AIPAD PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW OBSERVATION*

The Association for International Photography Art Dealers had its annual show last weekend at the Armory located in Manhattan's Upper East Side. I originally thought it was purely an exhibition and then I realized that it an exhibition specifically geared towards dealers. There weren't any under $1,000 except for a few small prints on tables, that went as low as $700, sold in a matte. I didn't think that photographs were worth so much and I began to fantasize about life as a photographer.

Photography may be my most favorite medium. I do not agree with people who question photography as an art form. Painting is expected to alter the reality of perception, but photography is often assumed to capture the real thing. Two people who photograph the same thing easily produce different photographs. Photography is an expression of one's point of view, if nothing else. However, photography can elicit emotions in people to the same extent as other mediums.

My favorite work at the AIPAD show was by Kendall Messick. He was there so I was able to speak to him. He said that he went to SVA and then ICP, two of the top schools for photography in NYC. The work he was displaying showed his house after it burned down. At first, all I noticed were the textures. I love visual texture and he did such a great job capturing them. His work was flawlessly printed with vivid contrasted colors in framed squares. I fell in love. It's obvious that his house burned down was not as romantic as he depicted it. Some of his images are below:

I also attended a panel discussion featuring some of the members of the Photo League (http://www.moma.org/collection/details.php?theme_id=10464) and learned that the photo league members were the first group of photographers known for social documentary. The Photo League eventually closed due to the Communist scare and rise of Marxism in America. It goes to show how impressive photography, and art, can be and how much of an impact it can make on people. One of the photographers, Arthur Leizpig, laughed about how little he sold some of his work for. He said that he was looking at some vintage photography in the show and one piece was 300,000 dollars. Then he turned it over and on the back it showed that it was originally 10 dollars. Below is some of are two of his well known photographs.

It's interesting to see the two different styles, depicting two different time periods, two different points of view; yet, both are documenting life in the New York, New Jersey area.