This N That: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Image credit to Andi Campbell on Twitter
By Claire Blaha and Daneal Rozman
Wex Photo and Video announces the Photographer of the Year 2020
On Dec. 3, Wex Photo and Video announced the winner and runner-ups for their #WexMondays Photographer of the Year 2020. Andi Campbell’s landscape photographs took the first place prize which includes the prestigious title and €1,500 in Wex Photo Video vouchers. Kent-based photographer Dan Portch received the second place prize of €500 in vouchers, and €250 in vouchers was awarded to Dave Fieldhouse, the second runner-up.
Established in 2012, the Wex Photo and Video competition is not run as a traditional photography contest would be. Instead of having a submission deadline, photographers enter their images into the contest every week through the hashtag #WexMondays on Twitter. Each Tuesday, judges compile a list of 10 images, and the weekly winner is given €20 and 100 points, while the second and third places receive 50 and 25 points respectively. The remaining seven photographs chosen receive 10 points each. These points are tallied and recorded on a leaderboard on the Wex website to determine the yearly winner. Since Jan. 14 of this year, about 15,000 images have been submitted from all across the UK.
From Jan. 16-31, 2020, the Wex Photo Video Gallery is exhibiting a collection of the 46 winning images from the weekly #WexMondays competitions.
Courtesy of Fotografiska New York
Fotografiska New York, the new destination for photography and culture
Fotografiska, a project founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 2010 by brother Jan and Per Broman, has a new location in the Flatiron District of New York City. It is to be located at 281 Park Avenue South, a historical Renaissance revival building formerly occupied by the Church Mission House, it officially opens on Saturday, Dec. 14. Three floors will be dedicated to exhibition space, accompanied by a restaurant and bar, Verōnika, operated by STARR Restaurants and designed by Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors.
Five distinct solo exhibitions will open this new venue with photography from Ellen von Unwerth, Tawny Chatman, Adi Nes, Helene Schmitz, and a partnership with TIME featuring Anastasia Taylor Lind’s work. The grand opening will be rung in with a multitude of artist conversations, dinners, and gatherings for paying members-only. Fotografiska’s goal is to foster innovation, inclusivity and self expression through art, programming, and dining experiences. Other exhibitions that will be featured include work from David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Albert Watson, Sally Mann, and Ren Hang. The venue is meant to give more of a sense of community among photographers and viewers than a museum/institute or gallery would.
Annual memberships to Fotografiska New York are on sale now for $150, and it includes many benefits like unlimited visits and invitations to members-only events. General admission tickets are $28 a visit.
© Ansel Adam: The Tetons and the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942, Image Courtesy of: Christie’s Auction House
An Ansel Adams Auction
On Tuesday, Dec. 10 Christie’s Auction House in New York City will be hosting an auction of Ansel Adams works. The auction will be in association with the Center of Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Tucson which Adams was a founding member of. Showcasing 150 “fresh-to-market” prints that encompass Adams’ work throughout the American West including Clearing Winter Storm, one of his most famous works.
Christies will hold an initial viewing of the art on Dec. 9 with the primary auction taking place the following day. In late Dec. 2020, a second lot of works will go up for auction and bidding as an online only sale. The initial round of auctioned off pieces will contain 86 images while the online auction will hold the remaining 64.
Ansel Adams’ work is engraved into the cornerstone of great landscape and black and white photography. Not only is he a trend setter, Adam’s work draws in viewers and critics attention to through fine detail and striking use of composition. Adam’s work has been known to sell out museums and garner international attention.
Image Courtesy of MEGA
Mary: Kanye West premiers his second opera
Kanye West took to a bayside barge Sunday morning at the Miami Marine Stadium to perform his surprise second opera titled, Mary. On the last day of a historic Miami Art Basel, West, and the rest of the choir known as, ‘Sunday Service’ were painted head to toe in metallic silver or mint. The opera was performed in a traditional Greek style as West acted the part of narrator while a chorus reiterated his preached words.
Mary is West’s first performance art piece at the 2019 Miami Art Basel. Beginning an hour late, the performance depicted scenes from the books of Matthew and Luke. Playing to a crowd both on land and water, West performed new arrangements of songs like, “I Thought About Killing You” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” New renditions of holiday classics like “Drummer Boy” and “O Holy Night” were also mixed into the hour-long performance.
Using themes heavily inspired by religion, West pulled from his own body of work while enlisting the help of former collaborator, Vanessa Beecroft as director. His first opera, titled, ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ took place just two weeks earlier on Sunday, Nov. 24 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
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