November 2008 Archives

Michael Itkoff, a former intern of Annie Leibovitz, has traveled the world since 2002 taking portraits of everyday people in the street. The subtle twist to these portraits is a small makeshift white backdrop that is held behind each of the subjects. The backdrop (a technique often used by fashion photographers) accentuates the individual quirkiness of each of the models — and draws our attention to the cluttered urban environments that surround the scenes.

See more photos, and read a review of the new photobook, here in Lens Culture.

It is especially gratifying to see that a young Korean photographer who made his international debut in Lens Culture in July 2007 is now being shown by one of the most respected photography galleries in New York City: Yossi Milo Gallery.

Myoung Ho Lee's Tree series will be shown by Yossi Milo in Miami next week at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair (along with the work of Sze Tsung Leong, Pieter Hugo, Josef Schulz, Asako Narahashi, Andrew Bush and Loretta Lux). Myoung Ho Lee will have his first solo exhibition in New York City in Spring 2009.

Bargain-hunting art lovers will be delighted to discover very affordable exclusive limited edition photographs (signed and numbered by Myoung Ho Lee) here at Lens Culture. Some are nearing the end of their edition run, so act fast if you are interested in owning one or all of these unique masterpieces.

Kiyoshi Suzuki (Japan, 1943-2000) began photographing in the late 1960s in Iwaki City, his birthplace. He worked for thirty years in relative isolation. Suzuki's way of putting books together, layer upon layer upon layer, became central to his art.

This book, already in its second edition, re-creates in look and feel, a handmade mock-up of a photobook that was found in the photographer's garage after his death.

Merel Bem, of De Volkskrant, said, "These are intriguing photographs. Rich in contrast and sometimes almost surreal. Suzuki knew how to be dramatic and theatrical without giving up the simplicity of the image or seeming affected. But the best thing [...] by far is the book. [...] a publication that does justice to an artist both in form and content — one would wish that all photobooks were made with the same care and dedication."

Read an illustrated book review written by Marc Prust, here in Lens Culture.

Reminds me of a good encounter with Patti Smith earlier this year, looking at her Polaroids — also black-and-white and moody and soulful, of course. Cheers.

Japanese photographer Hiroh Kikai is making a rare appearance in Paris for Paris Photo, signing his outstanding new book, Asakusa Portraits. Here is an excerpt of what Kikai told Marc Feustel in an interview:

"I started off by taking several manual labor jobs: truck driver, dock worker… and I was able to survive on half of my salary. I was aware of the fact that I lacked photographic experience. I was still immersed in my philosophy studies at the time, and I began to think about the following concept: the essential thing was not the camera but the act of looking. You had to look again and again until you could feel the essence of everything that was around you.

The concept was good, but I needed some way of putting it into practice. . ."

Read the full interview in Lens Culture.

Hiroh Kikai was born in Yamagata, Japan in 1945. He began to take photographs when the influential editor Shoji Yamagishi showed him photographs by Diane Arbus in 1969. The Hasselblad camera that he bought at the time is the camera that he still uses today. He became a freelance photographer in 1984. Living close to Asakusa in Tokyo, he often spent time there and the area became the location for a series of portraits that he has been shooting for over 30 years. Kikai’s other photographic subjects include working and residential neighborhoods in and near Tokyo, and street scenes in India and Turkey. His latest book, Asakusa Portraits, was published in 2008 by Steidl and the International Center of Photography.

Mariko Takeuchi, a renowned photography critic and the independent curator of this year's special spotlight on Japanese photography at Paris Photo 2008, has written a concise essay about Photography in Japan, with special emphasis on the extensive exhibitions she has compiled for this year's major exposition in Paris.

As a partner with Paris Photo, Lens Culture is honored to present this insightful essay in its entirety.

Tree #5 is the latest in our most successful series of signed limited edition prints by Myoung Ho Lee, a student, lecturer and photographer based in Seoul, Korea. It is being offered in a special edition of 30 prints. The image size of this archival pigment print is approximately 25 x 60 cm. The paper size is approximately 61 cm x 74 cm. Starting price is $750 plus shipping from our offices in California. Prices may increase.

Myoung Ho Lee attracted international acclaim when his series Tree was first published online by Lens Culture (www.lensculture.com) in July 2007. Within days, more than 200 other websites and blogs had reproduced his images and pointed to the original article and images in Lens Culture. The buzz continues today, with reproductions of his photographs gracing the covers and inner pages of many high-profile national and international print magazines (of all genres, including art, ecology, entertainment, home decorating, news and men’s fashion), and more than 500 websites referring to his work. His photographs are in the collections of institutions and individual collectors in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. His work has recently attracted the attention of a very prominent fine art gallery in New York City, with plans for a solo show in Spring 2009.

Myoung Ho Lee's Tree series has prompted references to diverse traditions in the history of photography, including landscape photography, anthropological field studies, studio portraiture, fashion, staged photography, cinematic projections, surrealism, and billboard advertising.

Even though Myoung Ho Lee has been practicing photography for several years (he earned his BA in Photography in 2003, and his Masters in Photography in 2005), it was his conceptual series Tree that catapulted him into celebrity status on the internet and in pop culture. He is struggling to balance his instant fame with his working life. In addition to his artistic pursuits, he teaches photography at Joon-Ang University in Seoul, where he is also working toward his Ph.D. in Photography.

Born in 1975, Myoung Ho Lee had his first solo exhibitions in May 2007 at Factory Gallery, and at Gallery 1964, both in Seoul. Earlier this year he was one of two photography-based artists to be included in the first InterAlia group show of emerging artists in Korea, which has quickly become the most prestigious national venue for visual artists in Korea. Myoung Ho Lee is the recipient of several awards, including the first Young Photographer’s Award, from the Photo Artist’s Society of Korea in 2005; Korea’s Photography Critic’s Award in 2006, and a grant from the Culture and Art Fund from the Arts Council of Korea in 2007. His work is represented by Gallery Zandari in Seoul, Korea.

Foam magazine (Holland) published a very nice 16-page article about Myoung Ho Lee's work in its July 2008 issue. You can download a PDF of that article here.

Signed, limited edition prints of Tree #1, Tree #2, Tree #3 and Tree #5 are sold online via Lens Culture Editions.