Amy Elkins Blog

2056

2012-01-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

"On Oct. 20, 1981, a band of militant zealots armed with automatic weapons tried to rob a Brink’s truck in a shopping mall in Nanuet in Rockland County, N.Y. Before it was over, two armored-car guards were shot and two police officers — one black and one white — were gunned down at a roadblock. The crime was one of the last spasms of ’60s-style, left-wing violence....

Judith Clark was one of four people arrested that day for armed robbery and murder. She was 31, a veteran of the white left who traveled the radical arc from student protest to the Weathermen to the fringes beyond. A new single mother, she kissed her infant daughter goodbye that morning, promising to be home soon."

Three decades of exemplary behavior behind bars later and Judith Clark still remains... projected release date 2056.

Read on here

The Gray Box, on Solitary Confinement

2012-01-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Pete Brook shared this... and I'm resharing because I think it's pretty powerful. I've been writing 7 men in super max prisons over the past 3 years.. and 5 of them have primarily been kept in isolation because they are on death row. While their letters sometimes reflect aspects of how mind numbingly, soul crushing this degree of isolation is... most of the time they mask it. Hiding behind cheerful words, drawings, projects, books they are reading. I can't wrap my head around any of it... because unless I live in a room that small by myself for that long.. I simply won't know what they are going through. This documentary really got to me.. I have had a penpal that has been in a secured housing unit since he was 16 years old. He's 36 now and serving life without parole. How does he function? How does he keep going? It just shakes me to the core to fathom this existence.

A Creature I Don't Know

2012-01-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Laura Marling - Sophia

Inhuman

2012-01-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

"The deprevation of any individual of the company of his fellow man or woman is not simply the grimmness of isolation, the grimmness of being only with your own thoughts all the time. It actually has severe psychological effects, irreparable damage it causes to these individuals... Keeping people in total isolation for enormous periods of time, the case of most of prisoners in America, the whole of their lives without parole constitutes torture. Constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment."

- Gareth Peirce

Making a Nest

2012-01-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Been working and working away... a few snapshots of today in action. Now off to a yoga class.

Raw

2012-01-25T21:58:00.000-08:00

To lighten things up a little here. Day 10 of a raw detox... a good friend of mine who lives in Chile asked if I would make a domestic tower and photograph it for a class he's teaching. I made this bruised fruit tower for him. It felt suiting given the food I've been eating a lot of lately. I made a green smoothie with the apple and banana in this picture.. along with a ton of spinach right after taking this.

Bruised Fruit Tower

Pencil Sketch

2012-01-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

From an ongoing exploration into identity (and identity loss) within the US prison system, Black is the Day, Black is the Night.

Pencil Sketch sent from a Georgia death row inmate

Good God, I Don't Want to Die

2012-01-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

From an ongoing exploration into identity (and identity loss) within the US prison system, Black is the Day, Black is the Night.

Essay excerpt from
Mississippi Death Row inmate

Upcoming Shows

2012-01-14T13:47:00.000-08:00

Lots going on next month with openings in Minneapolis, Syracuse and Holland!

Lady in Disguise

2012-01-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Bet this show is going to be a gem.

Cindy Sherman at MoMA
February 26–June 11, 2012

New Books

2012-01-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

From the Bottom of a Well by Shawn Records
Redheaded Peckerwood by Christian Patterson
signed copy of Gymnasium by Luke Smalley
Illuminance by Rinko Kawauchi
The Auckland Project by John Gossage

Along with a rare first edition of In Cold Blood (on ebay lists for $400+) found at an estate sale for $2. Oh and two books on raw detoxing and green smoothies that aren't as lovely but serve their purpose so they're not in the photo.

Looking & Looking

2012-01-10T21:18:00.000-08:00

"Looking & Looking" posters installed outside of Light Work Gallery in Syracuse NY, with my image on one side and Jen Davis on the other.

Exhibition on view Jan. 17 – March 8, 2012
Closing Reception Feb 23rd
More info HERE.

Parting words (research for larger project)

2011-12-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

"Oh Jesus, Lord God, take me home. Precious Lord.
Take me home Lord. Take me home. Yes, sir.
Take me home oh Lord."

David Simonton

2011-12-29T12:59:00.001-08:00

David Simonton's work is really lovely.

Jesse James

2011-12-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

Took a time out to dig around in the archives of famous outlaws.. in the midst of working on my prison project. Stumbled on this photo and found it fascinating.... along with his story.

Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847 – April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri.

Whatever in the key of C

2011-12-19T21:47:00.001-08:00

Another tune for a Monday

Let it Die (live)

2011-12-19T19:04:00.001-08:00

Minneapolis Institute of Arts Examining Role of Photography within Sports Culture

2011-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is the first major art museum to trace the rise of a global sports culture dating from the late 19th century to the present. “The Sports Show” will demonstrate how photography itself spurred this expansion. Opening February 19, 2012, “The Sports Show” will comprise photographs by Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Andreas Gursky, Alexander Rodchenko, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Andy Warhol, among other innovative photographers and filmmakers. I am thrilled to be included in such a fine looking roster. So happy that the curator of this exhibition happened to walk into Yancey Richardson Gallery while my show was up and pulled three works of mine for it.

Love

2011-12-07T10:29:00.001-08:00

This show just came down at Pace MacGill Gallery.. wish I could have seen it. Sugimoto's work has a knee wobbling effect on me.

NYC

2011-12-07T10:27:00.001-08:00

NYC stays busy busy busy... wish I could transport myself there once a month to check out what's going on in the art world.

Opening reception and book signing for Michael Dweck | Works from Hagana Libre, Cuba and The End: Montauk, NY. Staley-Wise Gallery, 560 Broadway, NY, NY. Mojitos will be offered.

Opening reception, 6-8 pm: David Zimmerman: Last Refuge. Sous Les Etoiles Gallery, 560 Broadway Suite 205, NY, NY. 104 East 25th Street, NY, NY. RSVP or 212 254 4710, ext. 305.

Opening reception, 6-8 pm: Cities and Things That Matter, featuring sculpture, installation, video, photography and drawing by Haig Aivazian, Emre Huner, Wilfredo Prieto, Michael Rakowitz, Raqs Media Collective, Nasan Tur and Mai Yamashita + Naoto Kobayashi. Lombard Freid Projects, 518 West 19th Street, NY, NY.

Opening reception, 6-8 pm: Pierre Gonnord | Relatos. Hasted Kraeutler Gallery, 537 West 24th Street, NY, NY.

Opening reception, 6-8 pm: Kianja Strobert | Going on Foot. Zach Feuer Gallery, 548 West 22nd Street, NY, NY.

Opening reception and book signing, 6-8 pm: Alex Webb | The Suffering of Light: Thirty Years of Photographs. Aperture Gallery, 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor, NY, NY.

Opening reception, 6-8 pm: Massimo Vitali: Arcadian Remains. Bonni Benrubi Gallery, 41 East 57th Street, 13th Floor, NY, NY.

Opening day for 50 Books/50 Covers exhibition. AIGA National Design Center, 164 Fifth Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets), NY, NY. Preview.

Opening reception, 5:30-7:30 pm: Judith Joy Ross | The Devil Today and Reading to Dogs. Pace MacGill Gallery, 37 East 57th Street, 9th Floor, NY, NY.

The ICP Education Department presents, 7pm: A Conversation with Glenda Bailey, editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar and ICP Guest Curator Vince Aletti. International Center of Photograph, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, NY. NY. Tickets.

Wednesday

2011-12-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

June 1972

2011-12-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving my aunt brought a large manila envelope over to share with the family. They were snapshots, mostly before I was born of my relatives in their teens and 20s, as well as photographs of my grandparents looking younger than I had ever seen them. For some reason looking through these photos was haunting, I can't quite figure out why. I asked if I could hold on to a few envelopes to scan and archive them.. and have found myself looking though them again and again as if the more I look at them the more I might find answers. Answers to what? I am not even sure. I have no memories of my Grandpa Rudy no matter how hard I try. He passed away by the time I was four. Here he is before I was born.

Grandpa Rudy, Cigarette and Camera, 1972

Harper's Feature

2011-12-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

May we never take for granted..

2011-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering... Now, let us acknowledge the wonder of our physical incarnation— that we are here, in these particular bodies, at this particular time, in these particular circumstances. May we never take for granted the gift of our individuality."
— Saint Augustine of Hippo

Sitting in an airport on Thanksgiving.. waiting to fly to family and old stomping grounds. It's been too long since I've seen the ocean and held my niece and nephew. My flight home used to be nearly six hours across the country. Now it's two. If I wanted to drive it would be 16 hours.. which is tempting as the western edge of the country is divine.. especially when driving among cliffs with the immense ocean crashing just below. Living in Portland has been such a well deserved break after seven years in NYC. It's allowed me the downtime to really work on my photographs and think about them.. to take scenic drives and walks in solitude.. and to stand in constant awe at the world around me.... in wonder at the vastness of it all and at how grateful I am to be alive and well and in good company.

Gone Astray

2011-11-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Clare Strand's Gone Astray Portraits are pretty interesting. Especially enjoying this one.

2011-10-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

I see clouds..

2011-10-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

From Miranda July's Future Predictor..

The Future

2011-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

I love Miranda July! And I can't wait to see this!

Contact sheet selection

2011-10-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I shot a new chapter of my project Lucas on my last trip to NYC.. I haven't had time to edit but was just looking over the contact sheets again and I like this one quite a bit. Pardon the dust and scratches.

Untitled - September 11, 2011 from the series Lucas

Hold on Twice

2011-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Costuming

2011-10-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Costuming can be such a strange thing...

2011-10-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Exciting news has unfolded!!

I just found out that Elegant Violence will be going to Paris in November for Paris Photo, as well as to Syracuse in January and Minnesota in Feb to be a part of a larger exhibition about athleticism and photography at the Minneapolis Art Institute February 19 - May 13, 2012

BOMB magazine online feature / interview

2011-10-21T11:34:00.001-07:00

An interview by Carment Winant on my current exhibition, Elegant Violence (on view at Yancey Richardson Gallery through the weekend), is now live on BOMB magazine's website

.

Sign posts on the way to what might be..

2011-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

Looking through a book I was given as a gift in 1996 or 1997 by a wonderful art mentor... it's amazing it's traveled with me from California to New Orleans to New York to Portland. I've gone in a large circle around the country over these past 14+ years toting books that I should crack more often.

"There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign-posts on the way to what may be. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge."

"Cherish your emotions and never undervalue them."

"You pass people on the street, some are for you, some are not."

- Robert Henri from the Art Spirit, 1923

A Man Must Fight

2011-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Thinking about my work.. and why I keep getting drawn to notions of violence/athleticism. Never-endingly fascinating.

Greb vs. Tunney, February 23, 1923

Glenroy Brothers no 2

2011-10-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Truman Factor Magazine feature

2011-10-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Interview and photos featured on Truman Factor thanks to the lovely Patricia Martín-Sánchez!

Elegant Violence featured

2011-09-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

Yancey Richardson talks about the Fall line up (and my current show) in this online magazine feature (which I'm happy to have landed the cover of).

Whirlwind

2011-09-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Day one- Redeye flight lands and I'm too beat to function. Go for a spa pedicure for the first time in my life with my dear friend Tania. Spend the day sleepy. It was raining non stop.

Day two- Sky clears up. Elegant Violence opens at Yancey Richardson gallery. Opening is a blur but very wonderful. So nice to see so many faces! Dinner after with Hellen Van Meene, gallery staff and friends. Walk through the packed streets during fashion night out.

Day three- Chelsea hopping with Jerry Vezusso, tea and chocolate croissants with Sarah Palmer and Dillon DeWaters followed by Vik Muniz opening and after party.

Day four- Coffee, coffee, coffee... realize I need to buy film for tomorrows shoot. The L train is down. Meeting up with Justin James Reed, Jen Davis, Nicola Kast... and others. Dinner with Tribble/Mancenido friends! Drinks tonight.

Day five- Photoshoot, last minute running around.

Day six- Fly home.

Elegant Violence at Yancey Richardson Gallery

2011-08-18T11:08:00.001-07:00

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

First Impressions

2011-08-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

©Dennis Rogers

Portland is full of many hidden gems. Stopped by Sterling Roasters (which I had eyed for 2 weeks and not had the time to try yet) to get an americano yesterday. Super tasty and really nice staff! Now it's going to have to be a regular spot. AND I'm probably going to need to photograph some of the folk that work there, who all dress in dapper old fashioned vests and bow ties. Sweet!

I ride my bike often here (which is a big change from anywhere I've ever lived before)... and riding over the Broadway Bridge to the Pearl area is one of my favorite spots. Such an amazing view of the city and surrounding bridges, river, etc.

Art, art, art... cool to live in a smaller city that's still thriving with artists, curators, etc. One of my favorite little local spots is Ampersand VIntage. It's a 2 second bike ride away from my apt and full of amazing books/art.

CHRIS CRITES
War. Always War.
Ampersand Vintage
August 24 to October 12, 2011
Opening party Wed., August 24, 6 to 10PM

exciting news

2011-08-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

This fall is going to be busy! I am excited to be showing in several places.

My solo show opens Sept 8th at Yancey Richardson Gallery with a
reception Sept 8th, 6-8p

Elegant Violence
On view September 8 - October 22, 2011

Yancey Richardson Gallery
535 West 22nd Street 3rd floor
New York NY 10011

Two group shows also unfold!

Work from Wallflower and Elegant Violence on view in Sept at
Neiman Marcus Gallery - Fashion Night Out, Shorthills NJ
(an art exhibit featuring the private collection of Patricia A. Bell)

Work from Black is the Day, Black is the Night on view throughout the
2011 Gyeongnam International Modern Photography Festival in S.Korea

Elegant Violence

2011-08-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

A new image from my ongoing series Elegant Violence.

Arturo (Flyhalf), New Haven, CT, 2010

Mint Sky

2011-08-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

Digging this..

Joan Pamboukes
Mint Sky from Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas,2006

"I am curious about the various ways that new technology affects our humanity. In the 21st Century, an increasing amount of time is spent experiencing fabricated digital fantasy(ies). As a society we have become comfortable experiencing life via a profusion of false realities (cinema, TV, Web-sites, art, computer games, digital imagery, etc., etc.). We spend much of our time in a sedentary state of silence with our eyes affixed to a screen.

I find it ironic that these beautifully serene landscapes were designed to house horrid simulations of unspeakable and appalling violence - a world where thievery, murder, warfare, and prostitution are the order of the day. Mesmerized by these atmospheric digital surroundings, I intended to capture and re-emphasize this intangible, sublime, and fleeting reality." - Joan Pamboukes

Destination Nowhere..

2011-08-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.’ ~Henry Miller

Bicicleta

2011-07-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've ridden a bike more in the past 5 days than I did in NYC collectively over the 7 years that I lived there. It's so nice to live in a city where you don't feel like your life is threatened if you want to ride more than a mile or two. Maybe an exaggeration but I've had so many friends get severely injured on bikes in NYC. Viva la bicicleta!

Harlem Postcards

2011-07-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

Tribble & Mancenido, I Love You, Harlem, 2011

Harlem Postcards Summer 2011
Jul 14, 2011 - Oct 23, 2011

From the website: "Throughout the twentieth century, Harlem has been regarded as a beacon of African-American history and culture. Sites such as the Apollo Theater, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and Malcolm X Corner at 125th Street and Seventh Avenue serve as popular postcard images that represent significant places and moments in this community. Today, Harlem continues to evolve as a center of history and culture. Everyday, changes are witnessed by its residents and experienced by tourists and visitors from all over the world. Harlem Postcards, an ongoing project, invites contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural activity, political vitality, visual stimuli, artistic contemplation and creative production. Representing intimate and dynamic perspectives of Harlem, the images reflect each artist’s oeuvre with an idiosyncratic snapshot taken in, or representing, this historic locale. Each photograph has been reproduced as a limited-edition postcard available free to visitors.

This season, we are pleased to feature postcard images created by Senetchut Floyd, Phillip Pisciotta, Tribble & Mancenido and Genesis Valencia."

There is..

2011-07-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

"There is a cage
we all long to escape from.
Your cage may not be mine.
My cage may not be yours."

(Letter excerpt from a penpal serving life without parole in a secured housing unit)

100 Portraits @ ACP

2011-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Jake, Brooklyn, NY. 2006 from the projection exhibition
100 Portraits debut in Washington DC.
-
100 Portraits, a traveling exhibition curated by Andy Adams & Larissa Leclair that I am happy to be a part of, is now in Sydney!

This physical exhibition (previous have been projection exhibitions) will be on display Friday 29 July - Saturday 27 August. If you are in Sydney go check it out!

Australian Centre for Photography
257 Oxford Street
Sydney, Australia

Past/Current/Future chapters of the show:
the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Sydney Masonic Centre, Sydney Australia
Snap! Orlando festival, Orlando, FL
New York Photo Festival, Dumbo, NY

Self

2011-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

Vivian Maier's self portraits are pretty fascinating.
You can see a bunch of them here.

Self Portrait, 1959

Self Portrait, February 1955

Sailing weather

2011-07-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

The weather has been delightful these past few days.

TOY BOAT by Beth Hoeckel

Ampersand

2011-07-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

From the show MARKS, MOLES & SCARS at Ampersand

Digging this book store and gallery in my new neighborhood. Will definitely be back again soon!

Bill Cunningham New York

2011-07-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Bill Cunningham New York looks pretty sweet.

Uproot

2011-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Arrived in the North West Friday afternoon... greeted by sun.
Unpacked the moving truck into storage. Ate well. Slept 11+ hours.
Rode a moped for the first time. It hasn't really set in that I left NYC.
Feel like I'm on vacation. Guess I'll milk that feeling for a few more days before I have to dive into the realities of relocating/uprooting after 7 years in NYC.

This painting is speaking to me today.

Pablo Picasso, Garcon a la Pipe

on a tuesday..

2011-07-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

These past few days have been a bit surreal. Today I received a letter from my 34 year old penpal stating his last appeal (sent to the Supreme Court) had been denied and that his execution could very well unfold within the next 6-8 months. His letter has been echoing in my mind since I read it on the subway ride home a few hours ago. He's been on death row in Mississippi for the past 14 years but up until now there has been no real threat in his sentence ever coming to light. Out of any of the men I write, this man is the most spiritual by far and has shared so much about his experiences and time spent on death row.. his experiences with god, with being baptized, with seeking out new friends and new knowledge.. it's sad to hear this news. I need to write him back tonight. I was away in Syracuse when both of his letters arrived.

In other sad news, Ray Deter, owner of d.b.a in Manhattan (whom I had become acquainted with through my time in New Orleans and my love for the nola d.b.a. down there) passed away Sunday after being in a severe bike accident. A really nice article was written about him in the NY Times that can be read here.

And because bad news travels in threes- Cy Twombly, an artist that influenced many and was loved by many passed away today at 83. An article on the NY Times describes him and his work here.

Cy Twombly, Panorama. 1955

Now onward to tomorrow, which is bound to bring brighter news?
ps- I move away from NYC in less than a week.

A.I.R. day thirty

2011-06-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

And that's a wrap folks.. back to NYC for roughly two weeks. Then cross country road trip. Then North West living.

A.I.R. day twenty-seven

2011-06-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

Random finds

A.I.R. day twenty-five

2011-06-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Poem for a Saturday....

Ulysses

It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Matched with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vest the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honoured of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers;
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
As though to breath were life. Life piled on life
Were all to little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the scepter and the isle
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and through soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centered in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toiled, and wrought, and thought with me
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads you and I are old;
Old age had yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in the old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are,
One equal-temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

A.I.R. day twenty-four

2011-06-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

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A.I.R. day twenty-three

2011-06-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

"Tranquility is found also in dungeons; but is that enough to make them desirable places to live?"

~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right - written in 1762.

A.I.R. days twenty-one and twenty-two

2011-06-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

"Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance. It refers to the consequence of the failure of an organism – human or animal – to respond adequately to mental, emotional or physical demands, whether actual or imagined."

A.I.R. day twenty

2011-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Spent many many days on Black is the Day, Black is the Night. Switching tracks for a while to focus on my rugby project. Found this old image for a little inspiration.

A.I.R. day nineteen

2011-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Wish I were here...

A.I.R. day eighteen

2011-06-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Fictional Library #3

Left to Right: Letters to a Young Poet, Western Star, The Best of Bits and Pieces, The Power of Now, The Lost Americans, Rain of Gold, The Man from the Broken Hills, Salvador, Of Human Bondage, 180 Days Around the World, Yesterday and Today, Human Destiny, Casanova's Homecoming, From Stores of Memory, My Brother's Keeper, World Guide, Latitudes and Longitudes, The Wonders of Life on Earth, The Painted Bird, The Looking Glass Book, The Solace of Open Spaces, The World's Great Letters, A Discourse on Inequality, See You at the Top, Tender is the Night, Homer's Odyssey, The Merck Manual 10th Edition, Night Prayer, The Poems of OScar Wilde Volumes I and II.

A.I.R. day seventeen

2011-06-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the joy of meeting and having a great conversation with Carrie Mae Weems. An amazing artist and a true sweetheart. I feel so fortunate to have been at the right place, at the right time. Made my entire month.

©Carrie Mae Weems

A.I.R. day sixteen

2011-06-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Concrete Study #3, 2011

A.I.R. day fifteen

2011-06-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

"This is a place in the world where I would love to go, wherever it is! I have been looking at this sunset on rainbow row now for quite sometime now for its made me dream... I hope you like it!"

(Postcard from a 34 yr old man who has been in prison since the age of 13, most of which has been in solitary confinement or secured housing units.)

A.I.R. day fourteen

2011-06-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

"Midway upon the road of our life I found myself within a dark wood, for the clear path had been lost....."

Saw Elizabeth Tonnard's book In This Dark Wood last night and it has been echoing in my head... it's brilliant.

A.I.R. day thirteen

2011-06-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

13 Years out of a Death Row Sentence (river)

A.I.R. day twelve

2011-06-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Fred and Ginger: Too Hot to Handle, 1935

A.I.R. day eleven

2011-06-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

Handmade Jump Rope (torn and braided bed sheet)

A.I.R. day ten

2011-06-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

Untitled - May 21, 2011 from the series Lucas

A.I.R. day nine

2011-06-09T05:31:00.000-07:00

I love this collection of found images

Inmate #10350
From- Mirrors. Photographs from the Arkansas State Prison 1915-1937

A.I.R. day eight

2011-06-08T14:52:00.001-07:00

Correspondence, 2011

A.I.R. day seven

2011-06-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

A.I.R. day six

2011-06-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

FN4. "Indeed, at sentencing, the prosecutor characterized his role in these crimes as that of an audience at a puppet show."

-- December 01, 1999, ID

A.I.R. day five

2011-06-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Text experiment #1, 2011

A.I.R. day four

2011-06-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

Concrete Study #2, 2011

A.I.R. day three

2011-06-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Untitled, One Afternoon, 2011

A.I.R. day two

2011-06-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

"If there is a theme with which i am Particularly concerned, it is the contemporary failure of love. I don't mean romantic love or sexual passion, but the love which is the specific and particular recognition of one human being by another- the response by eye and voice and touch of two solitudes. The democracy of universal vulnerability."

- Isabella Gardner

A.I.R. day one

2011-06-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'll be spending the month of June in Syracuse working away at an artist residency. If time permits, I'd like to post images along the way. Starting with this image here..

Pic St Loup, France

NYPH: Male Gazed Panel Discussion

2011-05-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

From yesterday's panel discussion at NYPH
The Male Gazed: Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Jessica Yatrofsky
and myself in conversation
Moderated by Allen Frame

2011-05-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of guest curating a feature on Culturehall. The online exhibition is titled Memento Mori and features the work of Caitlin Teal Price, Justine Reyes, Roberta Ruocco and Sarah Sudhoff.

All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person's (or thing's) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt. — Susan Sontag

Read the entire feature and view the work here: www.culturehall.com

Feature

2011-05-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

One of my newest projects, Elegant Violence, was just featured on Frontier Psychology today. Click here to see.

©Amy Elkins

Sydney Masonic Centre, 100 Portraits

2011-05-05T13:59:00.001-07:00

Glad to be a part of this traveling ephemeral projection exhibition that Andy Adams and Larissa Leclair put together. Original information about the project can be found here.

Past/Current/Future chapters of the show:
the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Sydney Masonic Centre, Sydney Australia
Snap! Orlando festival, Orlando, FL
New York Photo Festival, Dumbo, NY

Hans-Peter Feldmann

2011-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sort of curious to see Hans-Peter Feldmann's upcoming installation at the Guggenheim

©Hans-Peter Feldmann

©Hans-Peter Feldmann

Cats and Coffee

2011-05-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

Dads

2011-04-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

Completely entertained by this.. Dads: The Original Hipsters

Jesse Burke - Blind

2011-04-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

"Blind is an exploration into man's obsession with an innate calling to simultaneously dominate and embrace the natural world." for more click here or here

Scarecrow

William

Old State Road 2

via fraction

Shen Wei at Daniel Cooney Gallery

2011-04-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Shen Wei has been a friend of mine for quite a few years... and I always have loved how much beautiful work he makes. We met through Joerg Colberg via Conscientious back in 2006. Tonight he's having a solo show of his work he's been making in China over the past few years.

Shen Wei
Chinese Sentiment
Tonight, April 14th 6-8p
Daniel Cooney Gallery, NYC

Debbie Grossman @ Julie Saul Gallery

2011-04-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

Debbie Grossman was featured recently on WIP. I'm excited to see her work in person tonight.

Debbie Grossman
My Pie Town
Tonight, April 14th, 6p-8p
Julie Saul Gallery, NYC

Bloody Nose

2011-04-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet Hood

2011-04-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Just a strange fabric project I did last summer. There are several of these, inspired by a book I was reading at the time- Executioners Song.

©amy elkins

What remains

2011-03-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

©veronica boehm

I've thought about this for a while.. mostly because in this day and age it keeps surfacing again and again as life barrels forward without ceasing. Recently I read an article on NY Times about it as well, so I know it's not just me that thinks about such things. But it still sort of troubles me.. in a time where many people have dual lives- virtual and real- some kept harmoniously, while others kept very separate from one another. What happens to one's digital presence after one passes away. Who, if anybody, is ever able to cancel accounts, remove twitter and facebook pages and clear away the last moments that one shared with the world before passing? Should it be cleared away or kept as a memorial? To me it feels as if I'm looking at a ghost, seeing the last thing shared in a status update (sometimes only hours before they passed), the last photos they posted of their recent outings, the last thing a friend posted to their wall before news spread.. and then a flood of friends and family posting their sympathies, tributes, photos and sorrows. Recently I've had two different friends pass away, both with facebook profiles and sometimes photoblogs, websites etc. I can't help but look through it.. and I imagine most feel compelled to do the same. A voyeur trying to make sense of death.

Veronica Marie Boehm Feb 2, 1985 - Mar 27, 2011
Veronica will be missed by many and it's sad that she passed away so young.

Aquarell

2011-03-31T08:36:00.001-07:00

Flora Hitzing, Aquarell auf Papier

Flora Hitzing, Aquarell auf Papier

tender limbs

2011-03-30T08:14:00.001-07:00

Emily Leonard, Under tender limbs buds will start to gather

Amy Elkins, 11 Years out of a Death Row Sentence (Dying Wish Retama Tree)

Black Eye

2011-03-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome home

2011-03-25T16:26:00.001-07:00

Radical Face, Welcome Home off the album Ghost

Free Element

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

Out of Nothing

2011-03-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Peter Callesen
Out of Nothing, 2009
Acid-free 120 gsm paper, acid-free 140 gsm paper and acrylic paint
190 x 260 x 50 cm