I can't believe a year has gone by since I graduated from the School of Visual Arts. Time really hit me today when I went to check out this years graduates. While I had fun visiting my old classmates, hearing stories about how everyone was doing, and checking out all the new artwork, I must say that for the most part I was disappointed with the output from this class.
Overall I just felt that no one took any risks. I know I encountered this argument even when I was in art school but it just seemed as if all the photographers were scared of tackling their subjects. There were too many pictures of trees, abandoned buildings and people way off in the distance. My praxis is that if one has something to say about the subject, hit the viewer over the head with it. Otherwise it just becomes lost in the onslaught of images that one sees daily.
There were some notable exceptions. My personal favorite was Tina Schula. Her work seemed to be about the escape of Nazi war criminals following the end of World War II. The concept is packed with intrigue. The photographs live up the expectations as far as drama is concerned. My only critique is that I wonder if the viewer would understand if written documentation was unavailable. Some other artists worth checking out include Yiftach Belsky and Lissa Rivera. Both of these artists had theatrical pieces in the show but they came across neatly.
I'd say check the show out. It runs from June 12 — 27, 2009 and is located at
Visual Arts Gallery
601 West 26 Street, Suite 1502
New York, NY.
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