New York, NY
I agree with your comments posted March 20th. I tend to take the show in small pieces over 3 days. That said, I had the time to find some hidden gems by favorite photographers that I hadn't seen before (Strand at Andy Smith's, and an Adams that I hadn't seen at Greenberg). And then there are the photographers that I always enjoy seeing and feel don't get enough exposure (Gilpin, for example, again at Smith's). And new prints such as Salgado's landscapes (at Fedderman) w/ 35mm - brilliant! Yes, I saw some terrible prints, a "Half Dome" for example. And yet, the gallery I am associated with, Wach Gallery, had a superb display of Adam's master works. I think that the reason we are seeing uneven prints and may I say, 'minor' prints, is that most of the prime work is now in private hands or museums and we are starting to see the secondary things coming to market.
Then I ran into some prints by Drtikol. Yes, a photographer I know, but not in any great depth so these finds are always fun to see. And then there are the 'academic' questions that can be asked. I saw Tice's "Petit's Mobil" in 20x24 platinum (at Alexander) vs. an 8x10 silver at Nichols. How does process affect the image? How does size? [I preferred the silver version of Tice's iconic print (cw)].
Speaking of size, yes BIG is in. And not just digital, I didn't see any new, small platinum/palladium prints. It seems like every pt/pd printer, including myself, presented large prints (16x20 to 30x40) from digital negatives.
I asked about the recessed framing. It seems that mounting large digital prints on aluminum is the preferred method if the prints are going be moved around and displayed in a large crowd (yes, I saw folks actually touching photographs) and the mounting on aluminum in a recessed frame is the easy way to pull this off. [The preferred material appears to be Dibond®—think foam board with the outside paper layers replaced by aluminum, and think of prices upwards from $150 for a 4x8 foot sheet (cw)]. I also happen to like the look! Also talked about was that face mounting to plexi is now starting to go out of style as questions about permanence are being asked.
If your readers have a chance to go to AIPAD next year, I would encourage it. Lots of things to see and think about. Just wear some good shoes, the floors at the Armory are nasty!
(Photographs by CW)
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One more thought: on the right side of Carl's image that leads this post, one can see part of "Turn, Turn, Turn" by renown landscape photographer, Robert Ketchum. Robert also displayed a 4 panel loom weaving, an embroidery and gelatin silver prints. This is another good reason to go to AIPAD, to see artists not only showing work that they made their mark with, but how they are pushing the medium in new, exciting and different directions.
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