Artist

Thinking about the future of the Photobook.


Paul Graham's 12 book called "a shimmer of possibility"

I've been thinking a lot about the future of the photobook lately. Tonight there is going to be a online chat through Twitter. More info on that here: http://www.harlanerskine.com/blog/2009/12/first-art-photography-tweetchat-future.html

There is also an interesting experiment in blogging on the subject on the Livebooks blog, RESOLVE. Their crowd sourced blog collects all the recent posts into one big page. Lots to check out and think over.

All these discussions are an interesting contrast to the Aperture Foundation hosted talk I attended few months ago. The talk featured many different voices. Some of the names on the panel included:

Charlotte Cotton, curator and Head of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA, will moderate a discussion with panelists Alex Klein, artist and Curatorial Fellow in the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA; Matt Keegan, artist and editor of North Drive Press; David Reinfurt, graphic designer and co-founder of Dexter Sinister; and Denise Wolff, Aperture Editor. Other special guests include special guests Paul Graham, Darius Himes, and Laurel Ptak.

Sadly, the panel never quite got to the meat of a real discussion. After each panelist gave an introduction there wasn't much time left. Maybe this is where a Twitter based chat can work better? We'll see.


NDP #4 (ed. 1000)

I did manage to learn about some interesting work from the panelists - especially, artist and publisher Matt Keegan's North Drive Press. Their hybrid publishing of magazine / book / art object in limited edition batches is an example of where creative art books are headed. As production gets cheaper, artists are more easily able to produce their own larger edition artworks.

In preparation for tonight's first art photo chat, Todd Walker reminded me of this Words Without Pictures piece by Darius Himes and it's a great starting point for thinking about the photobook going forward from 2010. Darius Himes also wrote a post contribution that's worth checking out.

There are two parts to the future of the photobook; one part is technical and the other is creative. New technologies in printing and reading are emerging. How will they change the way we consume photography? What new creative trends will emerge through these technology developments as well those through developments in art production? These two areas are interdependent and each will change as the other does.

Photobooks, and particularly art photobooks, are unlike their book cousin the novel which may suffer massive declines in paperback book sales because of reading devices like Amazon's Kindle. The enjoyment of the novel, and especially a paperback doesn't greatly diminish when consumed on such a device. Many readers swear by them. I have to agree with Darius Himes when he writes in his essay, "Who Cares About Books?":

And while the sensual experience of receiving and holding a Mac AirBook borders on the rapturous (I almost feel like I'm dissimulating when I enter the Apple shrines scattered around the country), it is still not something I want to read a book on-even if it is something I want to use to send an email about a book I just read.

Books are so archetypal for the modern wo/man that we form nearly permanent bonds with them as teenagers and adults. They are the security blankets and teddy bears of the adult world. Most of us cart our books from state to state, from college dorm to rented apartment to newly purchased home, and lovingly set them up on our shelves as reminders of knowledge acquired and courses and degrees completed, and as familiar companions.

I enjoy books for many reasons and the little subjective memories they pick up along the way is certainly one of them. There are two recent books that might be interesting to discuss.

While the consumption of an artistically produced book would lose much of its presence on a downloaded format, there probably will be rare cases where the end design is for electronic consumption. One particular piece I recently came across is made by Eve Susman and the Rufus Cooperation. It's produced by a new publisher started by Schroeder Romero and Winkleman Gallery called Compound Editions called White on White. The edition is sold as a 6-minute video installed on ARCHOS 5 media tablet.


Eve Sussman & Rufus Corporation
A COUNTRY ROAD. A TREE. EVENING. 2009
Original music by Lumendog
Geoff Gersh - guitar and electronics
Adam Kendall - keyboards & electronics
Christof Knoche - bass clarinet & electronics
Bradford Reed - pencilina
6-minute video installed on ARCHOS 5 media tablet
5" x 0.5" x 3.1"
Edition of 100, plus 10 APs
$450.00 for numbers 1-50; SOLD OUT
$600 for numbers 51-100.

While we can't say for certain what the future of the photobook will be, it's exciting to see artists stretching the boundaries.

SELF PROMO ALERT: While you're thinking about photobooks be sure to check out my artist published photobook:

ten convenient stores
I made the 7 x 7 inch booklet with laser paper on a high end xerox laser printer. It is packaged in various convenient store bags. Produced in an artist edition of 20 in 2005 and a bigger edition of 100 in 2005.

Looking forward to tonight's experiment.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2009 Picks -Update x2

There are so many great events this year for Miami's Art Basel mayhem. I am whittling through all that's happening and posting my picks to this post.

To jump to a specific date please click a date below:

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009

Please send me any suggestions for events and opening I don't have listed.


Tuesday, December 1, 2009


FriendsWithYou Boutique Launch Party!
Tuesday December 1, 2009 , 6:00pm - 10:00pm
3930 NE 2nd Ave, Suite 202
Miami, FL 33137

This Art Basel Miami 2009, we invite you to join us for the grand opening of the first FriendsWithYou boutique, where the philosophy is to "Shop Happy"! Created to be a place where fine art meets consumer products, the boutique will open accompanied by a new line of limited edition merchandise including apparel, fine art, sculptures, prints, collectible toys and everything FriendsWithYou! To celebrate, we will host a special launch event and artist signing Tuesday, December 1st from 6pm to 10pm. As a special gift, all attendees will receive a free Super Malfi with purchase of any FriendsWithYou product!

We are super excited to unveil our flagship boutique as a part of our brand-new headquarters located in the heart of Miami's Design District. As the official Art Basel Miami location for FriendsWithYou, our boutique is a special portal into a wonderful world of happiness! Experience the Magic, Luck, and Friendship this Art Basel Miami 2009 and "Shop Happy" with FriendsWithYou!!!

"Opening Night Reception" at Photo Miami
Wynwood Art District: 3401 North Miami Avenue, VIP only, 6-10pm

Preview: "VIP Preview" at Art Miami (Art Miami Pavilion)
Wynwood Art District: NW 31st St and Midtown Blvd, (access for Art Miami VIP cardholders & Press), 7-10:30pm

"The Miami Poetry Collective" (Locust Projects courtyard) at Locust Projects
Design District: 155 NE 38th Street , suite 100, 6-10pm

Francesca DiMattio "Decollage" at Locust Projects
Design District: 155 NE 38th Street , suite 100, 6-10pm

"Vernissage" at Design Miami
Downtown Miami: NE 39th Street and 1st Court, By invitation only, 6-10pm


Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Performance: "Opening Night with the annual Art Loves Music concert on the beach featuring Ebony Bones (UK), supported by Amanda Blank (USA)" in collaboration with Creative Time at Art Basel Miami Beach (Oceanfront Nights)
Miami Beach: Miami Beach Dr at 21st Street, (Oceanfront), 6pm-midnight


Aaron Young, Locals Only, Burnt rubber and resin on glass panel, 5' x 7', 2009

IT AIN'T FAIR 2009 Opening Wednesday 8 pm at O.H.W.O.W. Gallery
The second installment of It Ain't Fair promises to be even more spectacular than our inaugural exhibition. Calling on our community for participation, we assembled an international group show comprised of over 30 artists that we feel are creating the most relevant work today including Rita Ackermann, Tim Barber, Lizzy Bougatsos, Scott Campbell, Julia Chiang, Barb Choit, Peter Chung, Brian Degraw, Ry Fyan, Cyprien Gaillard, Michael Genovese, Todd James, KAWS, Zak Kitnick, Terence Koh, Harmony Korine, Andrew Kuo, Nate Lowman, Ari Marcopoulos, Adam Marnie, Megan Marrin, Adam McEwen, Santiago Mostyn, Neck Face, Keiichi Nitta, Jose Parla, Erik Parker, Brad Phillips, Kenny Scharf, Aurel Schmidt, David Benjamin Sherry, Agathe Snow, Spencer Sweeney, Eric White, Bobbi Woods and Aaron Young.

Opening night will be highlighted by the screening of Cyprien Gaillard's Cities of Gold and Mirrors accompanied by a performance by French symphonic composer Koudlam.

Special Rooftop Performance by French symphonic composer Koudlam at 10:30pm
Alongside a jumbo-sized outdoor screening of Cyprien Gaillard's Crazy Horse accompanied by exposions and visual effects.


David Lynch, Gun, C-print, 40" x 30", 2009

DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE VISUALS BY DAVID LYNCH
OPENING RECEPTION DECEMBER 2, 2009 AT 8PM

Musical visionary Danger Mouse and iconoclastic filmmaker David Lynch pool their talents and reveal the stunning and haunting photographs from their groundbreaking project Dark Night of the Soul at Art Basel Miami Beach 2009.

Dark Night of the Soul is a full-length album and illustrated book, combining the talents of Danger Mouse, David Lynch and celebrated rock recluse Sparklehorse. In addition to the hardcover book, the album includes vocals from the Flaming Lips, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, Frank Black of the Pixies, Iggy Pop, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Suzanne Vega and many others.

The exhibition consists of over 50 original photographs by David Lynch which are displayed alongside the accompanying soundtrack by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. Seven limited edition prints of each photograph will be available for purchase. The exhibition will open December 2, 2009 as the much anticipated kickoff to Art Basel week 2009.

The Brief Happy Life of Workshop Workshop, with Pooper and Pizza Dog
Thursday, December 3, 2009 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Design Miami, NE 39th Street & 1st Court

The Brief Happy Life of Workshop Workshop
Design Miami/ 2009

Workshop Workshop, a factory and salon created by artist Jim Drain, poet P. Scott Cunningham, and sculptor Graham Hudson, produces zines that respond to Design/Miami itself—its participants, objects, conversations, histories, narratives, belief systems and forms. Even the detritus of the tent’s construction has been put to use by Hudson, who is in the act of constructing the space using remnant lumber, rubber, plastic, furniture—anything the fair and the city (the larger fair) has cast off.

In Workshop Workshop, physical and metaphysical byproducts are recycled and put to use, creating an environment, a process, and a series of works that reflect the intense interchange that occurs in Miami each December, and creates a locus for collaboration.

Drain, Cunningham and Hudson will draw from a rotating—and ever-expanding—crew of local and international artists, designers and writers, in order to produce as many zines as it can during the length of fair, with as diverse a range of content as possible.

zine [zeen]
1. An abbreviation of the word fanzine, or magazine
2. A handmade journal, with small circulation and hyperlocal aesthetics, that maximizes the two-dimensional intersection of image and text, using both original and appropriated content.
3. Any self-published work of minority interest reproduced via photocopier.

Completed zines cost $5.00 each or can be bartered for intellectual property.

Proceeds will be donated to two local non-profits, Bas Fisher Invitational, an artist-run exhibition space, and the University of Wynwood, a literature advocacy organization.

Opening, Thursday December 3rd, 2009
NW 26th Street & 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL

AN OUTDOOR MURAL PROJECT PRODUCED BY DEITCH PROJECTS AND GOLDMAN PROPERTIES

Fifteen influential artists from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States have been invited to create outdoor murals on the warehouse walls of Miami’s Wynwood Art District. Tony Goldman of Goldman Properties, one of the major property owners in Wynwood, has made available a group of walls and buildings for artists to work on, concentrated in the area between 2nd and 5th Avenues and NW 22nd and 28th Streets. The project also includes an indoor space at 2550 NW 2nd Avenue where paintings by several of the artists and documentary photographs by Martha Cooper will be exhibited.

The Wynwood Walls project will build on the tradition of street art already established in the neighborhood to create a more tightly curated outdoor exhibition. In addition to the twelve murals to be completed for the opening of Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2009, the intention is to commission another fifteen or more wall murals over the next two years. The goal is to sponsor the creation of a group of outdoor murals by the best artists in the field that will become an international street art museum.

The artists in the first phase of The Wynwood Walls are: Aiko from Japan, Os Gemeos and Nunca from Brazil, Stelios Faitakis from Greece, and Jim Drain, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Barry McGee, Ara Peterson, Clare Rojas, Kenny Scharf and the team of Swoon, David Ellis and Ben Wolf from the United States. Futura is one of the most influential street artists of all time, one of the originators of Wild Style in the early 1980s. Kenny Scharf’s work opened a new direction in art in the early 1980s and continues to influence a younger generation. Os Gemeos introduced a new approach to street art in Brazil in the 1990s and has influenced artists around the world. Os Gemeos will be bring several artist friends from Brazil including Nina and Finok who will collaborate on their mural, which will cover the building at the corner of NW 2nd Avenue and NW 26th Street. Barry McGee, from San Francisco, whose work will also cover an entire building, at 2390 NW 2nd Avenue, introduced a new artistic vocabulary mixing figuration and geometry that has also been widely influential. Shepard Fairey and Swoon have become among the best known American artists of their generation through their art on the street. Jim Drain and Ara Peterson, both formerly members of the influential Providence collective Forcefield, continue to develop new approaches to artistic media. Jim Drain is now living in Miami and has become central figure in the local art community. Clare Rojas is also a musician performing as Peggy Honeywell and brings a folk art sensibility to both her art and music. Aiko’s work encompasses the imagery of Japanese Pop.

The Wynwood Walls will also include a special project by Shepard Fairey at 2700 NW 2nd Avenue between NW 27th Street and NW 27th Terrace, produced by Christian Strike and Country Club, presented in conjunction with the Miami Art Museum and the Fountainhead Residency. Fairey will also unveil a banner project at the Miami Art Museum.

Wynwood Walls Exhibition Hours:
Friday, December 4th: 10am – 10pm
Saturday, December 5th: 10am – 10pm
Sunday, December 6th: 10am – 6pm
Ongoing Tuesday – Saturday 12 – 8pm

WWW.DEITCH.COM
WWW.GOLDMANPROPERTIES.COM


MAX FISH
OPENING RECEPTION DECEMBER 2, 2009 AT 6PM
28 NE 14 Street
Miami, FL 33127
Daily 6pm - 4am

In celebration of the legendary New York City bar's 20 year anniversary, Aaron Bondaroff, Al Moran and Ulli Rimkus bring the downtown institution Max Fish to Miami for the week of Art Basel. Taking over a functioning bar space in downtown Miami, the team will be recreating an art installation out of the core elements of the Lower East Side location and importing it's colorful cast of characters for the week. With a prime location downtown Miami, it will most definitley be the common meeting point for Art Basel attendees and act as the main clubhouse for all of the creative community during the fair week. A full lineup of live bands and dj's will be performing nightly during ther week as well as movie screenings in an outdoor space.

Featuring artwork by Scott Cambpell, Neckface, Kevin Long, Ako & Atiba, Jery Hsu, Theresa Dillon, Jesse Gold, Mr Kiji, Chris Yormick, Andrew Kou, Joaquin Stengleman, Andre Aimi, Judi Rosen, Patrick Graf, Pia Arrabio, Dave Aron, Jason Wright, Cycle, Ivan Rodriquez, Keeva, Isabel Asha Penzlien, Jonthan Meltring, Tony Cox, Alain Levitt, Bobby Puelo, Mark Gonzales, Olga Sophie Kapplen, Steve Powers, John A Grigley, Angela Boatwright, Sally Penn, Thomas Campbell, Scott Lenhart, Brian Deran / Baby Leg, Toben Yelland, Vanessa Salle, Josh Wildman, Wes Lang, Greg Woolard, Wierdo Dave, Brigette Engler, Mike Farmer, John Drury, Royce Meier, Jondra Nolan, Brent Richardson and Leo Fitzpatrick.

LIVE PERFORMANCES ALL WEEK

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2009
I.U.D.
Silkflowers
Animals Of The Arctic

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009
BARR
Mike Bones
Wilder Zoby (Chin Chin)
Jaccuzzi Boys

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2009
Gang Gang Dance
Endless Boogie
Teepee

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2009
Special Secret Performance

Resident DJ's Tim Barber, Leo Fitzpatrick, Benton


Thursday, December 3, 2009


Ed Ruscha, Vital to the Core, Acrylic on linen, 61cm x 89cm, 2009

STAGES
OPENING RECEPTION DECEMBER 3, 2009 AT 8PM
ADDRESS AND HOURS
888 Biscayne Blvd at Marina Blue
Miami, FL 33132
Daily noon - 8pm, Sunday noon - 6pm

We invite you to join Lance Armstrong and Nike at STAGES.

It's a unique celebration of human potential inspired by Lance and dedicated to the fight against cancer. Over twenty renowned artists offered their time and creativity to express the LIVESTRONG message and raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation which is committed to inspire and empower people affected by cancer.

Artists included in the exhibition are Cai Guo-Qiang, Rosson Crow, Jules de Balincourt, Dzine, Shepard Fairey, Futura, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, Geoff McFetridge, Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie, Os Gemeos, Erik Parker, Jose Parla, Raymond Pettibon, Lari Pittman, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf, Eric White, Christopher Wool, Dustin Yellin and Aaron Young.

Join the fight.

Live Performance by ATLAS SOUND 8pm - midnight

Screening: Marc Horowitz, The Neistat Brothers, Tom Sachs "Video Art and Mainstream Distribution" curated by Creative Time at Art Basel Miami Beach (Oceanfront Nights), 6pm-midnight

Performance: The Vivian Girls In association with the Hostess Project at PULSE Contemporary Art Fair (The Ice Palace)
Downtown Miami: 1400 North Miami Avenue, 7pm


Friday, December 4, 2009

Tour: "Miro & Noguchi: Masters of Surrealist Sculpture; 100 Years of Photography from 1909 – 2009; George Segal Depression Bread Line; Sculpture & Video: New additions to the Collection including Franz West, Sara Barker, Zilvinas Kempinas, Ivan Navarro & Bill Vi" at The Margulies Collection At The Warehouse
Wynwood Art District: 591 NW 27th Street, $10 (free with VIP card), 9am


Saturday, December 5, 2009

Screening: Jill Magid, Kon Trubkovich "The Watcher and the Watched" curated by Creative Time at Art Basel Miami Beach (Oceanfront Nights)
Miami Beach: Miami Beach Dr at 21st Street, (Oceanfront), 6pm-midnight

Performance: Khaela Maricich "The Blow" In association with the Hostess Project at PULSE Contemporary Art Fair (The Ice Palace)
Downtown Miami: 1400 North Miami Avenue, 6pm

Saturday December 5th @ Electric Pickle (2826 North Miami Ave)
Freegums and Poplife bring you the Sky’s the Limit shot glass. Available with every shot you buy. This is a special shot glass release and there will be limited quantities.

SwingArt Party at NADA with performance of the TM sisters & Fashion show by Luis Valenzuela
Deauville Beach Resort, Collins & 67th Street
December 5, 7p-10p

Converse Presents ART IS FOR EVERYONE
Featuring:: LA MALA RODRIGUEZ, KINKY plus Lolo and Aramis Lorie
Installation by Mentalgassi
The Awarehouse, 550 NW 29th St., Miami. Show starts at 9 p.m.

On December 5th, Converse celebrates the creative spirit and artist in everyone with an evening of free music and art, open to all, in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. Happening at the conclusion of Art Basel, it’s an open invitation — to be inspired and create.
The evening will feature live performances by renowned artists from Mexico and Spain, Kinky and Mala Rodriguez. Kinky energizes with their Latin alternative sounds and infectious dance rhythms. Mala Rodriguez is best known for her infusion of flamenco sounds into hip-hop music. Presenting their first-ever US installation, German street-artist Mentalgassi, will showcase their largest installation ever, a massive 95’ creation. For added inspiration, the event will also present a series of mini-documentaries that shine a light on everyday artists from around the world.
Cocktails courtesy of V Georgio Premium Spirits and Modelo Especial.
Special Guest DJs: Lolo, Aramis Lorie

Ghostly International 10 Year Anniversary Party.
Saturday, December 5. 10 p.m.-5 a.m.
White Room. 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami.
Ghostly takes its 10-year anniversary caravan to Miami for Art Basel.
Featuring a special live audio and visual performance by Audion from his Hecatomb tour.
Along with live performances by Solvent and Bodycode with DJ performances by Philipp from M.A.N.D.Y, Michna and Miami’s own Conway.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Screening: Kon Trubkovich "Double Entrance/Double Exit, 2009" at Scope Miami Art Show (Soho Studios Miami)
Wynwood Art District: 2136 NW 1st Avenue, 11am-6pm

Wow We Have Come This Far / BFI 5year Anniversary


'Worlds Without End Part I,' 20 x 37 inches, ©2009 Harlan Erskine

I'm happy to announce that I will have the above print included in the BFI Portfolio. If you are in Miami please stop by the benefit this Thursday November 12th. Hope to see you there!

THE BAS FISHER INVITATIONAL CELEBRATES ITS 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH A BENEFIT AND PREMIERE OF THE PORTFOLIO "WOW WE HAVE COME THIS FAR"

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time: 7 - 10 p.m.
Tickets: $50 per person (cash or check only)

Location: The Bas Fisher Invitational
180 NE 39th Street, Suite 210
(inside the Buena Vista Building in Miami’s Design District)

Featured artists in portfolio "Wow We Have Come This Far":

Kevin Arrow | Alex Cardenas | Clifton Childree | Jessica Dickinson | Harlan Erskine | "Freegums" aka Alvaro Ilizarbe | Frederico Nessi | Rebecca Schiffman | Francine Spiegel | Jen Stark | Mike Taylor | Jonathan Thomas

The Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI), an artist-run, alternative arts space in Miami's Design District, is throwing a cupcakes and cocktails soiree to mark its 5-year anniversary and portfolio premiere on November 12, from 7-10 p.m. “Wow We Have Come This Far” features exclusive, limited-edition prints exploring silk-screen, giclée, photography and etching, among other mediums, by 12 BFI alumni artists.

Attendees will be treated to deejayed tunes by BFI organizers Naomi Fisher, Jim Drain and Kathryn Marks, with the added pleasure of knowing their $50 ticket goes toward future programming and events.

Founded in Summer 2004, the BFI has hosted 30 exhibitions, many of which have launched the careers of emerging artists: Francine Speigel went on to show with Deitch Projects in New York; Jessica Dickinson and Alejandro Cardenas are represented by James Fuentes, an edgy, downtown New York gallery; and Jen Stark, Alvaro Ilizarbe and Clifton Childree are among Miami's most respected talent.

In gratitude for their success, these portfolio artists contributed to raise funds and ensure support for the next generation. All ticket and print sales go toward matching the Knight Arts Challenge grant awarded to the BFI from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This matching grant provides funds to maintain year-round programming including exhibitions, lectures, community outreach and artist residencies in association with the Fountainhead Residency, as a nonprofit, non-commercial venue under the umbrella of the Dade Community Foundation, a 501c3. The Knight Arts Challenge is a $40 million initiative to bring the South Florida community together through the arts.

About the Bas Fisher Invitational

For over five years, the Bas Fisher Invitational (BFI) has consistently maintained a presence in Miami as a thought-provoking artist-run gallery space. As a zero-profit, alternative venue for unrepresented artists the BFI has allowed artists to receive full benefit of their hard work and to make great professional connections. The BFI was created by Naomi Fisher and Hernan Bas (now managed by Fisher, Jim Drain, Agatha Wara and Kathryn Marks). Since 2009 the BFI has been under the umbrella of the Dade Community Foundation, a 501c3.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote community engagement and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

The Bas Fisher Invitational is generously supported, in part, by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.