Clinamen - Matter misprision (2018) © Youngho Lee — *Clinamen* - Matter misprision (2018) © Youngho Lee

More than half a century since George Orwell’s novel 1984 foreshadowed a dystopian, government surveilled future, a new exhibition, looks at present-day surveillance – not by a human authority, but by technology.

Observe Yourself Being Watched, a collaboration exhibition between MiA Collective Art and artist Youngho Lee, curated by Grace Noh at Brooklyn, NY’s John Doe Gallery, uses film and video installation to question how we understand the role of social media, technology, and data in our lives and how it allows our activities to be marked, followed, and traced. “The click we make to add an item to the ‘shopping cart,’ Lee says in the press release, ”may haunt us for days…how much is our own and how much of ourselves are shared with others?”

Lee and MiA Collective Art use these ideas to create a fantastical and ambiguous installation addressing the space between the analog and the digital boundaries. Various visual elements of computer graphics, three-dimensional images and composite images of chroma keys collide and overlap.

The exhibition is on view from Tuesday, November 6 to Wednesday, November 21, 2018 with the artist’s reception on Thursday, November 8 from 6 pm to 9 pm.

I spoke with the Youngho Lee and curator Grace Noh to learn more.

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Youngho Lee and Grace Noh

PostedNovember 5, 2018

AuthorJon Feinstein

CategoriesGalleries, Artists, Exhibitions

TagsYoungHo Lee, surveillance, technology, social media, video art, Grace Noh, Mia Collective, Brooklyn galleries, conceptual art

Photo: Isabella Stahl // @isabella.stahl

Every year around this time, Instagram is flooded with photos of spiderwebs. Why are we so compelled to photograph their uniquely intricate designs? And beyond the “oohs and ah’s,” what metaphors can we find in their meticulously abstract threads?

In true Halloween-photo-roundup form, we asked some of our favorite photographers on Instagram and beyond to share their spiderweb photos with us. We encourage you to follow them and dig deeper into their work. Oh, and follow us too, if you aren’t already.

We’ve also included a special trick/treat in the mix – an absurd vintage vernacular snapshot from the collection of Robert E. Jackson. See if you can find it.

Happy Halloween!

PostedOctober 29, 2018

AuthorEditors

CategoriesGalleries

Tagsspider webs, spider web photos, halloween photos, nature photography

In Honor of Syrian Refugees © Azin Seraj — *In Honor of Syrian Refugees* © Azin Seraj

Azin Seraj is an Iranian-Canadian artist currently based in northern California. Her research-based practice – driven by video, photography, and lush installations that combine visual and sonic elements – addresses socio-political concerns through a transnational lens.

In mid-2018, I collaborated with San Francisco-based curator and educator Dr. Kathy Zarur to include Seraj’s project Concurrency in the our exhibition Betweenscapes. Zarur and I spoke with Seraj about her work and social practice methodologies that help support communities and activist networks as they strive for concrete change.

Roula Seikaly and Dr. Kathy Zarur in conversation with Azin Seraj

PostedOctober 25, 2018

AuthorRoula Seikaly

CategoriesArtists, Galleries, Exhibitions, Portfolio

TagsJamala al-Baidhani Madeeha Al Musawi Asma Jahangir Farkhunda Malikzada Naji al Jerf Ahed Tamimi Kermanshah Earthquake Palestinian Resistance Syrian Civil War Syrian Refugees, Jamala al-Baidhani, Madeeha Al Musawi, Asma Jahangir, Farkhunda Malikzada, Naji al Jerf, Ahed Tamimi, Kermanshah Earthquake, Palestinian Resistance, Syrian Civil War, Roula Seikaly

Image Credit: Excavations. Tell Beit Mirsim, (Kirjath Sepher). Relic from Kirjath Sepher. Game pieces and dice of faience and ivory about 1600 B.C. Via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Numerology is a belief in the spiritual or mystical relationship between numbers and coinciding events. It’s also the study of the numerical value of letters in words, names and ideas, and can have astrological and paranormal implications.

In a culture increasingly obsessed with data and quantification, numerology takes on new meaning and possibility. For Humble’s final online exhibition of 2018, we’d love to see your photos dealing with numbers and their limitless metaphorical tangents.

Deadline: November 20, 2018
Curated by Jon Feinstein and Roula Seikaly

GUIDELINES:

PostedOctober 11, 2018

AuthorEditors

CategoriesOpen Call, Exhibitions

Tagsopen call, no fee open call, numerology, photography about numbers, Photo opportunities, Call for submissions, call for work, Jon Feinstein, Roula Seikaly

Clear Perplexities from the series “ Aqueous” © Elina Ruka — *Clear Perplexities* from the series “ Aqueous” © Elina Ruka

Artist’s first Philadelphia solo show examines water’s power to both attract and push away.

On October 5th, Latvian artist Elina Ruka’s solo show “Immersion” opens at Philadelphia’s Gravy Studio and Gallery, marking her first solo show in the city. The recipient of an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, Ruka uses numerous media, including photography, installation, video, and sound, to create tranquil and curious works of art. Addressing themes ranging from her impressions of the United States, her memories of Latvian life, and the never-ending mystery and mutability of water, Ruka’s art is both highly emotive beneath the smooth surface, creating an irresistible tension between what we show off and what we choose to keep hidden. Deborah Krieger speaks with the artist in advance of her opening.

Deborah Krieger in conversation with Elina Ruka

PostedOctober 5, 2018

AuthorDeborah Krieger

CategoriesExhibitions, Artists, Galleries

TagsElina Ruka, Gravy Gallery, New Photography, Photography about water, art about water, Deborah Krieger, Latvian artists, 2018 photography exhibitions

A Whole Bunch of Spiderweb Photos Because: Halloween.

Legal Tenders: Artist Azin Seraj Looks at the Imagery and Iconography of Bank Notes with A Critical Lens

Open Call – Group Show #59: Numerology

Elina Ruka Photographs the Mystery and Mutability of Water

Is Technology The New Big Brother? Youngho Lee's "Observe Yourself Being Watched" Uses Interactive Video to Address Present-Day Surveillance

A Whole Bunch of Spiderweb Photos Because: Halloween.

Legal Tenders: Artist Azin Seraj Looks at the Imagery and Iconography of Bank Notes with A Critical Lens

Open Call – Group Show #59: Numerology

Elina Ruka Photographs the Mystery and Mutability of Water