This N' That: 2/1/21
Theaster Gates, Gone Are the Days of Shelter and Martyr, 2014. Video, sound, color; 6:31 minutes. © Theaster Gates. Courtesy White Cube and Regen Projects, Los Angeles
By Sara Beck
Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America will open February 17th at the New Museum
From February 17th through June 6th, the New Museum in lower Manhattan will present Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America, an intergenerational exhibition responding to the daily racial violence confronted by Black communities in the United States. Works by thirty-seven artists will be featured, spanning various mediums including video, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, sound, and performance in order to illustrate the relationship between Black grief and American social and political systems. In the exhibition, mourning is presented as a political experience defined by a spectrum of reactions from resistance to compassion.
The exhibition was conceived by curator Okwui Enwezor, who began work on the project beginning in 2018. Originally intended to launch around the time of the most recent U.S. presidential election, the show’s opening has been delayed due to the covid-19 pandemic. With curatorial assistance from Naomi Beckwith, Massimiliano Gioni, Glenn Ligon, and Mark Nash, the exhibition is also produced in honor of the life and work of Enwezor, who passed away in March of 2019.
Wildlife photographer Simon Needham captures rare white lions at Glen Garriff Conservation
Simon Needham, a wildlife photographer based in Los Angeles, was recently granted an opportunity to revisit Glen Garriff Conservation in South Africa to photograph rare white lions. After running his own company for twenty-five years, Needham sold the business and honed in on his true passions, specifically giving back to humanitarian causes. In order to encourage conservation efforts, the artist has produced numerous series of striking portraits of endangered species, and this most recent collection devoted to the white lion is no exception. Needham’s promotional photos of the lions will be utilized by the wildlife sanctuary to further promote their mission of conservation.
White lions differ from albino lions—their unique coloration results from leucism, a recessive genetic mutation that must be present in both parents in order for the gene to be expressed in their offspring. White lions, which are native to South Africa, have unfortunately fallen victim to trophy hunting, making their existence in the wild increasingly rare. As a result the majority of white lions live in sanctuaries like Glen Garriff where they are protected.
© Mariana Cook 1998 (Gelatin silver, selenium toned print, 36 x 32 inches)
In Memoriam: Daniel Wolf
Daniel Wolf, an acclaimed collector and dealer of photography, died in his Colorado home on January 25th—a cause of death has not been specified. Wolf began his career selling photographs in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, later opening his own 57th Street gallery in New York in the 70s. Recently, he purchased a former prison in Yonkers with his wife, Maya Lin, where he would begin to unify the collections he had amassed. Wolf also played a foundational role in cultivating the Getty Museum’s photography collection throughout the 80s.
His collection, which includes works by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and other pioneers in the medium, has often been defined in terms of Wolf’s openness to risk taking. According to collector and friend Larry Warsh, Wolf had a keen eye and ultimately followed his instincts when acquiring works. These qualities in combination with an in-depth awareness of photography’s history distinguished him in his field and will surely be remembered as part of his legacy.
Nikon U.K. has halted orders due to Brexit
Brexit’s recent enactment, which has created various obstacles for businesses in the U.K. to navigate, is now impacting camera company Nikon’s distribution. The company posted an update to its U.K. website reading, “Please note that, as we navigate the changes brought on by Brexit, we will temporarily not be taking any new orders. If you have already placed an order with us, we are working hard to ensure your order arrives as soon as possible. Thank you for bearing with us during this time.”
Although the statement seems cut-and-dry, many are still wondering exactly what it means for Nikon customers. The company has said that their online store should reopen soon and that those who have already made purchases “should rest assured that their order will still be processed and should expect their order to arrive as soon as possible.”
© Chloe Dewe Mathews 2021 courtesy Loose Joints
Chloe Dewe Mathew’s Thames Log documents England’s longest river © Chloe Dewe Mathews
Chloe Dewe Mathews began shooting the project that inspired her latest book, Thames Log, in 2011. As Dewe Mathews came to recognize how the river’s national identity had been largely characterized in terms of its commercial and trade value, she was inspired to capture a different, lesser-known side of the waterway. Historically, the Thames has been a site for the practice of healing rituals and religious rites. With Thames Log, Chloe seeks to showcase these aspects of the river in a more contemporary light. Her observations, often of quiet moments such as secular-religious rituals, are a means of combating what she sees as the commercial homogenization of the waterfront that has occurred in recent years, which, today, takes shape in luxury apartments and minimalist office buildings. Unsettled by this gentrification of what were previously working-class neighborhoods, Dewe Mathews was inspired to create a photo project depicting the river with more tenderness and humanity.
In the summer of 2021 (exact dates to be announced), Chloe’s images of the Thames will be exhibited at the Martin Parr Foundation—which co-published Thames Log with Loose Joints.
