Photo News – London Art Fair 2011, Kodachrome show and On the Ephemeral in Photography open

Rut Blees Luxemburg, ‘O’ (A. Jolie), analogue C-type print, 100×80cm, ed. of 5, 2010, photo courtesy Hotshoe Gallery and the artist

It’s been a busy post-Christmas couple of weeks as I have been on the judging panel for the Association of Photographers (AOP) Student Photographer of the Year competition (running since 1981), catching up with other work and trying to prepare for the various photo-related activities coming up next week here in London.

I’ll be writing more on the judging process once it is over but it has been interesting to see the variety and wildly differing standards of work submitted. Photographs were submitted in four categories as single images and series’. For those interested, the judging panel includes an art buyer, photographers’ agent and two commercial photographers, see link for more information.

ON THE EPHEMERAL IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Ahead of the London Art Fair, which opens on 19 January in London and runs until 23 January, here’s a preview of some of the artists work for sale and featured in the show On the Ephemeral in Photography.

The show is a collaboration between Hotshoe Gallery director Daniel Campbell Blight and Brad Feuerhelm of Ordinary-Light Photography. The exhibition will take place between the project section at the London Art Fair 2011 and Hotshoe Gallery where the show opens on 21 January and runs until 5 March, so there’s plenty of time to see it. Expect an intriguing mix of work from established and lesser known photographers as well as vintage photographs relating to the concept of the ephemeral in photography.

Hotshoe Gallery, London launches Christmas group show featuring work by Karen Knorr and Rut Blees Luxemburg

HotShoe Gallery’s second exhibition launched on Thursday night with a group show featuring work by established and emerging female photographers: Karen Knorr, Melanie Manchot, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Anna Linderstam and Clare Strand. The following text by Associate Curator, Marthe Fjellestad, introduces the show.

All opening night photographs © Bill Kouwenhoven, 2009, HotShoe Gallery Christmas show opening in London, December 11, 2009

“The opening of HotShoe Gallery earlier this autumn, in times best characterised as uncertain, celebrates our confidence in contemporary fine art photography. The perceived market slowdown has done nothing to stop the abundant creativity in London and elsewhere, nor take away the need for bold venues to show this off. The Gallery Director, Daniel Campbell Blight has taken a novel approach to running the gallery, choosing to collaborate with a range of Associate Curators to show fresh and inspiring talent. Not to say that HotShoe Gallery will ignore more established artists; this show sees work by Rut Blees Luxemburg, Karen Knorr, Melanie Manchot and Clare Strand in addition to emerging artist Anna Linderstam, winner of Hasselblad’s 2007 Victor Fellowship.

HotShoe Gallery UK opening night with Jim Naughten’s Re-enactors

HotShoe Gallery opening Jim Naughten's Re-enactors with HotShoe magazine publisher and gallery co-owner Charles Taylor (centre facing forward) , photo © Daniel Campbell Blight

Around 200 people turned up throughout the evening for the HotShoe Gallery opening last week. ePHOTOzine has an online review, while recent BA photography graduate (Art Institute Bournemouth), Sophia Brothers, reviews the event for us here:

“The moment I stepped into the HotShoe Gallery, I was amazed at the transformation. The abundance of space and light, hidden from the outside, gave way to what appears to be the perfect use for the space. With its inaugural show, Jim Naughten’s Re-enactors, the private view was set to be a night not to be missed, and it certainly lived up to its promise. The work itself provided a fresh perspective on the ever current subject of war, which couldn’t have been a better choice for the first show. Full to the brim, with people coming and going all night – the atmosphere was positively buzzing. Beautifully curated, the space also provided for the optimum level of interaction with the work.

HotShoe Gallery opening Jim Naughten's Re-enactors, photo © Daniel Campbell Blight

HotShoe Gallery UK opens with Jim Naughten show Re-enactors

Life is about taking risks. And despite the economic downturn, HotShoe is adding another enterprise to its creative hub with the opening of the HotShoe Gallery, London. Its inaugural exhibition Re-enactors features the work of photographer Jim Naughten who will also be launching a book of the work at the opening.

HotShoe Gallery director Daniel Campbell Blight has this to say about the new space: “The simple way of describing HotShoe Gallery is that it will be a meeting point between the commercial and the public gallery forms. My idea here is that good commercial gallerists support their artists, selling their work and providing them with the support and money to make new work; while the curators of public galleries open their doors to everyone, and should therefore pursue a genuine interest in discussion about culture and society as a whole. I want to deliberately conflate these two things; to provide a space for the selling of work so that the artist and the gallery can survive, and use these funds to develop other activities (seminars, readings, film screenings etc.) that attempt to reinvigorate some of the frankly ridiculous discussion surrounding current art discourse.”

This “meeting point between the commercial and the public gallery forms” brings to mind The Photographers’ Gallery in London which has a public face as well as a commercial one, in terms of the Print Sales arm of the gallery. As to access to everyone, that is also to be welcomed and, hopefully, the melding of these two approaches will be of mutual benefit to all. Plus, the space will allow creatives to meet, discuss and share their work and ideas. Next week sees the opening of Jim Naughten’s show, featured in the next issue of HotShoe, which will be followed by a Christmas group show with work by Rut Blees Luxemburg, Karen Knorr and Anna Linderstam.

Re-enactors runs from 9 October to 4 December. The gallery will be open from 10-5pm, Monday to Saturday.