Jen Bekman is interviewed in the June/July issue of HotShoe International. Jen talks to Bill Kouwenhoven about the gallery, 20×200, and Hey, Hot Shot! The article features the work of Christian Chaize, Allison Grippo, Joe Holmes, Holly Lynton, Youngna Park, and Colleen Plumb. You can read the full interview with a paid online subscription to HotShoe International.

Here is what Jen had to say about the witty bit that graces the door of this establishment, “Live With Art, It’s Good For You.” – “People think it is a tag line, but it is real. It really is what drives me. I want to help as many people as possible live with art.” You have and you do! Read more online.

Untitled (Geese, London) by Dana Miller
Available in all edition sizes at 20×200

Photographer Dana Miller had her first NYC solo show here at the gallery in 2004, and since then she has been steadily showing and making work. Yesterday Dana opened a solo show, Free Fall, at the Broadway Gallery in Manhattan. An artists reception will be held next Wednesday July 8th, and the show will remain on view through July 15th.

See more of Dana’s work on her Jen Bekman gallery page, and on her site. Also see Dana’s book, analogue on blurb.com.

Broadway Gallery
473 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY

Growing up in Chicago, I found a handful of photographers (‘Chicagraphers’) working in the city who gave me something to look at, something to learn from. One of those photographers is Brian Ulrich. His work is going to be featured in the upcoming Summer Reading exhibition here at JBG and I am super excited to see it.

My goodness, this show is going to be fantastic!

It Rained So We Camped Inside, England, 2002 by Tim Walker

Both Jen and I are thrilled to have the amazing Tim Walker as part of the upcoming Summer Reading exhibition at the gallery. The show opens on July 15, 2009 and will be bursting with stellar work that I will be previewing here in the weeks leading up to the show.

To inquire about purchasing work, email jeffrey@jenbekman.com.

Boat in Library by Tim Walker

The Mountain For All the Greater Goods, 2007 by William Crump

Another Summer Reading slash 20×200 artist, William Crump, will have work at the Tiger Strikes Astroid Gallery in Philadelphia opening July 3rd

From Popular Attractions by Mike Sinclair

From Where Are You…by Mike Sinclair

“In High School I worked with my father selling men’s clothing. Learning to sell clothes was a great experience for a shy teenager. On his business card was written “See Sinclair for style”. I’ve always wanted to put that on mine.” From Mike’s HHS! Q & A.

Read more about 2009 First Edition Hot Shot Mike Sinclair at Hey, Hot Shot! and see more of his work at mikesinclair.com.

Audubon Swan by Colleen Plumb

A Swan shot from Hey, Hot Shot! Winner Colleen Plumb to match yesterdays post, and because my mind seems to be a bit frazzled by the rain today. And so I bring you links for this rainy Thursday:

Ink & Post enjoy Christian Chaize

Pizzatopia, Really? Note our neighbor Ken Tyburski from DCKT hanging in the back of the pic. DCKT have a nice Claire Sherman show opening June 25, FYI.

Awesome artist Steve Lambert stopped by yesterday to talk about the upcoming Summer Reading exhibition, which is going to be pretty rad.

Speaking of which, 20×200 artist Kelly Shimoda and Michael Mandiberg are braving the weather to hopefully brighten the day with great work for Summer Reading as well.

The Hey, Hot Shot! blog is starting to publish Q & A’s with the new 2009 Hot shots.

Jen Bekman loves both books and animals it would appear from her Tmblr.

Really trying to make it to Montreal to see CCA’a Speed Limits exhibition this summer.

Jason Polan Debuts new book Eleven of My Things and One of Yours this Saturday at Printed Matter. He will be on hand from 2-4.

I Love you Venus by Jane Benson

“In architectural terms, “the mews” refers to stables tucked behind royal London homes, offering sanctuary for falcons during their formative stage of molting. Etymologically, the word “mews” comes from the French “muer,” (‘to change’), but it is also a coincidental homonym of our word “muse,” with its connotations of aesthetic creation. Benson’s work draws on both of these meanings. As if caught in various stages of molting, the work exhibits the transition and transformation of both physical materials and aesthetic identity: marbleized resin simulates Styrofoam, a swan’s wing simulates a hat, a prosthetic limb simulates a tree’s branch. Her playful optimism opens graceful passages for imagined evolutions.

In every phase, Benson finds or cuts her way toward the pleasure and humor in being and becoming something else. As a symbol of this persistent mutability of beauty, the wingless swan in Venus, I Love You stands regally beside a prosthetic limb.”
-Taken from text by Richard J. Goldstein

In a way these ideas of mutability and change remind me of Sarah McKenzie’s work, transforming buildings into abstracted visual spaces objects and the never ending process of construction/evolution.

Benson’s work becomes surreal through pairing, materials, and deconstruction of traditional sculptural elements such as the pedestal and combine to, “upset fixed notions of resemblance .” With McKenzie her work grows more abstract as the image becomes spliced with surfaces and color that do not physically exist in the way they are painted. Line and shape cause the eye to move from foreground to background in an unsettling manner that contradicts how we anticipate the image to be represented. Like a wingless swan the buildings evolve and transform and change into spaces that no longer have the identity that we want to assign to them. An I-beam is no longer a necessary support construction, but used a visual tool to deconstruct.

Interior 1 by Sarah Mckenzie

Jane Benson
The Mews
On view through July 25, 2009.
Thierry Goldberg Projects
5 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002

The heat and sunshine has arrived and I come bearing great news: 20×200’s ridiculous sale is back! Visit the site now and enter the code “ridonk” when its time to check out to receive 20% off every single print. Which means:

$20 prints are now $16
$50 prints are now $40
$200 prints are now $160
$500 prints are now $400
$2,000 prints are now $1,600

Keep in mind that there is only 1 of Christian Chaize’s Praia Piquina 02/08/07 15h16 $2000 $1600 prints remaining! There are many other Jen Bekman Gallery artists with rapidly dwindling editions, a small sampling: Joseph O. Holmes’s anmh#62has just 11 $20 $16 prints left and Beth Dow’s Bags has both $2000 $1600 available. Get them while they are hot people! Also, don’t miss any other last chance prints.

There are plenty of other Jen Bekman Gallery artists with great work up on the website as well, be sure not to miss them.

Ian Baguskus
Kate Bingaman-Burt
Christian Chaize
James Deavin
Beth Dow
Allison Grippo
Joseph O. Holmes
Karolina Karlic
Carrie Marill
Sarah Mckenzie
Brad Moore
Hosang Park
Birthe Piontek
Colleen Plumb
Youngna Park
Kent Rogowski

As always, if you are not on the mailing list please sign up NOW! We can keep you up to date about upcoming editions (and oh, are there many) and future exciting ridiculous sales like this one.

Border Watcher With Dogs by Nina Berman

Nina Berman’s Homeland work was featured in an article and slide show on The New York Times blog Lens. Nina talks about her role as a photojournalist and about the work from her book and second show at Jen Bekman Gallery, Homeland.

Nina is able to walk the line between photojournalist and the fine art world through her eye and decision to shy away from objective photography by allowing her passion and voice to come through in her images. Nina say’s, “I don’t believe in the notion of the objective photographer, that somehow a photo is balanced and you’re dispassionate,” she said. “I don’t think that would have value. That’s like a security camera.”

Marine Wedding from Nina’s first solo exhibition Purple Hearts is currently on view at The New Orleans Museum of Art!

Read the full article and see the slide show HERE.
Limited edition prints by Nina Berman on 20×200.
Copies of Homeland by Nina Berman are available at Jen Bekman Gallery.

It is no joke that the weather in New York has been absolutely horrid these past few weeks which makes me want to move back to London of all things, because it never feels this constantly dreary. We were discussing earlier this morning at JB headquarters that never before have any of us worn pants and long sleeved shirts in the middle of June. However, luckily being surrounded by our current exhibit, Praia Piquina by Christian Chaize has helped transport me to warmer weather. Another Jen Bekman artist has been on my mind recently as well, because I love his photographs but also because in his series Sweet Water, there are hardly any cloudy days. Lets take a minute to bask in this sunny delightfulness and hope that sunshine is in our near future

Perfect for a rainy day here in NYC

Praia Piquinia by Christian Chaize is on view through July 11, 2009.

This weekend, June 6 + 7, from noon-7 Desalvio Playground at the corner of Mulberry and Spring plays host to Fragment. The event will feature live events at the playground and a NOLITA art walk through many of the neighborhood galleries. The maps for this self guided tour will be available from the playground.

Jen Bekman Gallery is pleased to be apart of the event and we will be open this Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7 to give you the extra chance to see Christian Chaize’s, Praia Piquinia. For more info go to the NOLITA Neighborhood Association website.

Fragment
Art in the Park and NOLITA Art Walk
Saturday and Sunday, June 6 + 7 from 12-7pm.
Maps available at Desalvio playground @ Mulberry and Spring Streets

Can’t Make it This Weekend?

Christian Chaize Praia Piquinia video diary from jenbekman on Vimeo.

Check out Christian’s video diary from the opening of his show. (It’s set to music from Twin Peaks so you can’t go wrong!)

Marine Wedding by Nina Berman

Read more about the exhibition HERE.

Jen Bekman Gallery is pleased to announce the addition of photographers Hosang Park and Colleen Plumb to the gallery’s diverse inventory of represented artists. Selected from 2008’s ten talented Hot Shots, Park and Plumb will be slated for solo exhibitions, presented for book publishing projects and exhibited at art fairs in the coming year. The gallery and its artists have garnered attention from the New York Times, The New Yorker, Art in America, PDN, STEP Magazine, and The Village Voice.

We would like to recognize every one of the 2008 Hot Shots for their talent and dedication. All of the year’s Hot Shots participated in group exhibitions, Hey, Hot Shot! Volume IV, Edition I and Edition II, at Jen Bekman Gallery and many have print editions featured on 20×200. You can expect to see lots more from all of them soon!

Last but certainly not least, a huge thanks to our esteemed panelists for their commitment, insight and attention — their contribution to Hey, Hot Shot! keeps us on our toes and makes the often formidable reviewing process inspiring and fun. Much appreciation goes to to Jen Bekman, Christine Collins, Dana Faconti, Caterina Fake, Stephen Frailey, Raul Gutierrez, Darius Himes, Jenni Holder, Julia Leach, Nion McEvoy, Lesley A. Martin, Kent Rogowski and Stefan Ruiz.

2008 First Edition Hot Shots:

Juliane Eirich
Derek Henderson
Kate Orne
Colleen Plumb
Roc Herms Pont

2008 Second Edition Hot Shots:

Yijun Liao
John Mann
Hosang Park
Cara Phillips
Donald Weber

Please read on for Park’s + Plumb’s bios and statements:

Colleen Plumb

Field Museum Sue, Tiger Rug, Cabrini Green and Amish Horses by Colleen Plumb are available at 20×200

Bio:

Born and raised in Chicago, Colleen Plumb worked as a graphic designer for several years before switching gears to pursue a degree in photography. She holds an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (1999), where she is currently an adjunct faculty member. She makes photographs about connections — or the lack thereof — between humans and the natural world.

Plumb’s work is in several collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, IL and Fidelity Investments in Boston, MA. Her photographs are part of the Midwest Photographers Project at the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Chicago Project at Catherine Edelman Gallery and are featured online in Photo-Eye’s Photographer’s Showcase. Plumb’s work has been widely published.

She has had solo shows at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO and the Historic Water Tower Gallery in Chicago.

Statement:

I began this project in 1997 looking at ‘fake nature’, wondering what substitutions for nature can satisfy in people. Looking deeper I began photographing real animals and how they can be a link for us to a world far from the reality and pace of contemporary life, as well as provide an intangible link to a deeper world of instinct and rawness. Growing up in Chicago gave me an urban childhood: running through gangways and exploring alleys with my friends. Something more and more kids today don’t experience. Early on, seeds for my interest in nature were planted through lots of outside play, camping trips, and odd pets. I am sure these beginnings influence and inspire my work. This series of photographs examines the essence of our connection, as well as our fragmentation from the natural. I am interested in the ever increasing disconnection that exists between humans and the natural world. The work explores simulation, consumption, destruction, and reconstruction as well as notions of endurance and the reality of loss.

Hosang Park

Howon-dong and Uman-dong by Hosang Park are available at 20×200

Bio:

Hosang Park is a Korean artist, born in 1977. Park received his BA in Photography from Sangmyung University in 2003 and received his MFA in Photography from the Graduate School of Art & Design at Sangmyung University in 2009. He has had work exhibited in the US, Australia, and throughout Korea. His photographs have been featured in BLDGBLOG and Landscape Architecture Magazine.

Statement:

The work in this series began in 2004 when I graduated from university and entered graduate school. It started when a bird’s eye view of a park near several construction sites downtown caught my attention. At that time, the work was limited to photographing the view seen from the roadside. Then I began to photograph aerial views of construction sites and the happenings around those areas; however, my eye began to shift towards spaces constructed as, and for the purpose of being, rest places or “parks”. I think it might be appropriate to call the parks show in the work “a square of smaller sense”. Ultimately, my work is informed by the ways in which the surrounding environment distorts these spaces.

In this series, I paid special attention to images seen from above. While working I focused not on relating the work to stories, but on showing how these kinds of spaces can be taken for granted. Generally, one does not see things from this point of view. When one observes these pictures, they will slowly begin to realize that there is something very unnatural about them; they are exotic and heterogeneous scenes different from that of a real park. I find that the parks seen here, in this way, reflect the characteristics of the Korean metropolis where I live while also revealing the distorted reality of a fabricated Korean-style space, and even the stark realities of democracy in a slightly comic way.

Hey, Hot Shot! at Jen Bekman Gallery

Hey, Hot Shot! is Jen Bekman Projects’ critically acclaimed international photography competition. A vital resource for photographers at all stages of their careers, Hey, Hot Shot! has brought the most deserving artists the support, recognition and exposure needed to launch their careers in New York City. Conversely, HHS! brings the most promising and dedicated photographers to Jen Bekman Gallery. With the recent addition of Park and Plumb to our inventory of represented artists, JBG proudly furthers our mission to present the most exciting and important new photography to collectors worldwide.

After gaining recognition as Hot Shots, Park and Plumb received a flurry of press, earned spots at NEXT Art Fair and PULSE NY and in gallery shows across the country. The response from critics, curators and collectors to their work has been enthusiastic. We are proud to add these talented artists to our roster and look forward to continued collaborations with them.