The Imprint, 2010. © Niloufar Banisadr — *The Imprint*, 2010. © Niloufar Banisadr

The Seattle Art Fair returns this year with a strong overall program and consistently compelling photography-based work.

Yes, I know – hyperbolic headlines are a bit rich. I wrote this one a bit hesitantly after missing last weekend's Seattle Emerging Art Fair – a one-night popup exhibition at Canvas Space which I, unfortunately, learned about too late. So much for being on the pulse of art in a tech-drenched city. Digress and ramble on...

I'm also quietly mourning the (hopefully temporary) departure of Seattle's famously "more punk" biennial on-ramp "Out of Sight." There are rumors circulating about what caused this, but the general talk and suspicions center around gentrification and concrete-condo-jungle real estate boom making art space less affordable. Let's hope it returns next year.

Digressing again.

As sad as Out of Sight's departure is, The Seattle Art Fair - open through Sunday, August 5th at 6pm, continues to improve and impress, especially around photography. Now in its fourth year, it's become an annual tradition for Humble to highlight some of the fair's photo-related standouts, so here goes. If you're in the area, be sure to check these out and be ready to liquidate your bank account on work ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars.

Without further ado....

Photos: David Brandon Geeting // @davidbrandongeeting

We know. This headline might imply an association between these photographers and the many ills a certain small-handed circus leader denies knowing when called to task, and we apologize. This has nothing to do with Mr. Trump, though we suspect he (maybe) collects the "great" work of Peter Lik, right? Why are we even rambling about this? Moving on, here are some of our favorite photographers working right now, all who've hung out with us over the past few months for weekly Humble Arts Foundation Instagram residencies. Some are making Instagram their visual diary or sketchpad, while others are using it as a wider domain for sharing long term photo projects. Have a look, give them your follows, and be moved to keep up with their ever-inspired work.

PostedAugust 31, 2016

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesGalleries, Artists

TagsDavid Brandon Geeting, Philip C. Keith, Ben Alper, Hannah Devereux, Paul Bobko, Beth Herzhaft, Christina Evans, Corey Olson, Joe Rudko, Joy Drury Cox, Charlie Kitchen, Photographers to Follow On Instagram, Jeff Frost, John C. Edmonds, Nina Perlman, New Photography, Instagram Photographers

© Akihiho Miyoshi at Out of Site — © Akihiho Miyoshi at Out of Site

Seattle isn't commonly perceived as the epicenter for cutting edge or blue chip art. Its more frequent associations (re: clichés) hang in generalizations about foggy weather (btw, it's beautiful and sunny AF right now, thanks), the growing tech boom and overzealous Seahawks fans. So last year when the Seattle Art Fair, and Out Of Sight came on the scene, not many knew what to expect -- it had been long since anyone could remember the presence of art fairs on the level of the New York City and Miami "elite." Eagerly embracing their return this weekend, we spent some time at both fairs, grabbing highlights (and bios) of our favorite photography-based work from each. Out Of Site will be up through the end of the month, and The Seattle Art Fair will be on view through Sunday, August 7th -- if you're in town, find a way to get a VIP pass and check them out.

PostedAugust 5, 2016

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesGalleries, Artists

TagsSeattle Art Fair, Out Of Site Seattle, Eirik Johnson, Barbara Kasten, Joe Rudko, Max Cleary, Doug Newman, Kenyatta Hinkle, PDX Contemporary, Gallery Luisotti, New Art Photography, Contemporary Photography, art fairs, Akihiho Miosh, Ron Jude

Joe Rudko is quickly becoming one of the most pivotal figures within the Pacific Northwest emerging art and photography community. His collages of found vernacular photographs, sourced from thrift stores, antique shops, snapshot collectors and, most recently, from a family archive discovered in abandoned shed in Washington State, turn anonymous, expired histories into sculptural monuments. Building on traditions ranging from the Dadaists of the early 20th century to the 1970's and early 1980's Pictures Generation, and even the recent work of Penelope Umbrico, Rudko's work makes appropriation exciting again. Like Umbrico, Rudko goes beyond simply re-contextualizing of found imagery. He tears up recurring tropes in family snapshots - clouds, water, sunsets and shadows - and reframes them to unveil a collective experience of viewing and valuing the world. We spoke with Rudko on the occasion of his solo exhibition, Album, on view through July 2nd at PDX Contemporary in Portland, Oregon.

PostedJune 23, 2016

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesArtists, Exhibitions

TagsJoe Rudko, Seattle emerging artists, vernacular photography, snapshot photography, PDX Contemporary, new photography, Northwest Photographers, artist interviews, vintage photographs

Joe Rudko’s Object Drawings are a series of collages that manipulate, obscure, and otherwise distort photographs. They confront viewers to rethink how we experience the act of seeing and understanding the world around us and its increasingly malleable visual representations. While the Seattle-based artist’s final pieces are far from straight photography, they are often rooted in his ideas about its continuously evolving history.

PostedJuly 17, 2015

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesArtists

TagsJoe Rudko, New Photography, Collage, Object Drawings, The cover image from Death Cab For Cutie's latest album, Northwest photographers, Seattle based artists, Jon Feinstein, Joe Rudko's Vulnerable Object Drawings, Joe Rudko's Object Drawings

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