Look Out: Conor Ashleigh

CONOR ASHLEIGH

Conor Ashleigh's Our World Unseen exhibition is currently on at the Lovett Gallery in Newcastle. Conor's keen sense of moment, colour, emotion and light is beautifully highlighted in photographs that grab attention and hold the gaze. Whilst Conor's photographs are strongly grounded in the journalistic, the sense of mood prevailing commands considered readings. The exhibition has a couple of weeks left to run, and we strongly recommend you catch it. Second and third years students are reminded that Conor will be giving a special talk at Lovett Gallery on March 24 at 9.30am. Check Blackboard for full details. We also suggest keeping an eye on Conor's blog to see what he's up to.

Look Out: Jon Rafman

Nacozari De Garcia – Montezuma, Sonora, Mexico
JON RAFMAN

Google's influence on the art making community continues with the work of Jon Rafman. His project The Nine Eyes of Google Street View is an illuminating look at the global reach of Google's cameras and the surprising moments presented for voyeuristic viewing from the safety of our living rooms. It calls to mind Joan Fontcuberta's challenging Googlegrams, with both artists calling into question the ubiquity of image making in the 21st century.

Look Out: Days of our Lives

When I shave, I use this mirror, 1972-...
JAY MCCAFFERTY

Recently, 365 projects have become popular, possibly in part due to a proliferation of digital technology which assists in the gathering and presentation of data. In 2010 Jen Beckman created a blog called A Collection A Day detailing her collections. Noah Scalin is currently working on a Make Something 365 project where people can submit their own 365 projects for inclusion. His previous Skull-A-Day project ended in June 2008. Dutch artist Marcel van Eeden embarked on a daily drawing project several years ago inspired by crime reporting in his local newspaper, some of which can be seen here. While not strictly a 365 Project, Bill Keaghy's Sad Chairs is an intriguing study of chairs, some discarded and many unloved. The series illustrates how a clear focus on a subject, in this case mundane chairs, can transform images into a body of work with great appeal. Californian Jay McCafferty has been documenting his daily grooming habits since 1972 in his ongoing project When I shave, I use this mirror. The stills above show changing hair fashions as he shaves around his moustache. The 365 model is a great way to get started and to be surprised at how quickly a body of work can emerge from something that may at first seem uninteresting.

Look Out: Octopus Obsessions

Herb Ritts' iconic image of a man shrouded in an octopus could well be a reference for a new generation of artists using the octopus as a prop in their images. We first noted the trend when Fantom magazine ran Tumiko Utsu's whimsical Octopus Portait (left) on their Winter 2010 cover. Yumiko mixes performance, sculpture and photography to create surreal and often cheeky images derived from organic materials that speak of life and death. Linked by octopus, Zoia Skoropadenko's recent photographic exhibition Torso (right), which has just finished in London, sees the artist recreating scultped classical torsos using octopuses. The results are eye popping and you can see more of Zoia's work on her website. Torso VIII © Zoia Skoropadenko.

Look Out: Duck or rabbit? Or fish?

Head
BEGONA PRETORIUS

Here at Fine Art we've been treated to an inspiring round of Honours presentations these past couple of weeks. Perceptive painting student Liam started his presentation by showing the illustration (below) and how it may relate to his practice in relation to the gestalt. The following week Photomedia student Begona made the print above. We couldn't help but note the similarity between the two. What do you think?

Look Out: Commuter Crush

From the series Tokyo Compression
MICHAEL WOLF

Michale Wolf's Tokyo Compression series is a crushingly good example of Transit, a project that the current first year students are grappling with. Michael spent a month in a Tokyo metro station documenting what can only be described as commuter hell. Squashed sweaty faces against glass windows paint pictures that are compelling with an alluring twist that makes the viewer feel as uneasy as the photographer no doubt was. More of Michael's work can be seen on his website. Image © Michael Wolf.

Look Out: Pixel Panels

Home Movies 920-1, 2006
JIM CAMPBELL 

It's hard not be mesmerised by Jim Campbell's large-scale works. Utilising digital technologies, live video and real-time electronic manipulation, viewers are immersed into environments that tackle Jim's key themes of light, memory and knowledge. Jim's recent 4 Works exhibition at Hosfelt Gallery in New York delved deeper into his explorations of fathoming the limits of human understanding through the use of large-scale LED grids, which required viewers to negotiate negative space. We're looking forward to seeing images from a new piece commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, due for installation in November 2011.