CALIBER

[column width="48%" padding="4%"]

I shot the above photo at SFMOMA recently from the spacious ground floor atrium up through the light shaft to the catwalk spanning across the fifth floor just underneath the skylight (click here for a larger version on black). Although I’ve taken many similar photos in the past, there’s something about that light shaft and skylight that keeps me coming back for more.

Currently there are three really great photography exhibitions; a Richard Avedon retrospective, a Japanese postwar show of a half-dozen photographers, and an exhibition of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean contemporary photography. The Avedon show ends November 29th, and the Japanese postwar and Asian contemporary exhibitions end December 20th.

While all three are excellent, I’d like to say a few words about the Japanese postwar exhibition, called The Provoke Era: Postwar Japanese Photography. What I really enjoyed about the show, was the highly energetic style employed by the exhibited photographers as a group; breaking many of the rules of traditional photography in order to help convey their vision. Their imagery sought to express the feelings many had in Japan after the war, the subsequent US occupation, and witnessing the country’s identity transforming from empire to democratic rule.

For me, the photographs as a group can be described as bold in composition, harsh with high contrast, cast in grating light, and seasoned with grain you can taste. This is what nuclear winter will feel like if that time ever comes. [/column]

[column width="48%" padding="0"]

The photographers in this exhibition include Eiko Hosoe, Shomei Tomatsu, Daido Moriyama (who in particular I admire), Masahisa Fukase, Nobuyoshi Araki, and a couple of others. Some were contributors to a photo journal magazine titled Provoke, which was started in the late 1960s and ultimately influenced many of Japan’s upcoming photographers. Provoke Magazine is long gone and old copies are rare and difficult to find.  A few copies are on display at the exhibition along with prints by the above photographers. Although the subject matter is different, the high-conrast style influences my own photography.

If your in the area, check out SFMOMA’s three photography shows, and in particular, the Japanese postwar exhibition – you’ll leave amazed.

SFMOMA has really been rocking with outstanding photography exhibitions over the last five or so years. Next year in November there’ll by a Henri Cartier-Bresson retrospective exhibition, the first in the US in 30 years, featuring 300 photographs over his entire career.

SFMOMA is a very photographer friendly place – you can take pictures in the permanent collections as well as in the current special exhibits. Also worth checking out is the new rooftop garden on the top floor – a great place for relaxing over coffee and cake with friends after the shows. [/column]