OUR PICKS OF THE MONTH
MARCH 2012
BOOK
William Carter’s Journey
Coming of age in L. A., with the sense of an outsider looking in, William Carter says in the
introduction to his book: “I was filled with confusion and wonder ... Who was I? ... I needed
to go beyond and below surfaces, to find a rationale in the secret realms of the mind and
heart.” He began to travel, first in
the U.S. and then around the world,
taking photographs to connect. This
collection of his favorite images
from the last half-century is “not
© JOHN BALDESSARI
‘on’ anything or ‘about’ anything,”
he explains. Instead, it’s the
manifestation of a lifelong effort to
understand and celebrate humanity.
“I remain hopelessly wedded to
outmoded ideals like beauty and
truth,” says Carter, whose work is in
the spirit of Edward Steichen’s “The
Family of Man” and Robert Frank’s
“The Americans.” In the face of
deconstructionism, irony and other
subversive trends, Carter takes pains
to defend his approach. But his quiet,
honest and moving photographs
speak for themselves, and require no
defense.
From the 1973 portfolio “Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line
(Best of Thirty-Six Attempts)” by John Baldessari.
EXHIBIT
Conceptual Photography
A unique exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago aims to explore the “pivotal
role” photography had in the Conceptual Art movement during the 1960s
and ‘70s. Many artists from this period,
including Bruce Nauman and Ed Ruscha,
didn’t necessarily consider themselves
photographers, and in taking photos, broke
the boundaries of fine-art photography.
The more than 140 works on display are
not just limited to framed prints; they also
include photo books, photolithographs,
photo canvases and photo grids.
“Light Years: Conceptual Art and
the Photograph, 1964-1977”
Through March 11, 2012
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
Telephone: 312-443-3600
www.artinstituteofchicago.org
Causes and Spirits: Photographs
from Five Decades
By William Carter
Steidl
Hardcover, 296 pages
$78
© WILLIAM CAR TER/S TEIDL
“Staten Island, New York 1962,” from William Carter’s book
Causes and Spirits: Photographs from Five Decades.
EXHIBIT
Art for the People
Photographer Zoe
Strauss, who from 2001
to 2010 installed her
work on pillars below
an I- 95 overpass in
South Philadelphia
and hosted an annual
day-long exhibition, is
getting a mid-career
retrospective at the
“Vanessa, Philadelphia,” by Zoe Strauss.
Philadelphia Museum
of Art. The survey
includes 150 images and
extends beyond the museum with the
Billboard Project, a series of 54 billboards
throughout the Philadelphia area that
will each display one of Strauss’s photos,
blown up to 12 x 25 feet, without any text,
logos, etc. A self-taught photographer
who focuses on the “the beauty and
struggle of everyday life,” Strauss is a true
testament to DIY ingenuity.
“Zoe Strauss: 10 Years”
Through April 22, 2012
Philadelphia Museum of Art
26th Street & Benjamin
Franklin Pkwy
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Telephone: 215-763-8100
www.philamuseum.org
EVENT
FotoFest 2012 Biennial
One of the country’s largest
and longest running photo
festivals is back this year and
the theme is Contemporary
Russian Photography: From
the Late 1950s to Today. The
14th biennial FotoFest in
© ZOE STRAUSS
Houston includes multiple
exhibits that cover “over
50 years of modern and
contemporary photography”
by Russian artists. The
festival, which lasts more
than a month, also includes
workshops, gallery talks,
booksignings and a fine-print auction as well as The
“Three Sailor’s Striped Vests, 1968,” from the FotoFest 2012 Biennial
exhibition “After Stalin, The Personal Voice Re-emerging.”
© SERGE Y PE TRUHIN
Meeting Place, FotoFest’s international portfolio
review. Though the portfolio review is currently
sold out, registrations are still being accepted and
photographers are put on a waitlist as additional
slots open up due to cancellations.
FotoFest 2012 Biennial
March 16 – April 29, 2012
At participating spaces in Houston
Telephone: 713-223-5522
www.fotofest.org/2012biennial
