annually at the prestigious Great American Artists Exhibition. His paintings hang in more than 1000 public, private and corporate collections in over a dozen countries around the world.

Dean studied photography at the Queensland College of Art and has created quite an impact within the industry. Being referred to as one of Australia’s best emerging photographers, Deans young, fresh and creative style focuses on fashion, advertising and people campaigns. Dean has recently just been awarded Advertising photographer of the year at the recent International Aperture Awards. He’s also generated interest from Sydney’s MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and exhibited for SAATCHI & SAATCHI in Cannes for the world’s top 100 emerging photographers.

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