christography

It’s been almost 20 years since I started in the business of photography, and longer if I considered my life as an artist! To slog through so many generations of artists who’ve given up, and so many who did the ‘other’ route. Through this time, I’ve learnt that the only life for everyone, would be the life of an artist. One can be an artist even while doing accounting work, even the toilet cleaner. It is through the understanding of life, and its aesthetics that more can be accomplished. Why else would we have the light we have to see things, and the chair we sit on, the countless recipes that we cook wonderful food from? All because people are artists.

Near the end of last year, an opportunity came about and I found the space of my dreams, high ceilings, huge space (I believe the dreams of many artists who would crave for such a space). It took several months before the space was overhauled and ready for work.

Never one to take things for granted, I took weeks to put in furniture, equipment, everything. With the help of friends, and clients who care, it is now almost done. Fresh and newly minted Light Editions Gallery.

I’ve had so many friends who came visiting, and so many who have sent in their proposals to do a show at my gallery.

I am just so blessed in so many ways, especially when my dream come true. I am living the life of an artist.

THE ART INCUBATOR 2010: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Art Incubator residency program is targeted at young Singaporean artists. A project-based, professional development opportunity, the residency will provide artists with a living stipend of $1,000 per month and material and production fees of up to $3,000. The resident will also be assigned a mentor, a studio space and given a platform to exhibit their completed work in a group show at the end of the residency period.

Last year, The Art Incubator hosted three artists, Claire Lim, Hafiz Osman and Tay Wei Leng, at Grey Projects, Osage Gallery and Objectifs: Centre for Photography and Filmmaking respectively.  This year, the program has expanded to include an overseas residency at Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces in Melbourne.

For more information, see www.theartincubator.org.

Applications close on 28 February 2010. Please direct all queries to The Art Incubator.

PROGRAMME 2010/2011:
Curating in the expanded field

Application deadline: January 15, 2010

http://www.deappel.nl/cp

Initiated in 1994 the Curatorial Programme of Arts Centre de Appel wishes to offer young curators a condensed package of experiences and skills that can be used as tools and instruments during the further development of their professional career. De Appel is an internationally oriented arts centre located in Amsterdam that functions as a site for research and presentation of contemporary visual arts through a series of exhibitions, performances publications and discursive events.

In September 2006, a remodelled version of the eight-month long Curatorial Programme was launched with a renewed curriculum and an extended tutorial team. It encompasses a dense array of theoretical seminars, thematic workshops, field trips in Europe and Asia, practice-related assignments and encounters with artists and art professionals. Throughout the programme attention is paid to the history of exhibition-making, diverse curatorial practices, institution building and project management. The unique and special thematic focus is on the polarity between ‘free-lance ‘ and ‘institutional’ curating and on the examination of ‘context-responsive’ curating. The programme explores through which formats and methodologies curators deal with the presentation of art in the ‘expanded field’ outside of the white cube and how they respond to the cultural moments.

From 2006 until 2009 the focus of the Curatorial Programme culminated in a ’site-specific’ curatorial assignment: the participants of the programme were invited to investigate a specific ‘area’ (in 2006/2007 this was the Amsterdam suburb de Bijlmer, in 2007/2008 the satellite city Leidsche Rijn near Utrecht and in 2008/2009 the urban area Amsterdam Noord) and realise a project that relates to this site in a direct or indirect way. Through inviting the participants to work ‘off-site’ de Appel challenged the curators to reflect upon the current status and problematics of art in (sub)urban public space and to reflect upon the different ways in which art functions in processes of urban renewal/generator and gentrification. In the programme 2009/2010 (current year) the focus of the final project is on the so-called ‘cultural moments’, i.e. situations and contexts in Amsterdam ranging from the restructuring of specific areas in Amsterdam and the urban processes that accompany it to the contemporary political situation in the Netherlands. The participants will familiarize themselves with these contexts, and can choose to incorporate it in their final project. Throughout the process the relationship with the ‘mother institution’ is maintained while at the same time being interrogated.

The following parts of the programme are considered to be of vital importance:
- The opportunity to research theoretical issues and developments in regular sessions with a tutorial team consisting e.g. of visual artist Liesbeth Bik (NL), de Appel director Ann Demeester (BE/NL), curator and writer Charles Esche (UK/NL), curator Annie Fletcher (IR/NL), writer and curator Elena Filipovic (US/BE), curator Dieter Roelstraete (BE), independent researcher/curator Lisette Smits (NL), philosopher/curator Henk Slager (NL) and art critic Jan Verwoert (BE).
- The opportunity to meet a large number of artists, curators, critics and other professionals from the Netherlands and abroad in a very condensed period of time, and having the chance to exchange ideas with them, either during thematic seminars or during informal encounters. Guest teachers over the past years have been e.g. Carlos Basualdo (US) , Gerardo Mosquera (CU/US), Paul O’Neill (GB), Jacques Rancière (FR), Simon Sheik (SE), Pier Luigi Tazzi (IT), Teresa Gleadowe (UK) and Nina Möntmann.
- the opportunity to get acquainted with de Appel from ‘the inside’, and get a better
- The possibility to make a long trip outside of Western Europe and a minimum of 7 excursions within Europe.

APPLICATIONS REQUIREMENTS
1. A letter of motivation in which your personal drive is stated and what you expect from the programme.
2. A proposal for a project (5-15 pages), including: concept and location of the project (main focus), the participating artists (including some image material), a budget, a publicity plan (not obliged)
3. A CV, including an extensive description of one’s relevant working experience
4. Two written references of (former) tutors, professors or employers, in English.

On the basis of the submitted documents a pre-selection is made. Approximately ten candidates will be short-listed; they are invited to come to Amsterdam in the second week of March for an interview by an international selection committee.

Application deadline: January 15th 2010

Send completed applications (in two-fold) to:

de Appel
Attn. Danila Cahen/Hendrik Folkerts
P.O. Box 10764
1001 ET Amsterdam
the Netherlands

For further information please visit our website
http://www.deappel.nl/cp

contact:
Danila Cahen (coordinator): dcahen@deappel.nl
Hendrik Folkerts (assistant-coordinator):hfolkerts@deappel.nl
t +31 (0)20 6255651
f +31 (0)20 6225215

had a moment of inspiration with this leaf from my garden.

and that rose..

Some of you who use the apple computer might recognise the screen saver!

decided to do a new series.

this should give readers a hint on what was done.With studio lights and all..

Kinda goes with the starry batik shirt dun you think? Must say I look kinda pale in this one.

Almost great conversation, and I say almost only because we didn’t have time or more beer, or whatever that people these days need to get it going! ha. I’d almost forgotten about how he looked like when he was truly laughing! It was good catching up some!

Anyway, the reason why I started this post with a portrait was because I thought that it’s about time I made some comments about the audience that came for my ‘on fingerbowls and hankies’ exhibition.

During my official opening, I had some guests come over and asked about why I didn’t make the people in the photo look good? And by looking good, they meant, smiling, without wrinkles or blemishes. I was a little stumped, not by the question, but rather by the fact that there are still people out there who still believes that a portrait of a person needs to be one where the sitter is at his / her best.

Now, I can understand why in the past, it was important to capture people at their best! Photography was precious, then. People would dress up just to be photographed. But now? Even in the context of an art exhibition? Gosh, it is certainly not new that people don’t look their best in their portraits, just look at the self-portrait that Vincent van Gogh painted of himself!

And let’s just look at the concept of the person looking their best. When I photograph a person, I’d really like to photograph what’s there in front of me, so, for the purpose of a representative image, the person would look best being themselves, or being the person I feel and know. If they happen to be really sad, I would photograph them with sadness in their eyes. For me, that’s the person looking their best.

In this case, my friend had a good time, but the weight on his shoulders does not escape his eyes.

During a photography shoot, it is easy to say “capture the essence of the sitter in a split second.”

The essence of a person is made up of memories and I also believe in creating a memory for the sitting.