AIPAD: The Work of Guanyu Xu & Gail Albert Halaban
Patty Carroll, Cooking the Goose, 2017, Archival pigment print. Courtesy of Catherine Couturier Gallery. Houston
Written by Stella Chu
The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) displayed a diverse and innovative photography exhibition this weekend, May 19 to May 22, for the first time since 2019. The Photography Show is one of the world’s most highly anticipated exhibitions, and its 41st edition did not disappoint, with buried treasures and new discoveries to be made among its world-class photographers.
The gallery featured hundreds of artists, bridging the gaps between both the old and new media. Works include photo-based media, art, video, and other multimedia projects.
“The way artists use photography has changed, and the way people see photography has changed,” said AIPAD President Michael Lee.
Joel-Peter Witkin, Still Life, Marseilles, 1992, Courtesy of Etherton Gallery, Tucson
Bringing together 49 galleries across nine countries and 23 U.S. cities, the exhibition is a feat of the photography world. Among them were the Yancey Richardson Gallery and Jackson Fine Art and the Danziger Gallery, which had recently discovered over 24,000 negatives of the late Lora Webb Nichols. Nichols left behind an intimate glimpse into the everyday life of the Wyoming frontier in perhaps what is the most comprehensive archive of life at the time.
Guanyu Xu, like many Asian American artists, seeks to bridge the gap between the traditionalism of his home and the modern intersectionality of the western world. He poses the question: what does it mean to navigate a queer, Asian American identity?
Khalik Allah, Untitled, 125th Street, 2019 , Pigment print, 14 x 21 inches ©Khalik Allah/Magnum Photos Courtesy of Gitterman Gallery, New York
Born in China and moving to the United States in 2014, Xu attempts to create a blend between the two seemingly polar opposite worlds. His montages of posters and other every day objects, seemingly chaotic and without order, create scenes that any Asian American kid would recognize: the distinct cartoonish style of zodiac calendars, oversized yellowed chandeliers, the bright lucky red that denotes prosperity.
In a society oversaturated with overused statements from the Asian immigrant diaspora, Xu’s work feels refreshed and original. He attempts to bring his queer, America, and Chinese identities all together in a way that does not feel overdone. Using every day objects found around his home, he layers multiple mediums, from posters, calendars, electronics, plants and furniture to create a scene that gives the viewer a sense of harmonious chaos.
William Klein, Buicks, New York, 1955-1995 , Limited edition Lightjet c-print from unique painted contact, 65.62 x 78.74 inches. Courtesy of HackelBury Fine Art, London
The piece on display at AIPAD, Worlds Within Worlds, features a multitude of posters and photos, sprawled onto the floor, tacked onto walls and wherever else Xu saw fit.
Worlds Within Worlds presents a glimpse into an Asian American life, blurring the lines between the western world and what separates it from the traditionalism of a Chinese home. Guanyu Xu’s work has power, and is best understood and appreciated by those who have lived the same.
Gail Albert Halaban’s works, courtesy of the Jackson Fine Art Gallery, seek to bring unity amongst physical divisions. One of three works on display this past weekend, Valentines, East 10th Street, Greenwich Village, New York, features the windows of an apartment complex on Valentine’s Day, with its occupants spending their time in various different ways, some celebrating with lovers, friends, and family and others in solitude.
The piece invokes a sense of sadness for those occupants spending what is supposedly the loveliest day on the calendar alone.
Upon further examination, however, we can appreciate how Halaban attempts to bring all the occupants together in this overarching shot, and remind us that we’re never truly alone when in New York City.
Aïda Muluneh, Both Sides, (Memory of Hope Series), 2017. Photograph printed on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag Bright White, 60 x 60 inches. Courtesy of The Artist, and Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco and New York
