While many artists worked with the notions of artist and authorship during the abstract expressionist period of the 1940s and 1950s, their media generally excluded the use of photography. Phil Bekker, whose most recent show opened at Hagedorn Foundation Gallery this past Thursday, introduced two bodies of work that seem to unite the concept of “the artist’s hand” with the tranquility of minimalist work.

The first series is comprised of 20×24 inch Polaroids of everyday objects, each chosen for their color and form. Though modernist in thought, Bekker’s process involves transferring the Polaroids to an archival water paper, imbuing them with a painterly texture that morphs the viewer’s perception. These meditative objects are meant to reflect a “reductive essence,” allowing them to function based on their minimal form and color. Bekker treats some of the Polaroids more extensively by reworking or distressing the emulsion surfaces, in an effort to push the image into becoming a remnant of its original. While generally minimalist work tends to show no evidence of the artist, Bekker is pushing both his concept and media to meet on an unfamiliar plane.

The second series again is made up of Polaroids of everyday scenes, chosen for their color, form and texture. Bekker deconstructs specific locations in an effort to reconstruct an abstract visual narrative, combining views and angles that one could not see from the same vantage point at the actual site. This gestalt approach to everyday places and objects, reminiscent of Rorshach ink blots, allows for an interesting interaction with the work, almost like that of a puzzle. While Bekker does collage the Polaroids to create his stories, it is somewhat surprising to see the final prints, which are actually photographs of the collages taken in his studio. This decisive manipulation of the medium brings the work full circle, as the photographer’s hand is quite purposefully missing.

While Bekker’s two series seem to function separately but for their media, in actuality they work in chorus to conceptually force the viewer to question notions of the artist and media, while simultaneously showing two radically different approaches to the same kind of work. Bekker’s work is a testament to the necessity of Polaroid camera and film, and the depth of the work that they can produce. The pieces are both interesting to look at and to think about, as he fully exercises the efficacy of meditative and minimalist work.

Serene Al-Kawas is a student at SCAD in Atlanta.

This past Saturday members of all strata of the Atlanta art community congregated at Atlantic Station to view and celebrate a collection of work by Savannah College of Art and Design students, alumni and faculty. Over 100 artists were featured in the exhibit, presented in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography, and their work filled the sizable converted space, creating thematic spaces within the larger gallery setting. Though all the artists were in some way related to SCAD, the pieces varied from traditional framed prints, to Van Dyke Brown quilts, to installation dollhouses with photographs as windows. Despite its size the gallery was constantly brimming with viewers anxious to experience the show in its entirety. Although many in the art world are tempted to dismiss student shows as amateur, this one night exhibit proved that professionalism and creativity is alive and well in today’s artistic youth.

Though the show featured faculty and alumni work, the organizing committee consisted entirely of students led by faculty adviser Judith Pishnery. The jury for the show was comprised of various graduate and undergraduate students who worked to put together the exhibition, gather work and curate the show from start to finish. The exhibition was also a competition with awards going to Eric Mason, Taylor Lupton, Maria Joyner, and a people’s choice to Stephanie Pharr.

Though much of the work was intriguing, there were a few artists that stood out. Eric Mason won First Prize with his life-size images of phone booths mounted on enormous wooden frames, and then covered in epoxy resin. The images were shot with a wide-angle lens, depicting the phone booths as stable as our world warps and changes around them. The work speaks to a greater socio-political standstill in contemporary society, clearly pointing out our general American need to speed forward with technology and desires for our own lives, leaving behind us those who cannot afford to keep up. Phone booths that still exist seem to function to the middle class as relics of a forgotten but recent past, whereas to those who are without cell phones, they stand as reminders of their unimportant and under-considered existence. I found these pieces to be not only beautiful, but highly relevant in this, a time when greed has brought our economy crashing down around us.

Another artist who caught my eye did not win any prizes or recognition, but the quiet irony of her work has stayed in my mind since viewing it. Gabrielle Sirkin, a SCAD undergraduate student, had two framed color photographs hanging on the gallery wall, and within each one was a sketch-like face. At first I thought I was drawn to in the images because of their formal compositions and qualities, such as the repetition of shapes in each image. After looking at them longer and contemplating their meaning, I was suddenly struck by what I truly loved about them. The banality of the moments that were captured almost escaped me as simply mundane, until I gave further thought to the intricacies of those moments. One image featured a biker riding past the face made of leaves on asphalt. The utter absurdity of this is almost silenced by the truly “boring” look of the pieces. Since seeing them, I have also really come to appreciate them as performance “left-overs,” a mere glimpse at what must have been a well thought out plan to make faces in boring places.

The SCAD Juried Photography exhibit was impressive in the caliber of artwork, artist and exhibit, and certainly these names are some that we will see again in the future.

Serene Al-Kawas is a student at SCAD in Atlanta. Steve Aishman teaches photography at SCAD.

Jason

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was another amazing night. We look forward to next year. More at Le Flash Atlanta.

If you were wondering where all the good has gone in this world, fear not: we have found it. In a gesture marked with the humanity of decades past, an anonymous donor has revamped the local arts scene, funding a second go at the now-legendary LE FLASH. The opening event of Atlanta Celebrates Photography, this one night art and performance event here in Atlanta centers on the theme of light, including interactive sound and light installations, projected imagery, and illuminated performances.

Tapping into largely overlooked sites LE FLASH will run from dusk until midnight on Friday, October 2 in various parking lots and dark avenues in the Castleberry Hills district.  This fascinating event had its first run last year, and was an astounding success. LE FLASH creates an exciting venue not only for experimentation with light, but also for a unique appreciation of contemporary art. Although LE FLASH is not the only adventure of its kind worldwide (Paris, Toronto, Tokyo, Berlin and Santa Monica light up for various other shows), it brings a special element to our amorphous Atlantan cultural identity, and certainly promises to be a night of temporal and illuminating fun.

Among over 50 other projects, LE FLASH boasts a feature performance by world renowned local dancemaker Lauri Stallings of gloATL, as well as a variety of projects from zombie haunts to couture. As varied as our own cityscape, LE FLASH challenges us to keep Atlanta inventive and extraordinary, and its own inception reminds us that in today’s world, we are still only a kind hand away from brilliance.

LE FLASH
Opening Event of Atlanta Celebrates Photography
Friday, October 2, 2009 from dusk until midnight in Castleberry Hill

Serene Al-Kawas is an artist in Atlanta

This video is a little longer than usual. I find it fascinating. Part two of our interview concerns a concurrent exhibition called “Nature as Artifice: New Dutch Landscape in Photography and Video Art.” I’ll have that up as soon as I can.

The design is not the only new thing around here!

Hello everyone, as you’ve hopefully noticed by now, we’ve redesigned! After bringing you up close with Atlanta’s artists, curators, and audience since 2007, it was time for change. We’re still working on a much improved calendar, better social media integration, deeper content and a host of other exciting innovations.

We look forward to continuing to bring you the most comprehensive news and information about visual arts events around Atlanta. Please share your thoughts on the redesign or how we could improve Art Relish and join us on Twitter @artrelish and Facebook.com/ArtRelish.

Please take it all in, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to implement the changes and learn the new system (we’re always jumping in feet first). Kudos, compliments, and constructive criticism are appreciated!

Thank you all for your continued readership and support.

Jason

We previewed Soth’s exhibition for the AJC a couple of weeks ago.

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