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Artomatic 2012
This year’s Artomatic is the largest ever and includes the usual mix of good, bad and ugly. But, as reviewers have noted, it also includes a surprising number of experienced gallery artists. As a photographer interested in the transformation of abandoned architectural spaces, I find Artomatic fascinating. Apart from what one thinks of the quality of the art, I’m not aware of another all volunteer art show on this scale anywhere else. I participated this year by showing a single large-scale photographic print titled La Chanca (shown above). The neighborhood of La Chanca is a historically impoverished zone made up […]
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Artomatic Takes Flight at DCA
Just passed through here again today — the show comes down June 25. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Read MoreArtomatic Takes Flight: Special Exhibit at National Airport
I’ll have a photograph in this Artomatic exhibit at National Airport … What: A special exhibit featuring pieces by 83 Artomatic artists Where: Reagan National Airport, in the hallway connecting to Terminal A When: March 3 to June 25, 2011 The exhibit features 83 artworks, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. It taps into the more than 1,500 artists in the Washington-area creative community who participate in Artomatic events. In the spirit of Artomatic, artwork was accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Stroll through the exhibit any time or attend the opening reception Thursday, March 10 from 6 to 8 pm, mingle with the artists […]
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The Guest Book
This year at Artomatic I left a guest book for visitors to sign. I never anticipated the range of comments the DC Tags images would inspire. Of course, it was great to hear from friends, neighbors, coworkers, family connections, and fellow artists and art fans. Many left encouraging words. Some left their own artful tags in the book. Others commented on what the images made them think of — the freedoms we enjoy in this country and the challenges some citizens face in having their voices heard. And a few visitors were disturbed by what they saw, objecting to the […]
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Scene of the Crime
Still no word on the missing photograph. No mysterious ransom note asking for $10,000 in monopoly money. But I did take the opportunity to revisit the scene of the crime and make some adjustments to my Artomatic display.
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Stolen! 1
I was alerted today that the photograph above was missing from my Artomatic display. The religious posters in the image were shot in Mumbai and then superimposed on the columns of the Supreme Court building. The stolen print is number 1 in an edition of 10. The piece is in a 17″ x 22″ wood frame, too big to stuff into a backpack or under a shirt. I could be flattered that my work was selected out of the 1000+ Artomatic artists to be targeted or to be in the company of other artists whose work has been stolen over […]
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Artomatic Picks
During my volunteer hours and other visits to Artomatic over the past few weeks I’ve tried to see as much of the show as possible. With 9 floors filled with art, it’s impossible to absorb it all in one visit. Here are a few of my favorite photographers (and other artists) i’d recommend checking out before the exhibit closes this Sunday June 15: Erin AntognoliUsing a Holga camera, Antognoli captures intriguing multiple exposure black and white images. Ghostly human figures juxtaposed with city scenes and architectural details. The prints are small, the size of the actual negative, but this serves […]
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Strangers in a Strange Land
In my space at Artomatic I decided to show a series of images from two very different subjects, the monumental titanium constructions of Frank Gehry and abandoned houses along the coast in Almeria, in southern Spain. In a recent trip to Spain I stopped in Bilbao to photograph the Guggenheim museum before heading south to Almeria. I found both settings to be fascinating but also austere. Gehry’s organic forms take on a more sinister air at night, as the artificial lights impose gold and brown hues on the metal plates and Louise Bourgeois’ spider sculpture appears less playful. The abandoned […]
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