Jon Rafman

My friend Mary brought this collection of incredible Google street view captures to my attention by artist Jon Rafman. His discoveries are often haunting, funny, and beautiful. Definitely worth checking out.

Commencement Speeches, for the Ages...

Inspired by graduation season some very inspiring speeches. 

Hipstamatic Photographs and Portraits now in the archive at Renaldi.com

Portraits

Hipstamatic

Adrian Ghenie

Pace’s first exhibition of the young Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie, is amazing. He is known for his meticulously-crafted, often brutal paintings that build upon the darker moments of European history.
The show is up until May 4th.

These two paintings especially blew me away...

Holi

Take a look at this cool slideshow on TPM of Indians celebrating Holi, a festival which celebrates the arrival of spring. Color is a wonderful thing!

Charles Lane Press in Chicago

Portraits from "the West"

Nichelle, Bullhead City, Arizona, 2013

Steve, Bisbee, Arizona, 2013

Sally, Los Angeles, California, 2013

New work - Manhattan Sunday

See the web version here.

Gospel of Intolerance

Here is a great and disturbing multimedia piece on the influence of the American evangelical movement's influence on repressing gay people in Africa/Uganda. Please help fight this extremism by supporting the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. 

Caught in my eye...

© Fernando Moleres

 © Tobias Kruse

© George Dureau

© Aline Paley

© Damon Winter

© Ben Huff

© NASA

© Doug Dubois

Gay couples in Vietnam

There is a strong series of photographs on the New York Times Lens Blog of portraits of gay couples in Vietnam by photographer Maika Elan. Check them out here.

© Maika Elan

Gotta love this...

Happy New Year!

Ode to things, by Pablo Neruda

I have a crazy,

crazy love of things.

I like pliers,

and scissors. 

I love

cups, 

rings,

and bowls – 

not to speak, or course,

of hats.

I love

all things,

not just

the grandest, 

also

the 

infinite-

ly

small – 

thimbles, 

spurs,

plates,

and flower vases.

Oh yes,

the planet 

is sublime!

It’s full of pipes

weaving

hand-held

through tobacco smoke,

and keys

and salt shakers – 

everything,

I mean,

that is made 

by the hand of man, every little thing: 

shapely shoes,

and fabric,

and each new

bloodless birth

of gold,

eyeglasses

carpenter’s nails,

brushes,

clocks, compasses, 

coins, and the so-soft

softness of chairs.

Mankind has 

built 

oh so many

perfect

things!

Built them of wool

and of wood, 

of glass and

of rope: 

remarkable

tables, 

ships, and stairways.

I love

all

things,

not because they are

passionate

or sweet-smelling

but because,

I don’t know,

because

this ocean is yours,

and mine; 

these buttons

and wheels

and little

forgotten

treasures,

fans upon

whose feathers

love has scattered

its blossoms,

glasses, knives and

scissors – 

all bear

the trace

of someone’s fingers

on their handle or surface,

the trace of a distant hand

lost

in the depths of forgetfulness.

I pause in houses,

streets and 

elevators

touching things,

identifying objects

that I secretly covet; 

this one because it rings,

that one because 

it’s as soft

as the softness of a woman’s hip,

that one there for its deep-sea color,

and that one for its velvet feel.

O irrevocable 

river

of things: 

no one can say

that I loved

only

fish, 

or the plants of the jungle and the field, 

that I loved

only

those things that leap and climb, desire, and survive.

It’s not true: 

many things conspired

to tell me the whole story.

Not only did they touch me,

or my hand touched them: 

they were

so close

that they were a part

of my being,

they were so alive with me

that they lived half my life

and will die half my death.

Controlled Burn, Easter Island, October 2012

5th Annual Secular Holiday Digital Advent Calendar

Happy December Everyone! Please enjoy my 5th Annual Secular Holiday Digital Advent Calendar. It will be updated daily through December 24. You have to find the number that corresponds to the day of the month and click it for a special treat. Don't click ahead (you won't find anything there). Lots of fun and surprises in store! Come back everyday or on the 24th to see the entire calendar. Please feel free to share...

Exhibition - Hotel Room Portraits

If you are in the Lambertville, NJ / New Hope, PA area check out my exhibition of Hotel Room Portraits at Wessel & O'Connor Fine Art. Running until December 23 there are over two dozen prints from this ongoing double self-portrait series. 

This is the first group hotel room portrait from our recent trip to Bolivia.

Left to Right: Theo, Richard, Seth, Vincent, Willemijn, and Nikola.

Loius CK

Louis CK is definitely one of the greatest comics of our generation.  I just completed watching the third season of Louis (which is running on the FX network).  Louis CK is not only the star of the show but he is also the writer, director, editor, and musical director. The semi-autobiographical premise of the show is about the trials and tribulations of a middle-aged stand up comedian who is lonely and out of shape. Each episode is only twenty-two minutes in length but Louis CK manages to pack them with poignancy, humor, sadness, and surrealism. The character Louis is honest, vulnerable, and socially conscious. I simply love him.  The girls playing his two daughters Lily (hilarious) and Jane are both incredible young actresses. I think this show goes above and beyond anything in the canon of fictionalized autobiographical sitcoms that have come before it (specifically Sienfeld & Curb Your Enthusiasm). Louis CK is an auteur like Woody Allen but he doesn’t live in a bubble like Allen and he depicts his life and shows a vision of New York City that is both real and accessible. A nice perk is that there are often really great guest stars that sometimes appear in multiple episodes. This most recent season there were outstanding performances by David Lynch, Parker Posey, and Chloe Sivigny to name a few.

Easter Island, October 2012

Aéroport

As I am about to embark on a big trip to South America check out my project Aéroport - a photographic series from years and years of air travel. Additionally, take a look at a recent blog post on the project at Forbes.com