L: Boy and Stockings, 2008 R: Whiskey and Cigarettes, 2008 (from “Tiger Afternoon”)
© New Catalogue / Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler

New Catalogue is a collaboration between Chicago-based artists Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler. As their bio describes them,

New Catalogue is a visual research project that mirrors a stock image bank. Working through in-depth series, it presents comprehensive examinations on various themes (from hedges and fires to cheerleaders and political leaders). New Catalogue utilizes historical, cultural, and fictional signs to create visual hybrids and multiple narratives. Suggesting intricate formulas that question reality through its critical reproduction, it seeks to tap into postmodernity’s visual psyche.

I first saw their work when I picked up a copy of Big Ten Co-Eds, Preppy Girls, and The Lost Cheerleaders at the ICP store. They printed a small run (500 copies) of the book in 2005 with Nazraeli Press.

I hadn’t seen their work since - that is, until I picked up the current issue of Art on Paper, which has a feature called Who Are You Looking At?, fifteen photography experts (including Geoffrey Batchen and Charlotte Cotton) each sharing the work of a lesser-known artist that has recently caught their attention. Karen Irvine, Associate Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, chose New Catalogue.

New Catalogue’s latest series, Tiger Afternoon, has been described as “a quasi-gothic narrativization of American Suburbia” and “a Jean-Luc Godard version of a John Hughes film… less homage to cinema than an attempt to question the idealization of youth as the paradigmatic protagonists of our age.” I’m not sure how I feel about it, but it has me intrigued.

Preppy Girl Wearing Blindfold in the Library, 2008 (from “Tiger Afternoon”)
© New Catalogue / Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler

Boy, 2008 (from “Tiger Afternoon”)
© New Catalogue / Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler

See more, including a number of earlier series, on their website.

I’m thrilled to have work in tomorrow night’s Slideluck Potshow, held at the Chelsea Art Museum in conjunction with The Armory Show. Haven’t heard of Slideluck?

Slideluck Potshow is a non-profit slideshow and potluck for members of arts, photography, and media communities. Participants bring food, drink, and up to five minutes worth of slides. The evening begins with a couple hours of dining on the home-cooked delights of participants, while drinking and mingling. It is not uncommon to arrive with, for example, a full-bodied bottle of wine, some vegetable samosas, Thai green curry, pumpkin ravioli, or some rosemary lamb chops. All guests are asked to contribute as the event is entirely dependent on participation. Following the potluck, the lights are dimmed, the crowd is hushed, and a spectacular slideshow commences.

The event looks a little something like this (amazing):

Slideluck Potshow X at Sandbox Studio in Soho, New York, November 2007

Slideluck Potshow X at Sandbox Studio in Soho, New York, November 2007

Slideluck Potshow is a forum for exposing artists, curators and editors to new work, while infusing the arts community with a non-commercial vitality and refreshing exchange. Photojournalists, painters, designers, sculptors, fashion and fine art photographers all show their work alongside one another in a relaxed and spirited atmosphere. Presenters range from the very accomplished to those who have never shown work publicly before, but regardless of status, none is allotted more than five minutes for their slideshow. Past participants include; Elliott Erwitt, Chris Buck, Alec Soth, Martin Schoeller, Doug Menuez, Alex Majoli, Alistair Thain, Bruce Gilden, and Eugene Mirman.

Participating artists in Slideluck Potshow XI include Abby Robinson, Adi Lavy, Alessandra Sanguinetti / Yossi Milo, Brian Finke, Cara Phillips, Chris Maluszynski, CIA DE FOTO, David Burnett / Contact Press, Dawn Roscoe, Doug Keyes, Ed Burtynsky, Ernesto Gonzalez, Fiona Aboud, Gui Mohallem, Jacob Silberberg / Panos, Jamie Ziobro, Jasper White, JB Reed, Jennifer Davis, Jill Greenberg, Julio Galeote, Kara Brodgesell, Katherine Newbegin, Magnum Group, Maya Barkai, Michael Muller / Stockland Martel, Michael Williams, Nadia Sablin, Nikola Tamindzic, Omar Gamez, Philip Jones Griffiths / Magnum, Reuters, Sarah Small, Saverio Truglia, Serge Leblon/MS Logan, Shane Lavalette, Todd Hido, Ursula Gullow, Will Anderson, and Yoshi.

Alessandra Sanguinetti, Brian Finke, Cara Phillips, Ed Burtynsky, Todd Hido and me? Phew! Alys and Casey: thank you for putting this on!

Food and photography? Those of you in New York have no excuse…

Slideluck Potshow XI
March 29, 2008, 8pm to Midnight
Chelsea Art Museum
556 West 22nd Street
New York, NY

The Spring installment of Slash Magazine, the wonderful art/fashion/design quarterly “for the extra observant,” includes some editorial work of mine, shot to accompany an article by T. Cole Rachel entitled How Do Your Price Your Art? - a look at the importance or irrelevance of a degree in art for artists. The conclusion: stay in school, y’all!

See the tearsheets in the editorial section of my website.

Following my spread is an interesting piece by Harvard economics professor Benjamin Friedman titled The Economic Playground, accompanied by the photographs of Mr. Brian Ulrich. Nice to be in such good company!

Pick up a copy of the issue at any Barnes and Noble in the U.S. or at these specialty bookshops around the world. It will be available on the stands until June 6th. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the magazine’s online edition (and view the first four issue for free) right here.

© Tonatiuh Ambrosetti

A beautiful, surprising image from Tonatiuh Ambrosetti’s Wolfschanze series.

(via VVORK)

© Oskar Schmidt

I’m not entirely sure what Oskar Schmidt is going for with his series of young girls reading but, like Johanna, I’m very curious.

See more of his work here.

When I was in New York last week, I visited Aperture with Michael. The Matthew Sleeth show that was up was pretty interesting in itself but I think both Michael and I were drawn to the Erik Kessels exhibit entitled In Almost Every Picture.

In Almost Every Picture is an idiosyncratic collection of found images from three volumes in the cult classic book series of the same title. The Spanish Woman features photographs taken by a husband of his wife during the years 1956–1968; Twins features pictures of two sisters, who always appear dressed in identical outfits, taken in Europe during the 1940s; in Dalmatian, a beloved dog and her owner grow old together while walking through various European locations; and Taxi is comprised of photographs taken by a taxi driver of his car and passenger at different “holiday spot” locations.

The collections that Kessels brings together all contain an intriguing back story. And the motivation is very specific, often obsessive on part of the photographer.

(from “In Almost Every Picture”)
© Erik Kessels

(from “In Almost Every Picture”)
© Erik Kessels

(from “In Almost Every Picture”)
© Erik Kessels

(from “In Almost Every Picture”)
© Erik Kessels

Kessels, the Dutch art director behind KesselsKramer, has been producing In Almost Every Picture as individual books for some time, all of which are sold out now. Fortunately, Aperture just released a limited edition box set of these books: In Almost Every Picture: Volumes One to Five.

Find out more here and here.

If you’re unfamiliar with These Birds Walk’s “Kin Subscription Series,” as it’s called, you may want to take this opportunity to check it out. The series is comprised of four books, each from an individual photographer.

The current selection includes books from Paul Schiek (the publisher himself) as well as Ari Marcopoulos, Mike Brodie and Jim Goldberg. Subscriptions to the series, which deliver one book every three months for one year, are $75 or $150 for signed books. Quantities are limited to 300 unsigned subscriptions and 50 signed.

I haven’t seen the other books from the series, but the signed copy of Paul’s that I received as a gift from a friend is actually quite nice - printed and bound very inexpensively, but beautifully considered.

The next series of books looks very promising as well, as Paul has revealed that there will be some heavy hitters alongside some lesser known names: Alec Soth, Todd Hido, Marianne Muller and Abner Nolan. Those books are going into production in about a month according to Paul and pre-orders will be taken shortly after.

Check back with the site for updates!

Laurel points us to the excellent work of Texas-based photographer Mike Osborne. His Press Pictures series (made at Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express News, and LA Times plants between the Fall of 2005 and now) includes a number of rather remarkable studies of color and design. Initially, I am reminded of Michel Campeau’s Darkroom.

(from “Press Pictures”)
© Mike Osborne

(from “Press Pictures”)
© Mike Osborne

(from “Press Pictures”)
© Mike Osborne

(from “Press Pictures”)
© Mike Osborne

(from “Press Pictures”)
© Mike Osborne

See more of his work here.

Photographer and programmer Justin Ouellette (one of the forces behind the excellent video sharing site Vimeo) just announced his latest programming project: Muxtape, a simple and elegant way to share mixtapes online. Justin reports that over 1,000 members have joined in just 4.5 hours!

It looks like the photoblogosphere has taken a liking to it; find Noah Kalina’s here, Raul Gutierrez’s here or Joerg Colberg’s here.

And see my very own Muxtape here (though, I’m sure it’ll be different by the time you look at it).

Well done, Justin. Well done.

Farewell Books has just released their fifth publication: Making a Map by Japanese photographer Wakaba Noda. As they describe the project,

Trying to create a perfect place by assembling photographs of small wonders, Noda makes a map of a world not defined by geography, but by the possibilities that photography offers.

(from “Making a Map”)
© Wakaba Noda

(from “Making a Map”)
© Wakaba Noda

(from “Making a Map”)
© Wakaba Noda

(from “Making a Map”)
© Wakaba Noda

I was happy to find that the design of the publication is very simple and well considered, pairing photographs to great effect.

spread from Making a Map, 2008
© Wakaba Noda / Farewell Books

If you like the work, you might love the book. Pick up a copy of Making a Map over at Farewell Books. Also, take a moment to see more of Noda’s photographs, here.