Self Portrait, © Shen Wei

By Anna Carnick

For this week’s SNAPSHOT, we spoke with New York-based artist Shen Wei. Born and raised in Shanghai, Wei’s photographs-primarily still lifes and nude portraits-offer the viewer a glimpse into very private, still moments, which seem to stand in direct contrast to the larger, ever-changing exterior world. Wei was named one of the fifteen “new generation of photo pioneers” by American Photo in 2007, and was also part of PDN’s annual “30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch” list in 2008.

Wei’s first monograph, the dreamlike Chinese Sentiment, was published by Charles Lane Press earlier this year. The collection is an intimate exploration of the human impact of China’s arrival as a superpower, and features an introduction by Peter Hessler, staff writer and former Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker. It was guest-edited by Aperture book publisher Lesley A. Martin.

This summer, Wei is included in the Museum of the City of New York’s Moveable Feast: Fresh Produce and the NYC Green Carts Program. This group exhibition on view through September 5 is co-curated by Aperture editor Denise Wolff and documents the ongoing Green Cart Initiative, which placed 1000 mobile food carts offering fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the five boroughs. The exhibition was presented by Aperture and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.

Wei spoke with Aperture’s web-editor, Anna Carnick.

AC: What is your idea of happiness?
SW: To have the freedom to do what I want.

How do you define beauty?
The smell of home and my dog.

What do you see as your greatest achievement as an artist so far?
My latest self-portrait project, I Miss You Already.  It took me so many years of struggle to finally breakthrough my shell to be completely free and open and willing.

Your greatest personal achievement?
Convincing my strict Chinese parents on numerous difficult issues throughout my life.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?
Probably something musical, a violinist or a dancer.

Your favorite artist, of any genre?
Where should I start?  I have so many.  Recently I have been fascinated by the work of French filmmaker Jacques Tati.

Your favorite photograph?
It has to be Diane Arbus’s Child with a toy hand grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C. 1962.  I had known nothing about photography before I moved to U.S.  The first photo book I ever owned was Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph.  I absolutely love that photo when I see it.  It kind of reminds me of myself as a boy in a way.

Your favorite emerging photographer?
I have been a follower of another Shanghai-born photographer, Yijun Liao.  Her current work is a series of self-portraits with her Japanese lover, which is very mysterious, seductive, and intriguing.

Your current soundtrack?
I love French Chanson, Serge Gainsbourg, Patrick Bruel, Bénabar, Marc Lavoine. . .

The last book (photo or other) you really enjoyed?
The Revenge of Thomas Eakins by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick.

Name a person – living or dead – you’d really like to meet.
A Chinese poet from the Dang Dynasty, Li Bai.

What qualities do you appreciate most in friends?
Honesty.

Your favorite motto?
From caring comes courage. – Lao Tzu

In this clip, Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi speaks about the work from her Aperture monograph, Illuminance, with Aperture publisher and editor of the book, Lesley A. Martin. Kawauchi explains how she is interested in revealing the universal cycles of life through the ordinary existence of her family. She also touches on the sequencing and the palette of her images, how they express her own half-awake, half-asleep reality. Finally, they discuss the collaboration process in making this hybrid book combining both Japanese and Western influences.

This excerpt is edited from a conversation between Rinko Kawauchi and Lesley A. Martin which took place at Aperture Gallery on May 18, 2011, on the occasion of the release of Kawauchi’s monograph, Illuminance.

Rinko Kawauchi’s work has frequently been lauded for its nuanced palette and offhand compositional mastery, as well as her wonder-inspiring, deliberate attention to tiny gestures and the incidental details of her everyday environment. In Illuminance, Kawauchi continues her exploration of the extraordinary in the mundane, drawn to the fundamental cycles of life and the seemingly inadvertent, fractal-like organization of the natural world into formal patterns.

Click here to purchase the book Illuminance

Click here to view and purchase Kawauchi’s limited-edition print

Juror Lesley A. Martin has made her selection and this year’s Biennial Juried Photography show at the Edward Hopper House Art Center will open to the public this Saturday May 15th.

Congratulations to all the selected artists!

Biennial Juried Exhibition
Opening reception Saturday, May 15, 5-7pm
Runs May 15 – July 11

Edward Hopper House Art Center
82 N Broadway,
Nyack NY 10960
P: 845-358-0774

Check out new Aperture projects by Sanna Kannisto and Trevor Paglen coming soon, made possible by the Aperture Fund for Emerging Artists. In this clip, watch Trevor Paglen talk about his exploration of covert activities by the U.S. Government in his first monograph, Invisible, to be released in Fall 2010, and Aperture’s publisher Lesley A. Martin speaking about our long standing commitment to discovering and publishing the work of new and visionary photographers.

Often shot from a long distance, Paglen explains how the fuzziness of his images questions how we perceive and interpret images in our society using techniques from both the photography and the astronomy fields. Following the tradition of 19th century landscape photographers like Muybridge, he speaks about his series of spy satellites taken over pictorial western landscapes connecting the dots between both, as tools of discovery for unknown territories and geographical expansion. Paglen finally touches on the political performance as part of his photographic practice.

Now more than ever, we need your support to bring the outstanding work of these artists the global attention it deserves. Please contribute $10 or more today by clicking on the link below:

Click here to make a $10 donation to this fund now

Click here for more information on the Aperture Fund for Emerging Artists

Cover of Lay Flat 02 / Image Credit: Ann Woo / Courtesy of Lay Flat

Lay Flat 02: Meta is the newest publication from the Lay Flat independent imprint run by photographer Shane Lavalette.

Bringing together emerging and established artists, Lay Flat specializes in dynamic and varied books and publications that are just as much art objects, in their own right, as the work featured in their pages.

The recent second book by Lay Flat entitled Meta gathers essays, texts and images from artists and thinkers whose work contemplates the medium of photography itself. The book includes works by over twenty artists  who actively challenge and experiment with the conventions of photography as well as essays by contributors such as pioneer of experimental photography James Welling who was featured in Aperture issue 190, Aperture books publisher Lesley A. Martin, and Alex Klein who edited Aperture Published Words Without Pictures.

A release party and book signing for Lay Flat 02: Meta will take place at ICP this Friday, March 26th, with a number of the contributing editors and artists in attendance and available to sign books.

Lay Flat 02: Meta Release Party and Book Signing
Friday, March 26th, 2010
6:00pm – 7:30pm

ICP Museum Store
International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

Click here for more details and to purchase Lay Flat 02: Meta

Click here to view Words Without Pictures

Click here to view James Welling’s artist’s lecture at Aperture Foundation

Here is another great opportunity for emerging photographers to have their work exhibited: the Edward Hopper House Art Center is holding an open call for their 2010 juried photography exhibit with juror and Aperture books publisher Lesley A. Martin.

The exhibit will take place in three gallery rooms of renowned painter Edward Hopper’s birthplace and childhood home, now a multi-arts center.

The submissions deadline for this exhibit is Monday, March 22, 2010 and all artists will be notified by April 13, 2010.

For more information call 1-845-358-0774
or email info@hopperhouse.org

Aperture Books publisher Lesley A. Martin is the juror for this years Photography Now exhibit at The Center for Photography at Woodstock. This annual exhibition is a great opportunity for emerging photographers to have their work seen by other members of the photography community. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 31st, 2010.

For more information click here
or you can call 1-845-679-9957
or email info@cpw.org

The New York Public Library‘s Architectural Explorations in Books Presents: The Urban Sublime, Tuesday, January 12th. A conversation with photographer Joel Meyerowitz and Lesley A. Martin, publisher of the Aperture Foundation’s book-publishing program, on the occasion of the recent publication of Meyerowitz’s latest book project: Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks.

Tuesday, January 12, 6:00 pm

New York Public Library
Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
Room 227 (2ND Floor)
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
476 Fifth Avenue
5th Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, New York
(212) 340-0871

The Architectural Explorations in Books is a new series of engaging programs delving into the critical role that architecture books play in the understanding of contemporary urban developments and structures. The events feature book presentations and discussions by world acclaimed architects, critics, curators, photographers and writers.

More event details.

More exhibition details.

The ninth edition of Paris Photo, the world’s largest photography fair, opened this Wednesday night and the Aperture booth made its debut in the main salon! Many Aperture photographers from around the world stopped by, including Josef Koudelka, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Michael Wolf and others below.

Celso Gonzalez-Falla, Aperture's Chairman of the Board, and Bill Hunt from Hasted Hunt Kraeutler Gallery

Silvio Wolf and photo critic Gigliola Foschi

Michael Wolf and his son

Lesley Martin, Aperture Publisher, and Martin Parr

Visit the Aperture booth #A36 to see our stunning limited-edition print collection and newly released books. Don’t miss book signings every day with artists Lalla Essaydi, Michael Wolf, Bill Armstrong, Teun Hocks, Hank Willis Thomas, and Silvio Wolf and many more!

Slideluck Potshow’s fourteenth edition to be held at Aperture Gallery Friday, November 13th has extended its submission deadline to November 4th. This show’s theme is INSIDE OUT, which could be about being on the outside or an idea of space like boundaries, architecture, etc and is curated by Aperture Editor Lesley A. Martin.  All entries must be received digitally, click here to view full submission guidelines.

For this show, all guests will need to purchase $10 tickets support of both SLPS and The Aperture Foundation.  Due to spatial limitations, this event will be considerably more intimate than recent NYC Slidelucks.  If you are serious about securing a spot for this show, we invite you to purchase your tickets immediately!

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW XIV
Friday, November 13th, 2009  |  7pm Potluck  |  9pm Slideshow
The Aperture Foundation  |  547 W. 27th St, 4th Floor  | New York, NY  |  10001
$10 Donation Required |  Submissions Info