Don’t miss your chance to see OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding on view through February 1 at Parsons The New School for Design’s Anna-Maria and Steven Keller Gallery. This show combines works from many contemporary artists, including Branded Head, 2003 from photographer Hank Willis Thomas. This exhibition examines American ideologies through a consumer-culture lens using the U.S. military campaign in Iraq as a base. The project combines lectures, workshops, panels, and other events to add a dynamic dimension to a self-conscious look at America’s identity both within itself and abroad.

Signed copies of Hank Willis Thomas’s book, Pitch Blackness are available here through Aperture.

Click here to read ArtForum’s review of the exhibition.

OURS: Democracy in the Age of Branding
October 16, 2008-February 1, 2009
Parsons The New School for Design
Anna-Maria and Steven Keller Gallery
66 Fifth Avenue, New York
212-229-5942

Last April, photographer Todd Hido discussed his work, inspirations, and influences as part of an ongoing lecture series hosted by Aperture Foundation and presented by the department of photography, Parsons The New School for Design.

Click here to listen to a one-minute excerpt of Hido’s talk.

Listen to Hido’s talk in its entirety here

On view in the slide show above are photographs from his different series of work including anonymous models in motel rooms, interiors of abandoned houses, as well as outside views of homes at night. Born in Ohio in 1968, Hido’s work can be found in many prominent collections, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has exhibited widely in galleries and museums across the country and he has published several monographs such as House Hunting (Nazraeli Press, 2001) and  Between the Two (Nazraeli Press, 2006). He recently published a limited-edition artist book Ohio as part of the Subscription Series, combining pictures he took as a child and recent photos taken with the same camera. He is also releasing a new monograph Witness No. 7 (Nazraeli Press) this spring on abandoned homes and the stories of previous lives they hold.

As part of the Eye on the Strand series, photographer Michal Chelbin will be at Strand Bookstore discussing her first monograph Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes and other Traveling Troupes, published by Aperture. Her images feature richly detailed, internally charged portraits of small town performers in circuses and other traveling troupes taken over a period of six years in the Ukraine, Russia, Israel and England. Chelbin’s most frequent subjects are children and adolescents, yet her work encompasses a mix of generations. Often captured in performance costumes, Chelbin’s palette is intense, with a distinctive use of saturated pinks, blues, and greens. Her black-and-white images, which are intermingled throughout the book, have an almost pictorialist richness.

Click here to buy a limited edition print from Michal Chelbin’s Strangely Familiar through Aperture.

Eye on the Strand Event with Michal Chelbin
Thursday, January 29, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway, New York
(212) 473-1452

Eye on the Strand is a photography contest co-organized by Strand Bookstore, Aperture and Pratt Institute and is open to amateur and professional photographers to submit photo representations of the famous Strand bookstore by February 27, 2009. There will be 24 winners chosen by a prestigious jury. Prizes include an afternoon with internationally renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark; 50 Aperture photography books; a group exhibit at Pratt CCPS gallery; a digital photography or computer graphics course at Pratt CCPS; a $350 B&H photo gift card.

The next Eye on the Strand event is a talk with photographer Hank Willis Thomas on Tuesday, February 10.

Catch the world premiere of Disfarmer, a work by Dan Hurlin at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Inspired by the career of Mike Disfarmer, the only portrait photographer in a small Arkansas town, the performance combines Hurlin’s table-top puppetry with music by Dan Moses Schreier and text by Sally Oswald. Spanning from 1917-1946, Disfarmer’s career was relatively unknown until the 1970s when over 4,000 of his photographs were discovered. His work gained esteem for both its visual qualities and his methods with glass plate photography long after this technology was surpassed. Through a unique visceral experience, the piece pays homage to Disfarmer’s achievements in his portraitist career.

Click here to watch a behind-the-scenes video from St. Ann’s Warehouse.

Panel Discussion: The Discovery of Mike Disfarmer
Wednesday, January 28, 2009  9:30 p.m.
Moderator Philip Gefter with Julia Scully, Brian Wallis, & Peter Miller

Panel Discussion: Disfarmer in the World
Thursday, January 29, 2009  9:30 p.m.
Moderator David Serlin with David Deitcher, Steven Kasher, & Bruno Ceschel

Disfarmer
January 27-February 8, 2009
St. Ann’s Warehouse
38 Water Street, Brooklyn
(718) 254-8779

Now on view at the Photographers’ Gallery in London is American Portraitist Katy Grannan’s show, The Westerns. These large-format photographs feature portraits of individuals living on the west coast of America. By employing non-professional models and most often allowing them to choose their own pose and costume, Grannan achieves greater psychological insight through her work. Dilemmas concerning the transience of identity and the point of fantasy meeting reality are brought to the forefront, leaving the viewer to admire both the formal qualities of the images and the pioneer spirits of the individuals pictured. The concept of the American West has always carried connotations of endless possibilities, and Grannan’s subjects are seemingly caught betwixt this and the reverberations of modern day Hollywood in what the artist refers to as “a very romantic notion of themselves”.

To see Katy Grannan’s work stateside, check out Salon 94 and Greenburg Van Doren Galleries in New York City.

Click here to buy Katy Grannan’s book Model American through Aperture.

The Westerns
December 6, 2008-February 8, 2009
Photographers’ Gallery
16-18 Ramilles Street, London
0845-262-1618

Another Woman Who Died in Her Sleep
January 9-February 16, 2009
Greenburg Van Doren
730 Fifth Avenue, New York
(212) 445-0444

Lady Into Fox
January 5-February 23, 2009
Salon 94
12 East 94th Street, New York
(646) 672-9212

The inauguration of President Barack Obama has been this week’s most popular topic. This event has spurred the creativity of many entrepreneurs who have brought us everything from Obama cupcakes, to Obama action figures, to Obama condoms that include instructions to “use with good judgment.”

In light of this momentous occasion, Aperture Foundation is thrilled to present a sneak preview of a special limited-edition portfolio in celebration of President Obama’s first steps as America’s 44th President.

The man behind these revealing prints is renowned Magnum photographer Martin Parr, who presents his own original and entertaining view on the subject through his collection of unusual objects.

Aperture, in collaboration with Janet Borden gallery, is offering a portfolio of four prints, available at special pre-publication price of $1,250, with an edition of 50 copies.

Click here to see the whole portfolio and to reserve your copy of this exclusive edition now.

Opening at Steven Kasher Gallery in New York is an exhibition titled Childhood and Youth from world-renowned photographer and humanitarian Stephen Shames. Known for his documentary work on the Black Panthers, a long-standing theme throughout his career has been children.  Serving as great inspiration for his work both in photography and humanitarian pursuits,  Shames’ shares a personal connection to the youth in strife whom he often depicts, and classifies his work as cathartic.

In a sense, my photo work has always been related to fatherhood and family. I had a rough childhood due to an abusive relationship with my dad. I search through photography for what I didn’t have as a kid with my own dad; love, support, encouragement, etc. In my early work, I explored abuse and neglect. In my later work, I create a world, a family I could not have as a child. My work is a healing process for me.
-Stephen Shames

Considering the powerful images captured by this award-winning photographer, it’s obvious why much of his work has been inducted into permanent collections across the country. Shames has taken action beyond mere exposure in his formation of LEAD Uganda, a foundation focused on education for AIDS orphans and child soldiers.

Be sure to check out this evocative exhibition from an artist whose altruism serves as an inspiration to all.

A limited-edition portfolio from Stephen Shames is available through Aperture.

Stephen Shames: Childhood and Youth
January 22-February 21, 2009

Opening reception: Thursday, January 22, 2009  6:00-8:00 p.m.

Steven Kasher Gallery

521 West 23rd Street, New York
(212) 966-3978

Longtime Aperture designer, Andrew Sloat, sends us his latest video celebrating today’s inauguration and the Oath of Office. Enjoy!

Article 2 (for BHO) from Andrew Sloat on Vimeo.

The Wall Street Journal recently featured Aperture Gallery’s ongoing exhibit titled It’s beautiful here, isn’t it… from Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri, considered a pioneer and master of contemporary color photography. On view now through January 29, 2009, this first major exhibition of Ghirri’s work features vintage and contemporary prints that highlight how he revolutionized Italian photography in the 1970s.

Read The Wall Street Journal article here.

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor
(between 10th and 11th Avenue)
New York, NY
(212) 505-5555

Subway: C, E to 23rd Street and 8th Avenue or 1 to 28th Street and 7th Avenue
FREE

Copies of the accompanying book, It’s beautiful here, isn’t it… are available here through Aperture.

Palmbeach³ Contemporary Art Fair, opened today at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This four-day event features collections from over 80 national and international dealers, including Aperture, located at booth A13. The contemporary works at the fair range from museum-level artists like Robert Rauschenberg to emerging and mid-career artists, in all forms of media. Aperture’s booth reflects this milieu with photographic prints on display from artists ranging from Imogen Cunningham to buzz-worthy newcomers Edgar Martins and Michael Wolf.

Palmbeach³ Contemporary Art Fair
Thursday, January 15 –Sunday, January 18, 2009

Palm Beach County Convention Center
650 Okeechobee Boulevard
West Palm Beach, Florida
(561) 209-1308