Paul Graham: why the art world simply does not get photography

A friend of mine (thanks Yannick !) recently forwarded me a link towards Paul Graham website. In a presentation during the MOMA photography forum, the British artist expressed an interesting point of view on why photography “for and of itself” (as opposed to photography deployed as an artistic strategy by more conceptual artists) is often overlooked by contemporary art curators and dealers.

From Paul Graham’s words: “The broader art world has no problems with the work of Jeff Wall, or Cindy Sherman or James Casebere or Thomas Demand partly because the creative process in the work is clear and plain to see, and it can be easily articulated and understood what the artist did: Thomas Demand constructs his elaborate sculptural creations over many weeks before photographing them; Cindy Sherman develops, acts and performs in her self-portraits. In each case the handiwork of the artist is readily apparent: something was synthesized, staged, constructed or performed. The dealer can explain this to the client, the curator to the public, the art writer to their readers, etc. The problem is that whilst you can discuss what Jeff Wall did in an elaborately staged street tableaux, how do you explain what Garry Winogrand did on a real New York street when he ‘just’ took the picture ?”.

Walead BESHTY, Folds, Curls, Loops

It remains a mystery to me: how come that artists from different countries, different experience, suddenly embrace the same direction ? These past years have for instance seen the rebirth of abstract photography (the initial “birth” going back to Man Ray or Moholy-Nagy photogramms). By abstract photography, I refer to images taken without camera, and more the result of dark room experiences.
More recently, one of the most decisive endeavours in that field came from LA based artist Walead Beshty. Some of his series apply to a larger scale the avant-garde techniques of “sans-camera” imagery. The process yields with sometimes very large pieces (more than 2 meters long), full with colours and linear composition. I couldn’t see the MOMA Young Photography show, to which Beshty participated, but took the opportunity to see gallery shows, at Thomas Dane and Thaddaeus Ropac. Internet pictures can only account for a small part of the visual impact of these abstract images. Most notably, the prints still keep trace of the artist’s folding process, so that there is a physical presence to it, a mix of good looks and imperfect texture. In brief words, Beshty photographs are overwhelmingly beautiful, and still, very modern.

N-B: Those in NY will be able to see some more works, in the upcoming “Haunted” photography exhibition at the Guggenheim museum.

Image courtesy Ropac Gallery and the artist

Philip-Lorca DiCorcia Polaroids

At the Armory Show, David Zwirner Gallery stand drew much attention. The NY dealer had a solo show on Philip-Lorca diCorcia Polaroids. The 100 images belonged to different series, from the Hustler early works to more recent ones, like the Pole dancers. With an asking price of 4000$, it was seen by many collectors as a good opportunity to acquire a unique piece by a great photographer.

But more importantly, it offered a fantastic view on DiCorcia’s creative process. The Hustler Polaroids, for instance, are quite revealing. They can be seen as sketches, took by the photographer before the final shot, in the way portrait painters often use drawings to arrange their composition. The real surprise comes from the fact that they stand as works on their own. In front of large Hustler prints, indeed, I thought these images needed more intimacy. This is exactly what the Polaroids provide us with.

Images courtesy David Zwirner Gallery & the artist