As usual with art fairs, this year's Photo London is a fun romp. His 120 exhibitors from around 50 cities will gather, from big names like Steven Meisel, Martin Parr and Leigh Miller to the next generation of creators, promising delight on all sides. Take, for example, the artists spotlighted by the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, which focuses on particularly timely topics.These include Marvel Harris' ongoing series inner journey, The film chronicles his gender transition, Anastasia Samoilova's sensitive study of Miami's impending climate catastrophe, and Philip Montgomery's vision of American life plagued by inner turmoil.
There are some strong solo exhibitions by female photographers, but two stand out: Helen Levitt's fascinating portraits of New York street life at Zander Gallery in Cologne, and the more acclaimed These are the impressive monochrome landscapes, interiors, and still lifes of Turkish photographer Yildiz Moran. By Galeri Neff from Ankara. This year's Master of Photography, Valerie Belin, will be honored by her small retrospective exhibition in which all of her new and unpublished work will also be exhibited.
For those who want to see what new directions this medium is taking, the fair will feature a look at how photography continues to evolve as it is incorporated into and emerges from all kinds of artistic practices. The works shown are scattered throughout. On display are textiles, sculptures and paintings, while some of the most interesting examples of AI, an increasingly prominent but still controversial entity, are on display.
rope lineist
Finnish artist Lupe Reinist has become a prominent name in the Web3 scene with his experimental projects using AI. He is probably unknown to many of the London attendees who will come across his latest series of photos. vacation, Presented in an immersive holiday-inspired environment by NFT platform Verse Works. Almost like advertisements, the works include hyper-realistic images of classic vacation scenes imbued with luxury and beauty. Nothing seems wrong at first glance, but upon closer inspection, limbs appear out of nowhere, dining room stools have too many legs, and airplanes are strangely distorted.
Is there always such a gulf between our hopes and expectations and the final reality? A “dream” vacation represents a utopian ideal to which we can escape, even if it’s just for a week or two. Their inherent impossibility and subsequent disappointment speak of the empty superficiality of our aspirations.
“This is just the perfect subject for AI to visualize these fantasies,” Reinist said at the show's installation. “The style of the photo gives people the impression that it's real. I want to play with that. [assumption]”
And unlike small digital screens, physical prints can also be enlarged to show off the work's incredibly high resolution, he said. “You can actually see the finer details of the skin, so you can really feel the impact of size even more.”
thunder cores
At some point, our travel memories become almost entirely informed by old, faded photographs. The eerie false impression this inevitably creates is at the heart of Dutch artist Sander Koas' series. post, Some new works are on display at Open Doors Gallery. Small in scale, fragmented and rough, his images evoke a nostalgic longing that is difficult to explain. A man walks through a field of waist-deep flowers in the alpine scenery. His well-groomed 1950s-style couple stares out to sea. If these images are not real, what are the telltale signs?
The fact that the AI-generated images manage to evoke something close to the truth, even though they are clearly fake, highlights the futility of focusing on a single image for objective or faithful representation. doing. Rather, our visions of the past always take on a cinematic quality, regardless of the medium.
jamie gallagher
At the Notton Gallery in the Fair's Discovery section, artist Jamie Gallagher takes a different approach and draws from his past paintings to create images that reinterpret his style in new and unexpected ways. was trained to the AI. Just as a creative act necessarily emerges from a previous one, the resulting alien-like being takes on a life of its own.
Photo London 2024 runs at Somerset House, London until 19 May.
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