Arthur Jafa (1960-)

Arthur Jafa is nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023 for his exhibition Live Evil at LUMA, Arles, France (14 April – 13 November 2022). On display at the Photographer's Gallery. 

A Brief Revolution: photography, architecture and social space in the Manplan project

Really interesting exhibition at The Photographer's Gallery on architecture and town planning in the 1960s/70s and the photographs published in Architectural Review. This first photograph reminded me of the Odessa Steps sequence in the Battleship Potemkin. 

Tony Ray-Jones, Low-rise housing, Tavy Bridge, Thamesmead, Greenwich, London, 1970,‘Manplan 8: Housing’ Architectural Review, 1970 Sep. 

Peter Baistow, High-rise flats and multi-storey car park, Birmingham, 1970, ‘Manplan 5: Religion’ in Architectural Review, 1970 Mar. 

Tom Smith, Rosebery Sixth Form College, Epsom, Surrey: a music room in the old building, formerly Rosebery County Grammar School for Girls, 1969, 'Manplan 4: 'The Continuing Community' in Architectural Review, vol. 147, 1970 Jan.

This photograph made me think of Florence Henri's play with frosted/opaque class, reflections and 'seeing through' architecture or windows to gain access to a framed scene beyond structures in the foreground. 

Slim Aarons (1916-2006)

Miyoko Ito (1918-1983)

Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989)

South Devon on film

Birgitta Hosea at The Cube

Great event last week hosted by BEEF at The Cube where experimental and expanded animation and performance artist Birgitta Hosea took the audience through her career and notable historical and contemporary films. 

In addition to exploring feminist themes around the body and invisible labour, Hosea's practice uses drawing as an embodied gesture, key to animating objects, herself as performer, and film. I liked the concept behind her rosary drawings and the interpretation of the beads and the sequential action of praying while moving the fingers across the string as akin to sequencing and movement in film. 

Especially enjoyable was Hosea's sense of humour and her use of the uncanny and what she produced from her obsession with the final monologue in classic Hollywood movie, Sunset Boulevard (1950). 

Stills from performance with animated projection Out There in the Dark (2008). 

Still from Erasure (2017). 

Films by Stan Brakhage and Len Lye were amongst the films by other filmmaker screened. 

Celluloid from Len Lye, Colour Flight (1937).