Fall Chicks

“21 Under 30”, curated by Mary Stanley, opened at The Granite Room Friday night. Looking beyond the somewhat superficial reason for lumping 21 photographers together, the show offered a nice cross section of photography - with just about every format and process represented in the cavernous gallery space.

Brandon Jones had a really nice series of diptych lambda prints. "Bathroom Break/Championship Jesus" above and "Communal Dissent/Communal Ascent" below.

But back to the issue of age...honestly, what’s age got to do with anything here? What's the point in having a showing of art from a particular age group? I think art can be more readily divided by "new idea" vs. "old idea" than "young person" vs. "old person." I can't say that this show proclaimed any new movement in the under 30 crowd or separation from photographers in their thirty's on up.

I guess I don't like the art market's fixation with artists under thirty and this idea of “the one to watch” being propagated. It sounds like something on the cover of Cosmo. It reminds me of the "Movers and Shakers" show at MOCAGA. Really, how many of these people will still be showing when they actually turn 30? Nobody knows but I guess the work won’t be as interesting since they will be so old. Isn't thirty suppose to be the new twenty anyway thanks to all the growths hormones and antibiotics in milk? But that's neither here nor there...

Maria Watts, "Intuition"

One of the highlights of the show for me were the two works by Stephanie Dowda from the "Time & Time" series. "Red" above and "Blue" below. I had seen "Red" a year prior at the ACA gallery and it was interesting to see what I remembered about it versus what information is actually given. The fragmented images seem to play with memory, giving only snippets, and in the past year my mind had filled in the gaps, creating a rather fuzzy but complete image.

Apparently the guy in the plaid is on Law and Order. (the plaid below that is)

Trevor had to have his picture taken with the celeb. The first four attempts may have been considered "discreet" but after that I think the guy started to notice.

Turns out the guy, Christopher Lowell, had some really beautiful work.

"Sisters #14, Atlanta, Georgia"

"Ginnifer & The Dolls, Memphis, TN"

This was Trevor's favorite piece in the show. Called "Nest" by Jessica Triggs.


Stephanie and Erin contemplating ageism - or something.

The video installation "Lost in Media Soup" by John Paul Floyd added another dimension to the show, blurring the boundaries of photography, and toying with our media riddled culture.

So young! So fresh!

Christian Bradley West had a nice grouping of small, contemplative works on aluminum. Which were in sharp contrast to his very sweet ride that I heard grumbling through Castleberry Hill long before I saw it.

The show is up at The Granite Room through Nov. 1st 2007.