Best Photo Picks January 2019

By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy

Start the New Year right with these photography exhibits and events around Boston and beyond to stoke your spirit and fuel your creativity throughout the frigid month of January!

BOSTON PROPER

How the West is One, 2014
 Will Wilson (Diné (Navajo), born in 1969) Photograph, inkjet print of original Tintype 
©Will Wilson, Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

MFA, Boston – You’ll find plenty of inspiration at Ansel Adams in Our Time, featuring the work of over twenty contemporary photographers like Will Wilson (above) in rich and lively “conversations” with the masterful Adams and some of his own influential predecessors. On view only through February 24th, 2019! To read our review, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/ansel-adams-in-our-time-at-museum-of-fine-arts-boston/  For hours, directions and more information about the exhibit, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/ansel-adams-in-our-time

Graciela Iturbide. Torito, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México / Little Bull, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 1982. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Opening at the MFA, Boston on January 19th, 2019, Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico is the first major East Coast presentation of the artist’s work, spanning her five decade career since the 1970’s. Iturbide’s passionate and powerful photographs capture the human pathos of tensions between urban and rural life, man and nature, and indigenous and Spanish cultures, revealing a richly layered vision of her native Mexico. Kristen Gresh, Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh Curator of Photographs, will lead an hour-long tour of the exhibit on Thursday, January 24th, 2019. For more information about this exhibit and associated events, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/graciela-iturbides-mexico

“Untitled, 2017” from the series Raising Goosebumps by Cate Wnek (courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston).

Panopticon Gallery – The gallery’s 2nd annual juried portfolio showcase,“First Look,” cameos exciting and diverse projects by Cate Wnek (above), Susan DeWitt, Catie Soldan, Joshua Sarinana and JP Terlizzi. On view in Kenmore Square’s Hotel Commonwealth from January 4th – March 4th, 2019, there will be an Opening Reception with many of the artists on Thursday, January 10th, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00pm. For more information, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/first-look-2019/

From the series Metropolis by Alan Schaller (courtesy of the artist and Leica Gallery, Boston).

Leica Gallery, Boston – London-based street photographer Alan Schaller’s interpretation of the disconnection experienced both online and in urban life is expressed in his graphic, surrealist series Metropolis. On view from January 10th – 27th, 2019, the Gallery will host an opening reception with Schaller in attendance on January 10th from 6pm to 9pm, followed by an artist talk on January 11th from 5pm to 7pm. For more information and to RSVP for gallery events, go to:  http://leicagalleryboston.com/exhibitions/

“Palm Hammock” by Benjamin Dimmitt (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography).

Griffin Museum at Lafayette City Center (Downtown Crossing) – Griffin Museum Executive Director and Curator Paula Tognarelli presents the imagery of over 60 artists in Abstraction Attraction, an exhibit that encourages “emancipation of the mind (Arshile Gorky).”  For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/show/abstraction-attraction/

SOWA – BOSTON’S ARTS DISTRICT

“Traces XXVIII” by Judy Haberl (courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston).

Gallery Kayafas – Solo exhibits The Chef’s Hand & Traces by Judy Haberl (above), Rarities by Harold Edgerton and Recent Work by August Ventimiglia bring together three artists with divergent practices whose linear abstractions converse and resonate throughout the gallery. Extended through January 26th, 2019, there will be a Public Reception on First Friday, January 4th  from 5:50 – 8:30pm. To read our review, go to:  https://whatwillyouremember.com/judy-haberl-harold-edgerton-august-ventimiglia-at-gallery-kayafas-boston/  For more information, go to: http://www.gallerykayafas.com/

Photograph by Jules Aarons (American, 1921-2008), date unknown (courtesy of Gallery Kayafas, Boston).

Examine Boston – past and present – from the perspective of the renowned late physicist and photographer Jules Aarons in Past Boston and legendary photographer Jack Lueders-Booth in The Orange Line Project. Gallery Kayafas has postponed this show until February 1st  – February 23rd, 2019 with an Opening Reception on First Friday, February 1st, 2019 from 5:30 – 8:30pm. For more information, go to: http://www.gallerykayafas.com/home/exhibitions/future/

“No. 7 – The Unforgotten 5, 2016” by Samira Alikhanzadeh (courtesy of the artist and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston).

Robert Klein Gallery at Ars Libri – An exhibition of new work by Iranian artist Samira Alikhanzadeh, Distant Memories, Familiar Phantoms, uses found family photographs to experiment with ideas of past and present identities, presence, and perspective. On view through January 30th, 2019, there will be an Opening Reception on First Friday, January 4th, 2019 at 500 Harrison Avenue.

Galatea Fine Art – Photographer Jane Paradise has curated Light of Home, featuring photographs by Gail Samuelson, Ellen Slotnick and Rich Perry that explore different notions of home, focusing on everyday moments that convey tenderness and intimacy. On view through January 27th, 2019, there will be an Opening Reception on First Friday, January 4th, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00pm. For more information, go to: https://www.galateafineart.com/current–upcoming.html 

THE BOSTON BURBS

“Pat Sabatine’s Eighth Birthday Party, PA, 1977” by Larry Fink, courtesy of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.

deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum (Lincoln, MA) – Drawn from deCordova’s permanent collection, Larry Fink: Primal Empathy, focuses on the central role of empathy in Fink’s work. Whether photographing members of elite society or rural farmers, empathy fuels his curiosity about our shared humanity and shapes his decisions for lighting, framing, and positioning his subjects. On view through March 10th, 2019, the deCordova will host a Jazz Night on Friday February 1st, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:30pm featuring  photographer Larry Fink on harmonica with The Pat McGee Quintet! To read our review of the exhibit, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/larry-fink-primal-empathy-decordova-museum-and-sculpture-park/  For hours, directions and information about Jazz Night, go to: https://decordova.org/art/exhibition/larry-fink-primal-empathy

“Woman with Scarf at Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park” 1980 by Roger Minick, vintage dye coupler print, courtesy of the Addison Gallery of American Art.

Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, MA) – If you love photography, don’t miss the four shows featuring a fabulous selection of images, from historic to contemporary, and landscapes to portraiture! To read our review of Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs (on view through March 3rd, 2019) and From Starfield to MARS: Paul Manship and His Artistic Legacy (closing soon on January 20th, 2019!) , go to:  https://whatwillyouremember.com/contemplating-the-view-at-the-addison-gallery-of-american-art/

To read our review of The Body: Concealing and Revealing (on view through March 31st, 2019), go to:  https://whatwillyouremember.com/the-body-concealing-and-revealing-at-addison-gallery-of-american-art-andover-ma/

And to meet the talented curator behind these exhibits, read our interview with Allison Kemmerer:  https://whatwillyouremember.com/curators-viewpoint-allison-kemmerer/

For more information on all of the Addison Gallery exhibits, go to:  https://addison.andover.edu/Exhibitions/Pages/exhibitions.aspx

“Hybrid” by John Reuter (courtesy of the artist and Griffin Museum of Photography).

Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA) – John Reuter’s inventive mixed media imagery using Polaroid technologies conjures surrealist scenes that magnify the mythical aspects of photography. Shadows and Traces: The Photography of John Reuter, curated by Barbara Hitchcock (former Cultural Affairs Director at Polaroid Corporation), will be on view in the Main Gallery from January 10th – March 3rd, 2019, with an Opening Reception Thursday, January 17th, 2019 from 7:00 – 8:30pm. JK Lavin’s solo show Crisis of Experience continues in the Griffin Gallery through March 3rd, 2019, as does Linda Troeller’s solo exhibit Self Reflection in the Atelier Gallery. For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions/

“Don’t Look” from the series Into the Moon’s Room by Rebecca Moseman (courtesy of the artist).

New England School of Photography (NESOP), Waltham, MA –  If you missed Rebecca Moseman’s magical narrative, Into the Moon’s Room, at the Griffin Museum last spring, here’s your chance to see it at NESOP, on view from January 7th – February 8th, 2019. To read our review of Into the Moon’s Room, go to: https://whatwillyouremember.com/rebecca-biddle-moseman-into-the-moons-room-at-griffin-museum-of-photography-ma/   For hours, directions and more information about the current NESOP exhibit, go to:  https://www.nesop.edu/events/the-garner-center/into-the-moons-room/

ROAD TRIPS WORTH TAKING!

From the series Harem Revisited by Lalla Essaydi (courtesy of the artist, Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston and Edwin Houk Gallery, NY).

Newport Art Museum, Newport, R.I. – Moroccan-born photographer Lalla Essaydi’s solo exhibit includes photographs spanning from the artist’s earliest series “Converging Territories” to the more recent series “Harem Revisited.” In the artist’s words, “By reclaiming the rich tradition of calligraphy and interweaving it with the traditionally female art of henna, I have been able to express, and yet, in another sense, dissolve the contradictions I have encountered in my culture: between hierarchy and fluidity, between public and private space, between the richness and the confining aspects of Islamic traditions.” Essaydi’s sumptuous, engulfing photographs will be on view through February 17th, 2019. For hours, directions and more information, go to: https://newportartmuseum.org/exhibitions/lalla-essaydi-from-converging-territories-to-harem-revisited/

Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts (RICPA), Providence, R.I. – Two exhibits open the New Year at RICPA, Michael Benari’s solo show Dark Matter which features his tactile, contrasty, abstract street photography (above) and a juried group show The Naked Print which celebrates the “physical qualities of ink or emulsion on paper, without hiding surface, texture, and material under glass” (below). Both exhibits run from January 17th – February 15th, 2019 and for both shows, the Opening Reception is on Thursday, January 17th, 2019 from 5:00 – 9:00pm. For more information, go to:  https://www.riphotocenter.org/

“Split Busk, 2014”, unique Daguerreotype (Becquerel method) from the series Foundations by Lindsey Beal (courtesy of the artist).

Vermont Center for Photography (VCP), Brattleboro, VT –  Lindsey Beal’s solo exhibition Progressions features six bodies of work in which she utilizes a variety of antique techniques to explore the ways in which technology has affected women’s bodies throughout history. The process chosen for each project promotes comparisons and parallels between past and present and Beal’s superb craftsmanship is a reward in itself for seeing the work firsthand. On view from January 4th – 27th, 2019, there will be an Opening Reception on Friday, January 4th, 2019 from 5:30 – 8:30pm, as well as an Artist Talk and Closing Reception on Sunday, January 27th, 2019 from 4:00 – 6:00pm. For more information, go to: http://vcphoto.org/exhibits/current/

“Marilyn Monroe, actress, New York City, May 6, 1957” © Richard Avedon (courtesy of the Estate of Richard Avedon).

Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine – Richard Avedon: Portraits 1952-1970 is an intimate exhibit featuring a selection of portraits from the 1970 Minneapolis Portfolio, which marked a significant stylistic shift in Avedon’s work, casting his celebrity subjects anew. On view through February 17th, 2019, for more information, go to: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/exhibitions/richard-avedon-portraits-1952-1970

CALLS FOR ENTRY

The Curated Fridge – You have three more days to apply to the Winter 2019 Show, with juror Sarah Kennel, The Byrne Family Curator of Photography at Peabody Essex Museum.
New deadline: Saturday, January 5th, 2019 (postmarked mail) For more information, go to: www.thecuratedfridge.com/Call-for-Entree

RICPA Open Call – The 6th Open Call is being juried by Aline Smithson and will open on February 21st as a showcase for contemporary photography. Entries are being accepted through January 6th, 2019. Full details on The 6th Open Call can be found on CaFE at https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=5615

NESOP Annual Juried Show – “Stranger Than Fiction: Street Photography” will be juried by Hank Hauptmann. Artists are invited to submit thematic work made on the street or in the tradition of investigative documentary photography in the public forum which celebrates the thrilling, unseen, odd, absurd reality of the human experience. They kindly ask for images which were seen or found, not created or staged. Entry deadline is February 22nd, 2019. For details, go to: https://www.nesop.edu/workshops/call-entry-juried-group-show/

Feature Image: Self‐Portrait, Monument Valley, Utah, 1958 Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984) Photograph, gelatin silver print, The Lane Collection © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.