Monday, October 5, 2009

FotoFest



FotoFest is pleased to announce the exhibitions and participating spaces for its 2010 Biennial, with four principal exhibitions, curated by five invited curators, dedicated to the Biennial's theme, Contemporary U.S. Photography. "The 2010 Biennial is a platform to show the different perspectives of photographic art being created today and the perspectives of a new generation of curators," says FotoFest Creative Director Wendy Watriss.

FotoFest Biennial Exhibitions
Road to Nowhere
Curated by: Natasha Egan, Deputy Director, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, Chicago
FotoFest at Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter St, Houston, Texas

Natasha Egan's selections explore the United States at the close of the "American Century" as the nation negotiates its transition from Cold War superpower to an embattled, economically fragile nation.
Artists: Sheila Pree Bright, Jeff Brouws, Tim Davis, Myra Greene, Eirik Johnson, Jason Lazarus, An-My Le, Nic Nicosia, David Oresick, Trevor Paglen, Greta Pratt, Michael Robinson, Jason Salavon, Victoria Sambunaris, Christina Seely, Paul Shambroom, Greg Stimac, and Brian Ulrich.

Whatever Was Splendid
Curated by: Aaron Schuman, Independent Curator, Editor and Co-founder, Seesaw online magazine
FotoFest at Vine Street Studios, 1113 Vine Street, Houston, Texas

Aaron Schuman explores the legacy and continued influence of a "thoroughly modern photographic figure," Walker Evans.
Artists: Will Steacy, Michael Schmelling, Greg Stimac, Tema Stauffer, Jason Lazarus, Jane Tam, Richard Mosse, Craig Mammano, Todd Hido, Hank Willis Thomas, RJ Shaughnessy, and Mitch Epstein.

Assembly: Eight Emerging Photographers from Southern California
Curated by: Charlotte Cotton, Creative Director, National Media Museum, Bradford, U.K.; former Head of the Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Edward Robinson, Deputy Curator, Wallis Annenberg Department of Photography, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
FotoFest at Williams Tower, 2800 Post Oak, Houston, Texas

Charlotte Cotton and Edward Robinson are both transplants to Southern California. Their exhibition and the artists' work in it, are a reflection of the region's place in the American mythos.
Artists: Nicole Belle, Matthew Brandt, Peter Holzhauer, Whitney Hubbs, Matt Lipps, Joey Lehman Morris, Asha Schechter, and Augusta Wood.

Medianation
Curated by: Gilbert Vicario, Curator, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa; Former Assistant Curator of Latin American Art and Latino Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
FotoFest at New World Museum; Art League, Houston; and other locations

As a curator of contemporary art, Gilbert Vicario sees photography as just one of several media, including video, installation and performance, used by contemporary artists. In Medianation, Mr. Vicario, "explores the interrelationship between the digital image and notions of process and performance in contemporary art."
Artists: Leslie Hall, Susanne Jirkuff, Adria Julia, Kalup Linzy, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Laurel Nakadate, Sandra Valenzuela, and Emilio Chapela.

DISCOVERIES OF THE MEETING PLACE
Of the five Biennial exhibitions sponsored by FotoFest, the one non-thematic exhibition is the returning
Discoveries of the Meeting Place, the eighth in a series that has proven to be a launching pad for photographic careers. Envisioned as a showcase for some of the best work discovered at the FotoFest's previous Biennial portfolio review, the Discoveries exhibition presents work chosen by ten reviewer/curators.

FOTOFEST PARTICIPATING SPACES
FotoFest's exhibitions are joined by over 100 other independent exhibitions at venues across Houston, Galveston, and surrounding counties. These Participating Spaces include the city's major museums and commercial galleries, non-profit spaces, artist-run spaces, corporate spaces, and retail establishments that choose to exhibit photographic art as part of the FotoFest Biennial. In 2008 over 120 spaces participated in the Biennial. The list of the FotoFest 2010 Biennial Participating Spaces (as of October 1, 2009) is available at
http://www.fotofest.org/biennial2010

FOTOFEST 2010 BIENNIAL WORKSHOPS
For working artists, arts professionals, art lovers and the public, FotoFest is sponsoring two media Workshops as part of the FotoFest 2010 Biennial. Forms are available for download at
http://www.fotofest.org/biennial2010

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