Nancy Breslin checks out the New York galleries.
I spent a day this week visiting photo exhibits in Chelsea (NYC). One of my favorites featured work by Andy Goldsworthy at Galerie Lelong (http://www.nyartbeat.com/event/2010/6B55). While known for working with the natural world (even if the setting is the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum) here he crafted his ephemeral art in Times Square, using water and dirt. For two sets of images, circles of water on the pavement, photographed repeatedly over time in the evening, looked like they were fluorescing (as they reflected Times Square neon) and then slowly faded as the water evaporated. In a set of videos, Goldworthy’s body created a dry sidewalk “shadow” during light drizzle. When he moved away, the human form persisted, for a while, as pedestrians passed. Interestingly, both an artist supine on the sidewalk and the resulting “print” were largely ignored.
Also memorable: stunning, window-lit portraits by Trine Sondergaard, at Silverstein (http://www.brucesilverstein.com/exhibitions_galleries.php?gid=439) and charming photos of structures created in the studio by Laurent Millet (pins in an orange; tack and string designs which create the illusion of houses, with the help of some paint) at Robert Mann (http://www.robertmann.com/artists/millet/image_09.html)
We didn’t see much which would fit into the “alt photo” world, but there were a few. Maria Martinez-Canas had a show at the Julie Saul Gallery (http://mariamartinez-canas.com) which included a striking grid of silver chloride POP prints. In each she combined two portraits, mixing them in various proportions. Some looked fairly “straight,” some were pale, or in negative, or appeared solarized, and many had beautiful chocolate tones.
Yancy Richardson had a set of six camera obscura negatives, taken in Venice, by Vera Lutter (http://www.yanceyrichardson.com/#). I’ve seen more interesting work by this photographer.