Photo of the Week.

Central Park North

Tichy @ ICP

On Friday I went back to ICP for a closer look at what's new. I decided to only view one show at a time instead of chugging them down like a freshman at a frat party. It was definitely the way to go, I was a million times more attentive and the work left a lasting impression. So, looking at the images, it's easy to get the sense that Miroslav Tichy was some creepy voyeur who stalked the Czech city of Kyjov. Many of the photos are of the backsides of women from the neck down, distant shots at the local pool, and blurry nudes. One image that stood out was of two teenagerish girls staring at the camera directly. They looked quite uncomfortable and put off. I remember observing their faces and thinking, "Tichy be crazy looking." And then I watched a short doc about the eccentric old photographer and my suspicions were confirmed. He's a wild looking old man with dirty finger nails, tattered clothes, and long untamed gray hair. His house is of the Grey Gardens sort, dilapidated with food, art, & filth scattered about. I am glad I could look past his facade because that cooky old man did inspire me. Tichy and I share a similar perspective on photography and art in general. He used pretty much anything he could get his hands on from old oil cans to toilet paper rolls to make cameras. {see photo above} Several of them are also on view.  The way he worked reinforced to me that the creativity of the artist is more important than the tools used to produce their art. Please be sure to take some time out to watch the documentary, it's definitely worth the time. Don't forget ICP is free Fridays from 5pm-8pm.

Pho Toe Shows

Hey Photo fans, here's some info for two interesting shows I peeped last week:

The first is at ICP, and I have to admit I spent more time gabbing it up and laughing at some hilarious outfits than taking in the show, but hey it was the opening and It was too crowded to really study the work. I did like what I saw and the shows combine two of my deepest loves, Paris & black & white photography. Don't forget, it's free Friday's from 5-8pm.

The second show is called Versus at Hous Projects Gallery, in what I would call Chinatown, but it's probably considered SoHo or NoLiTa or something other than Chinatown. It's an interesting exhibit that compares/clashes the work of two photographers. Some of the comparisons work better than others. It's worth seeing either way and hey you can do like I did and stock up on some vegetarian Gong Bao Chicken at Mah Way Vegetarian when you're finished. I used to shop there when I lived and Jersey and first moved to The City. It's literally right around the corner and down the street. {It all comes back to food, right?}