Robert Polidori, Villa dei Misteri #2, Pompeii, Italia, 2017, archival pigment print mounted to Dibond. Courtesy of the artist. — Robert Polidori, *Villa dei Misteri #2, Pompeii, Italia*, 2017, archival pigment print mounted to Dibond. Courtesy of the artist.

Robert Polidori Total Gnosis Enigma

April 22 - May 15

A new exhibition by Robert Polidori presents the artist’s large-scale color photographs of the ancient frescoes found among the ruins of Pompeii, Italy. Taken in 2017 and exhibited in North America for the first time, the works continue Polidori’s lifelong investigation into the spiritual and psychological resonance of architecture and interior spaces. The exhibition will be on view at 297 Tenth Avenue in New York from April 22 to May 15, 2021.

Depicted in many of the works in the series is the Villa dei Misteri, a well-preserved dwelling on the outskirts of the city famous for its exquisite frescoes clustered in one room. These artworks, originating from 70-60 BC and restored between 2013-15, are among the best known of the relatively rare survivals of Ancient Roman painting and are understood to portray the rites of a young woman as she is inducted into the mystical cult of Bacchus. Polidori has since remarked upon the aesthetic continuity between the pagan rituals represented in the Pompeii murals, and the Christian imagery that defines the frescoes of Fra Angelico, a previous subject of the artist. While our cultures and rituals transform, the iconographic representational style remains remarkably consistent.

Utilizing a large-format camera and employing exposures of up to five minutes in natural light, Polidori is able to produce intricately detailed images at scale. As he explores rooms as metaphors for states of being, what at first might be mistaken for elaborate decorative motifs, painted to adorn a wealthy family’s accommodation, are revealed by Polidori to be imbued with a deeper force, acting as iterations of memory systems for whole cultures. Acting as a medium, Polidori reveals to us these interlacing layers of the past.

This is Polidori’s third exhibition at Kasmin. The widely acclaimed photographer is most immediately recognized for his career-spanning work at the Château de Versailles, as well as his photographs of the fading grandeur of Havana and the devastating destruction of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His “Dendritic Cities” captures the rampant and spectacular growth that has appeared in the last decades in cities such as Amman, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro. Photographs from Hotel Petra illustrate how human interventions and the passing of time are inscribed on the surfaces of walls, and the rooms themselves bear witness to their history. His most recent photographs from the Convento di San Marco in Florence capture the solemnity and sheer force of the 15th Century frescoes by Fra Angelico.

Cisco & Baaeétitchish (Wendy Red Star), Walter Bone Shirt, Akbaléaashíiupashku (Lakota), 1800s, University of Montana, Missoula, Apsáalooke (Crow), 1890, Toledo Museum of Art, 'In The Spirit Of Green Skin,'” 2021, acrylic, graphite, kitakata pap… — Cisco & Baaeétitchish (Wendy Red Star), Walter Bone Shirt, Akbaléaashíiupashku (Lakota), 1800s, University of Montana, Missoula, Apsáalooke (Crow), 1890, Toledo Museum of Art, 'In The Spirit Of Green Skin,'” 2021, acrylic, graphite, kitakata paper, marble paper, 22 x 30 inches

Wendy Red Star | Brings Good Horses

April 9 - May 15, 2021

Sargent’s Daughters is pleased to present Brings Good Horses, a solo exhibition of new work by Apsáalooke (Crow) artist Wendy Red Star. This will be Red Star’s second solo show with the gallery. The exhibition will present three new installation drawings of horses, comprising 30 original drawings 22 x 30 inches each, sketched from historical ledger drawings and mounted on marbleized paper to form a large grid. Each wall “corral” of horses will be presented as a unit and form one work on the three back walls of the gallery. A procession of horse drawings will lead into the back of the gallery, headed by a drawing of Red Star herself and her ancestor, Green Skin, a holder of “horse getting” medicine bundle which gave him extraordinary skills to take horses from enemies. This feat, also known as “going on a raid,” required unflinching courage and a willingness to risk death, but brought honor, wealth, and greater sustainability for the Tribal Nation.

In Brings Good Horses, Red Star references the enduring importance of the horse to Plains Indian Tribal Nations since their introduction by the Spaniards in the 18th Century. Agility with horses and having a sizable herd of good horses was necessary for hunting and safeguarding the Tribe. Naturally, it became point of pride for Plains Indian warriors, who measured wealth, status and courage in the capture of horses from competing tribes. Often, hundreds of horses were taken in the dead of night, leaving their enemies bewildered at the disappearance.

This familial legacy inspired Red Star to employ her own mode of “horse getting” by sketching the horses from historical ledger drawing and requisitioning them for her own work, and perhaps freeing them from long captivity and obscurity in institutions that appropriated them in their own fashion. She was especially drawn to scenes depicting battle with Crow warriors. She notes the Tribal affiliation of each horse she took for her new herd, giving tribute to the original artist and source. In addition to denoting each horse’s Tribe, she meticulously assigned a name to each of the 100 horses from the original 1907 Crow Reservation allotment map, paying particular attention to names that have disappeared from use. In this way Red Star asserts her place of honor as a horse getter in the continuing tradition of Apsáalooke warriors and artists, connecting a vibrant tradition to an ongoing pursuit of history and identity.

Mona Kuhn: Works

April 10 - May 29

Galerie XII Los Angeles is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of Mona Kuhn: Works, a stunning career retrospective of one of the most respected and widely exhibited contemporary art photographers at work in the world today. The exhibition, which runs from April 10 to May 29, 2021, coincides with the launch of Mona Kuhn's first monograph, "Works" (Thames & Hudson), an essential volume for anyone with an interest in the human form in contemporary art, which will be released in the US in April. The reader is provided with invaluable insights into Kuhn’s creative process and the ways in which she works with her subjects and settings and achieves the visual signature of her imagery.

Events

Alchemist's Dream, River of Milk 2015 Yasuaki Matsumoto — Alchemist's Dream, River of Milk 2015 **Yasuaki Matsumoto**

KOZO MIYOSHI AND YASUAKI MATSUMOTO

Saturday, May 8, 2021 5:00 pm

PhotoAlliance is delighted to welcome Tokyo-based photographers Kozo Miyoshi and Yasuaki Matsumoto for an online lecture and discussion as the final installment of our spring 2021 International Lecture Series. The presentation will take place as a conversation between the two artists and PhotoAlliance Creative Director Linda Connor.

Miyoshi and Matsumoto represent two generations of creative photographers working in Japan whose photographic practices share in common the use of large format, film-based photographic tools and a significant influence of American photographic traditions while also firmly part of the rich history of Japanese photography.

Miyoshi, who lived in Arizona during the 1990s and studied at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, has stated the importance of Edward Weston and the legacy of American landscape photography in his formation as an artist. Matsumoto, who studied photography at San Francisco Art Institute, uses traditional, analog photographic tools in combination with elements of collage and non-photographic materials to address spiritual and philosophical subjects.

The lecture will be in the format of a conversation, moderated by artist and PhotoAlliance Creative Director Linda Connor, and with translation provided by Beth Cary. Together with the artists, Connor will guide viewers through several decades of each photographer’s work, discuss recent projects and work during the pandemic, and conclude with an open discussion segment engaging the online audience.

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Book Event—Peter van Agtmael “Sorry for the War”

May 5, 2021 (6PM – 7PM )

Join ICP online for a conversation with ICP’s Managing Director of Programs David Campany and Peter van Agtmael on his recent book, Sorry for the War, a continuation of van Agtmael’s fifteen yearlong study of the United States and the post-9/11 wars. Sorry for the War chronicles the dissonance between perceptions of the post-9/11 wars in America, and the violence and upheaval of the wars as experienced by those trapped in the war zones.

This program is free with a suggested donation of $5.

About the Book

Sorry for the War chronicles the dissonance between perceptions of the post-9/11 wars in America, and the violence and upheaval of the wars as experienced by those trapped in the war zones. The photographs in Sorry for the War weave together the war in Iraq during the time of ISIS, the mass exodus of refugees to Europe, militarism, terrorism, nationalism, myth-making and propaganda. This is van Agtmael’s fourth book about the United States and the world after 9/11 and reflects a nation’s struggle to reckon with the chaos unleashed in the fear and anger that followed the World Trade Center attacks. The photographs are disturbing, darkly humorous, contradictory, mysterious and damning, serving as both evidence and interpretation of a country gone adrift, with often disastrous consequences. An extensive text, in English and Arabic, combines journalism and personal reflection into a thorough narrative to accompany the nonlinear, poetic sequencing of the images.

About the Program Format

This program will take place on Zoom. Those who register to attend will receive a confirmation email with a link located at the bottom of the email under ‘Important Information’ to join the lecture through a computer or mobile device.

We recommend participants download the Zoom app on their device prior to the program. Learn how to download the latest version of Zoom to your computer or mobile device.

If you have not received the Zoom link by 3 PM on the day of the lecture or if you have questions about the virtual lecture, please contact: programs@icp.org.

Speaker Bios

Peter van Agtmael was born in Washington DC in 1981. He graduated from Yale University with a BA in History in 2003. He is a member of Magnum Photos. Since 2006, his work has largely concentrated on the United States and the post-9/11 wars. Van Agtmael received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2020 as well as the W. Eugene Smith Grant, an ICP Infinity Award, the Aaron Siskind Grant, the Lumix Freelens Award, several Pulitzer Center Grants, a Magnum Foundation Fellowship as well as multiple awards from World Press Photo. He is the author of five books, ‘2nd Tour Hope I Don’t Die,’ ‘Disco Night Sept 11,’ ‘Buzzing at the Sill,’ ‘Sorry for the War,’ and ‘2020.’ His earlier books have been included on “Book of the Year” lists from The New York Times Magazine, Time, Mother Jones, The Guardian, Vogue, BuzzFeed and many others as well as being shortlisted for the Aperture/Paris Photo Book Award, the Arles Book Award and the Kassel Book Award. Peter is a mentor in the Arab Documentary Photography Program.

David Campany is ICP’s Managing Director of Programs, and a writer, editor, and curator

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ICP Talks: Hassan Hajjaj on Portraiture, Fashion, and the Industry

May 12, 2021 (1PM – 2PM )

Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj’s fashion-forward portraits of artists, musicians, models, local community members, and cultural figures are distinctly his own. He fuses colorful pattern-filled and often symbolic backdrops with a passion for fashion to style and capture his subjects with a commanding presence. In doing so, he redefines cultural stereotypes and presents strong representations of Blackness in his images. Inspired by the photography studios of small-town 1960s Morocco and drawing on the playfulness and consumer aesthetic used by the artists of the Pop Art movement, Hajjaj’s work cheekily unites art, fashion, and commerce. His use of popular items such as Coca-Cola cans and Nike shoes when styling, framing of photographs by literal canned goods and soda cans, and work on his fashion and design lines “Andy Wahloo” and UK-based La Larache showcase the underlying theme of the globalization of consumerism in his work.

Join ICP’s Curator at Large Isolde Brielmaier and Hassan Hajjaj for the last lecture in our winter/spring ICP Talks series focusing on Hajjaj’s industry spanning practice and vibrant portraits, including his most recent project My Rockstars.

Ticketing Info

General Admission

$9 Individual Tickets
$25 Season Pass (includes all four lectures) (30% off)
$4 ICP Members
Free Students and Faculty of ICP’s One-Year Certificate Programs

Current members, log in or use your discount code to receive your discount. If you have issues processing your payment, please email membership@icp.org.