N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A,
a blog about photography by Sofia Silva
My love for the Hyères Festival is known. I’ve written about it and have featured a great deal of the authors shortlisted each year. The judging panel has been responsible for issuing a statement about what they want to see in contemporary photography and it has been bold and exciting, for Hyères always awards an…
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© Endre Tót, ZEROPOST, Stamps, signed and dated, 1976 © Endre Tót, in the spirit of Marcel Duchamp, 1987 © Endre Tót, if I look to the right: right rain / if I look to the left: left rain, 1973 © Endre Tót, Outdoor Texts, 1980 © Endre Tót, Hopes in the Nothing (Six outdoor…
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caption (above): © Babette Mangolte’s portrait of Stuart Sherman, from the Spectacle Performance Stuart’s Thirteenth Spectacle (time), 1980, can be seen here “Stuart Sherman, a member of the important generation of American avant-garde performance artists who rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, developed his own unique style across various media, the…
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© Peter Puklus, Handbook to the Stars “There is a reason why Peter Puklus’ first publication is called Handbook to the Stars, a subtle manifesto of his Ars Poetica. With this handbook he attempts to portray his own universe and provide insight into how his photographic works relate to each other: like galaxies in relative…
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© Emile Barret, from the series Magnet3 © Emile Barret, from the series Magnet3 © Emile Barret, from the series La Vanité est un Plaisir des Reins © Emile Barret, from the series La Vanité est un Plaisir des Reins © Emile Barret, from the series La Disparition © Emile Barret, from the series La…
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How To Be is a series of exercises that revisit and reimagine early 19th century primers for “young ladies.” I stumbled upon these manuals while researching 19th century etiquette books. Most include etiquette but only as part of a more comprehensive course of education. They were intended for upper-class girls and women who had few…
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© Jacinda Russell, Strange Artifacts: A Photographic and Found Object @ J. Crist Gallery, installation view + details, Idaho, 2007 The wunderkammer or “room of wonder” draws heavily upon 16th century European cabinets of curiosity. I combined digital photography with found object sculpture by printing on canvas and encasing the images in weathered boxes, suitcases,…
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© Jean-Noël Pazzi, figure 5 – les cadavres exquis, from the project In(ter)vention © Jean-Noël Pazzi, forêt 6 – paysage, from the project In(ter)vention © Jean-Noël Pazzi, figure 3 – les cadavres exquis, from the project In(ter)vention “Ménager les site frappés de croyance comme indispensable territoire d’errement de l’esprit. Gilles Clément Manifeste du tiers paysage…
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@ Brendan George Ko, I used to love you, from Reminiscence, 2008-10 @ Brendan George Ko, We have a history, from Reminiscence, 2008-10 “And now I see what the glass door is. It is the door of a coffin-mine. Not a coffin, a sarcophagus. I am in an enormous vault, dead, and they are paying…
Read MoreThe Aesthetics of Disappearance: A Land Without People @ Sharjah Art Foundation, 2010
Read More© Farhad Ahrarnia, ballet pars no.3 HAND EMBROIDERY ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTED ON CANVAS SILK & COTTON THREAD AND NEEDLES, 2008-10 © Farhad Ahrarnia, beautiful is the silence of ruins II photography on canvas and embroidery, 2011 More of Farhad’s work here
Read More© Luke Norman & Nik Adam, Untitled, from the project Ellerker Gardens, 2011 © Luke Norman & Nik Adam, Untitled, from the project Ellerker Gardens, 2011 © Luke Norman & Nik Adam, Untitled, from the project Ellerker Gardens, 2011 “We wanted to focus on the ‘in-between’, the volatile state of mind in which instability manifests…
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© Victoria Jenkins, Capnomancy, from Images from the Institute of Esoteric Research © Victoria Jenkins, Aeromancy, from Images from the Institute of Esoteric Research “A characteristic claimed to be unique of photography has been its ability to record the visible, material world, its perceived objectivity and accuracy has lead to a utilitarian application of the…
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© Li Yun, For Individual Use, from the series Impermanent Instant, 2008 © Li Yun, Connecting Wire, from the series Impermanent Instant, 2008 “We Chinese people are struggling in the whirlpool of cynicism with no exception. This is my understanding of the current times. With frenzied emotions and twisted bodies, we are marching forward with…
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© Jiang Zhi, On the white #4, 2007 © Jiang Zhi, Love Letters No.6, 2011 “Oneness and unity only rests in ‘word’, never in the ‘matter’. I recall a conversation with a neurologist about whether ‘insanity’ exists, and if it did, how. We arrive at an interesting concept, that we were not very interested in…
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© Chen Wei, Broken Aquarium, from the series Everyday, Scenery and Props, 2009 © Chen Wei, Idol behind the curtains, from the series Everyday, Scenery and Props, 2009 “The photography/installation works of 31-year old artist Chen Wei illustrate an intricate imagination fascinated with the eccentric and fanciful pursuits of early science, mathematics, alchemy, philosophers and…
Read More© Melinda Gibson, from the project Photography as contemporary art, 2011 © Melinda Gibson, from the project Photography as contemporary art, 2011 If Melinda Gibson’s photomontages look familiar, don’t be surprised. A flash of Ed Burtynsky here, a slice of Juergen Teller there, they are all made up of elements of some of the major…
Read More© Anne Collier, Questions (Viewpoint), 2011 © Anne Collier, Questions (Evidence), 2011 © Anne Collier, Questions (Connection), 2011 “I only work in the studio and use a large-format plate camera. It’s a very laborious process that allows almost no room for improvisation. Everything has to be perfectly aligned and calibrated. I’m typically photographing things that…
Read More© Pat Brassington, Untitled, from the series Cambridge Road, 2007 © Pat Brassington, Untitled, from the series Cambridge Road, 2007 “In most of her ‘artist’s statements’ and the rare interviews in press, Brassington mentions her engagement with both surrealism and psychoanalysis. But there is no allegiance, no endorsement, no salute to the father. Everything is…
Read More© Clare Strand, Signs of Struggle, 2003 © Clare Strand, Signs of Struggle, 2003 AFH: Is photography primarily an expressive tool for you? CS: Photography clearly has an important role in my work but its application is determined by my subject matter. If you look back on my work, I have no one photographic style.…
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N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A, 