The exhibition The Poetics of Politics—The Bucharest School of Photography, curated by the Belgian art critic/ curator Sam Steverlynck, is an exhibition diptych that takes place at Harlan Levey Projects in Brussels and Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara (Romania) within the framework of Timișoara 2023—European Capital of Culture.
Harlan Levey Projects: June 10–July 15, 2023.
Art Encounters Foundation: September 21–October 28, 2023.
The exhibition gathers works of an emerging generation of Romanian photographers (Michele Bressan, b 1980; Dani Ghercā, b 1988; and Nicu Ilfoveanu, b 1975) who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, where most of them are still teaching. Having grown up in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1989 and firsthand experienced the sudden transition from communism to capitalism and its long-lasting effects on a social, political, economic, and urbanistic level, what unites their practice is a cautious approach towards the use of imagery for various narratives and a meta-reflexive way of dealing with the medium photography. Adhering to a conceptual approach instead of a documentary one, they reflect on a period of economic, social, and technological transition, examining the notion of the image in all its forms. Experimenting with different presentation modes, switching between the analog and digital, projected image and moving image, while sometimes also incorporating found footage and text, they want to overcome the limitations of the still image while stretching its possibilities. Though they do not position themselves as outspoken in political terms, their way of viewing society bears a political dimension expressed through a visual language that is sometimes experimental, aesthetic, and poetic.
This project is co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute, through the CANTEMIR Program—funding program for cultural projects intended for the international environment and, by AFCN (the National Cultural Administration Fund).
Imagine a world where that picture you took didn’t rely on what kind of lens you were carrying with you. Imagine a world where said picture didn’t need a sensor, a piece of light bending glass or, why not, the light itself. Imagine a place where you didn’t even have to learn the basic framing, lighting, or composition skills, because they’d be useless. Well, this is Paragraphica, the brainchild of Bjørn Karman. According to the website, “It’s a context-to-image camera that uses location data and artificial intelligence to visualize a “photo” of a specific place and moment. The camera exists both as a physical prototype and a virtual one you can try.
Imagine a world where photography didn’t mean capturing the real now but rather making up an image based on a thousand different pasts.
Sounds like some kind of dystopian nightmare, am I right? To me, it feels like someone went through the whole Torment Nexus process without even the most imaginative writer going through the trouble of describing it first.
In the words of Bjørn Karman himself, this is “a passion art project, with no intention of making a product or challenging photography”, but my first sad encounter with the project was thanks to a tweet by Linus Ekenstam, an AI Educator and Designer.
In this tweet and others, Linus says the future of photography is lens-free, that this stuff is extremely interesting, and the possibilities are near-endless.
Are they, though? After all, we know AI is nothing but a glorified plagiarizing machine—something “trained” on thousands of stolen images, built for nefarious purposes like getting out of paying real artists, whatever their field.
Where are the near-endless possibilities in prompts like “An evening photo taken at Groen van Prinstererstraat 26. The weather is few clouds with a temperature of 16 degrees?”
Where’s the life? Where’s the serendipity? Where are the little details only found by people’s keen eyes and sheer luck? Where’s the art of automatically blending a dozen images stolen off the Internet?
Why are AI gurus trying to take us to a future where machines do the creative work and humanity is left for the rest? Why do they have such an obsession with seeing the world through some dehumanized, falsified representation of what the world is? Are they finding it that hard to cope with reality?
I know this is a funny gizmo meant to question the role of artificial intelligence in creative purposes. Still, the fact that it brought so many tech people stating this was the future of photography makes me even more disgusted at the whole concept of fake images generated by soulless machines.
I genuinely can’t think of a real world application for this little toy—and neither can its creator; after all, it’s just a gadget that generates a basic text to feed the AI machine by itself. The fact that people are amazed and excited about it makes me believe some of them have thought of uses for the Paragraphica. That, or they’re even stupider than one might think. And I don’t know what’s more terrifying.
As per the article’s title, inspired by our friend Linus Ekenstam, no. The future of photography won’t ever be lens-free. Unless that is, you decide to go the route of pinhole photography.
Photo: Courtesy of the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation. Photo Credit: Mahina Choy Ellis
In our vibrant and diverse community, a dynamic leader has emerged to champion the rights and well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community. Randy Soriano, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation, is igniting a wave of positive change and bringing forward a fresh perspective to uplift and empower marginalized voices. With his commitment to inclusivity, advocacy and community building, Soriano is poised to leave an indelible mark on the legacy of LGBTQIA+ activism in the Aloha State.
The foundation will benefit from his professional skills as a marketing, communications and management professional with more than 15 years of experience at industry-leading companies in Hawai‘i. Before joining the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation, Randy spent nearly a decade leading the marketing department at Title Guaranty Hawai‘i, the state’s largest and oldest kama‘āina title and escrow company.
Dedicating himself to his values through years of leadership as a nonprofit executive, Soriano specializes in program development, project management and fundraising. His passion for connecting people and serving the community has been proven through countless hours devoted to various nonprofit and community organizations. He is a Past President of the Rotary E-Club of Hawai‘i, serving a two-year term that oversaw an aggressive strategic plan to grow the Club’s membership and community partnerships.
Photo: Kelli Bullock
He is also a board member at the Hawai‘i Health and Harm Reduction Center, serving on the marketing and fundraising committee. In 2022, Randy served as the Chairperson of Honolulu Pride, leading the organization to its largest parade and festival to date. He has also previously served as Board Secretary of the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation and is a recent graduate of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai‘i’s Fellows Program.
He was an honoree at the 2019 Business of Pride Awards presented by Pacific Business News, which recognizes individuals who excel professionally and are leaders in advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2022, Randy was the recipient of Pacific Edge Magazine’s Young Professional of the Year award.
“I’m grateful to be able to combine my passions for connecting and empowering people with my marketing and management experience in a position that will effect positive change for the LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF communities. Our rights to exist and thrive are under attack, and it’s so important to create a space for people to be heard and feel safe,” says Soriano.
RS: The Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation produces Honolulu Pride, hosts the LGBTQ+ Center and creates programs that inform, unify and empower Hawai‘i’s LGBTQIA+ community. We’ve expanded on educational and cultural programming through our Māhūi committee that leads our Rainbow Town Halls and our annual Pride Pāʻina Lā ʻOhana event.
The Foundation also provides in-kind and financial support to organizations addressing social, cultural and economic inequalities. Our mission is to help LGBTQIA+ people live happy, healthy and productive lives as integral members of Hawai‘i’s larger, diverse communities.
RS: The Executive Director position is an exciting step for the Foundation because it’s an investment in the growth and sustainability of the organization. Our plans are focused on increasing representation and equity for the LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF communities through programming and events. This will include the expansion of Honolulu Pride to a Pride 365 concept, which will offer programs throughout the year for the queer community. We have a lot of large projects in the pipeline, including the return of the Vision Without Limits Gala on July 20th at Hyatt Regency and a stacked lineup for Honolulu Pride in October featuring parade grand marshal and festival headliner Sasha Colby, winner of season 15 of Rupaul’s Drag Race.
RS: We represent a community whose rights are being targeted by anti-trans policies and rhetoric throughout the nation. In a recent press release by Human Rights Campaign, a record of more than 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures, with over 220 targeting transgender and non-binary people. 70 anti-LGBTQ laws have been enacted, 15 of those banning gender-affirming care for trans youth.
In a time when we face increased opposition, the Foundation is committed to improving representation and support through educational programs and community engagement campaigns.
RS: We’re introducing programs and services that will engage more intersections of our community. On June 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hawai‘i State Art Museum, we will be partnering with Spill the Tea Café and Mark Kanemura on a family event called “I Am a Rainbow,” which will be the launch of Mark’s first keiki book of the same name. The event will feature art workshops, keiki art gallery, drag artists, drag story time, food vendors, a dance party and a book reading and signing by Mark.
We will be expanding the Rainbow Town Hall offerings throughout the year as well. Topics will include kūpuna care and resources, allyship and inclusivity training, diversity in marketing and more.
SEE ALSO: Honolulu Pride: LGBTQIA+ Events in June 2023
RS: If you’re interested in supporting the Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation, we encourage you to visit our community calendar and attend any of our events and programs. Also, everything that is done by the Foundation is supported by grants and community giving, so we encourage those who have the resources to consider donating or joining our monthly recurring giving program, Rainbow Giving. Mahalo for continuing to support the LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF communities.
LGBTQ+ Center Honolulu is moving to Waikīkī Business Plaza, 2270 Kalākaua Ave. hawaiilgbtlegacyfoundation.com, @honolulupride
An experimental new exhibit by the Longmont Museum and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art asks visitors a question: what is their relationship with the farmland that surrounds them?
The multi-venue exhibition, “agriCULTURE: Art Inspired by the Land,” opens next week at both museums as well as at three Boulder County farms. The Agricultural Heritage Center and Ollin Farms in Longmont and Milk and Honey Farm in Boulder will house artwork from the project June 10 through Sept. 4. The exhibit will be at the Longmont Museum through Jan. 7 and through Oct. 1 at BMoCA.
Eighteen artists from within and outside Boulder County were matched with local farms based on their agricultural interests. The artists were commissioned to create works that reflect the practices of Front Range farmers and even pose solutions to farming-related issues. The resulting pieces accomplish this through various forms, including sculptures, paintings and ceramics.
Jared Thompson, curator of the Longmont Museum’s arm of the exhibition, said the goal of “agriCULTURE” is to bring the link between humans and nature to life through art.
“It’s really about connecting to the land, and farmers have such a strong connection to land,” he said. “It’s great to see all of our work finally coming to fruition and actually see artwork in the gallery.”
The exhibition is four years in the making. On top of delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the long timeframe comes from the curators wanting artists to spend at least a year with their farm partners, which gave them the opportunity to experience all four seasons. The whole thing, Thompson said, has tread new ground, particularly the aspect of pairing artists with community members.
“It definitely is an interesting process,” he said. “There’s a lot of moving parts, so there’s lots to manage, but it’s well worth it.”
At the Longmont Museum, large sculptural pieces dominate the special exhibit gallery, including a carousel inside parts of a grain silo and a massive grid-patterned screen made from corn stalks against one of the walls. Taking up around a third of the gallery is a sprawling inflatable sculpture by Boulder-based artist Nicole Banowetz.
The sculpture’s large nylon tubes depict a futuristic fictional mechanism, Banowetz said, something farmers could use to send oxygen and nutrients into the soil. Banowetz was paired with Esoterra Culinary Garden in east Boulder County, which grows food for restaurants using chemical-free methods.
“I really love collaborating with scientists in general, and at least in the case of Esoterra, it’s very scientific,” Banowetz said, pointing to how the soil is often tested for microbes. “Art really can help speak about … our relationship with nature and where our food comes from.”
Banowetz was inspired by the farm’s use of microbes and pollinators to rejuvenate the land’s unhealthy soil. She hopes her sculpture will make people consider the damage humans have made to soil through pesticides.
“I want people to think about the way they are interacting with soil, specifically,” she said. “We need to promote that ecosystem without damaging it. We are a part of it, but we shouldn’t try to control it by destroying things.”
Across the gallery hangs the corn stalk screen, created by Boulder County artist Patrick Marold. Marold harvested the stalks with local fifth-generation farmer Keith Bateman, who he was paired with for the exhibit. The screen, he said, aims to depict the scale of produce that commercial farmers such as Bateman need to “feed the masses.”
“Agriculture in art has always been important to me,” Marold said. “I work from the landscape and the land, and I’m interested in how we, as humans, relate to it. It’s almost like I was waiting for (this exhibition).”
Apart from the environmental message of his piece, Marold wants the screen to capture the beauty of the material itself. People often take it for granted, he said.
“You see beautiful pastures and fields of corn, and there’s an organization to it that every farmer uses,” he said. “There’s a lot of beauty in the way those plants are planted and organized.”
Like the Longmont Museum, BMoCA’s “agriCULTURE” exhibit is a blend of art from several media; there’s even a piece that incorporates dirt from one of the partner farms. Marketing manager Jennifer Chaparro said the exhibit is a good fit with the museum’s mission of making art accessible.
“We definitely like to bring in different elements of the community, because it reaches more people and affects more people,” she said.
Opening receptions for “agriCULTURE” will be held Thursday at BMoCA, 1750 13th St. and Friday at the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road from 6 to 8 p.m. More information, including a map of exhibits, can be found at bit.ly/3ITU0VW.
Inspired by the creation stories of her ancestral tribes and the role of birds therein, the latest installation in the Murals of La Jolla public art program “Mukikmalim, Su’ulim, Chem-tema-ki’ay (Birds, Stars, Our Lands)” is considered an homage to the artist’s ancestral land and indigenous family history.
The piece was placed on a new site for the Murals of La Jolla program — at 7836 Herschel Ave. in The Village — at the end of May and into the first few days of June.
“We are thrilled to have a prominent new site located right in the heart of the village on Herschel Avenue, facing Silverado Street,” said Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Lynda Forsha. “When new murals are installed and new locations are added to the mix, it creates a more dynamic art-viewing experience for those exploring our community.”
And the latest work comes from “a Native perspective,” according to artist Gail Werner, who descends from three tribes located in San Diego County: Cupeño, Luiseño, and Kumeyaay (La Jolla is on Kumeyaay land). The title of the mural is written in the Cupeño language and translated into English. Three unique birds, a black-throated sparrow, a rock wren and a cactus wren, are prominently featured.
“In our creation stories, the animals and plants are the characters and the ‘people,’” Werner explained. “Our bird songs tell a story about the people, but they are birds, so they are one and the same. We are all related and everything is connected, the animate and the inanimate. In my work, I want to evoke a sense of journey and place.”
Werner said she chose birds that are both featured in tribal stories but also ones found in San Diego County.
Beyond the birds, visual references throughout the mural continue to tell the story of local tribes, such as a grinding rock, where women would grind acorns; the patterned symbols dispersed across the sky and around the central bird are inspired by the woven basketry design for which Southern California Indigenous people, including Werner’s great grandmother and basket maker Salvadora Valenzuela, are recognized.
However, the mural also takes a look at the darker side of her ancestral story. As is the part of the story with many Indigenous tribes, Werner’s relatives were forcibly removed from their ancestral village in 1903.
“I wanted [the mural] to be about the land because land is important to us,” she explained. “It is our place of origin, where our ancestors are. This piece, even though I didn’t show a specific mountain range, has a composite of places I have been. The right panel has a ridgeline that has two peaks, and that is specific to … where the Cupeño are. [My] people were evicted from that land and moved by force to Pala. I think about those things and honor that.”
Gail Werner, the artist behind the latest Murals of La Jolla installation, is pictured here in her studio.
(Mark Laurila)
Lauren Lockhart, a member of the Murals of La Jolla Art Advisory Committee and executive director of the La Jolla Historical Society, said the mural “brings an important perspective and unique aesthetic that is influenced by her Cupeño, Luiseño and Kumeyaay identity. The imagery she’s incorporated into the piece celebrates the legacy and stories of the indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial.”
Lockhart added that she appreciates the way Werner “approached this long, horizontal space with panels that invite storytelling. It brings vibrancy to the site, and really invites the viewer into the work.”
Having done only one other mural before, in Long Beach where she resides, Werner said she considers herself a “studio artist and printmaker” more so than a muralist.
“I had a positive experience when I did the mural in Long Beach and to me, this one is similar, but I welcomed the opportunity to create a piece in my studio and use the process [Murals of La Jolla engages in] to enlarge the work and put it on the wall. Programs like this open so many doors for other artists who aren’t just mural artists.”
She added that public art “allows everyone to see it, people that normally wouldn’t seek it out” and that she was “very excited and honored to be a part of the program. It’s such a wonderful opportunity all the way around.”
There currently are 17 murals in place around town, funded solely by private donations. For more information, visit muralsoflajolla.com. ◆
LOGAN – Once again, the Summerfest Arts Faire will host its Plein Air Painting and Photography Contest as part of the annual event on June 15 to 17 in Logan.
But this year all artists and photographers will be required to register in advance to participate in the contest.
Registration will take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Friday, June 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 10 from 8 to 11 a.m., according to Shirlene Davis, the executive director of Summerfest.
A late registration opportunity will also be provided at the Summerfest Arts Faire office on Monday, June 12 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Davis explains that the term “plein air” is borrowed from Nineteenth Century artists who preferred to paint in the outdoors. The Summerfest plein art contest invites artists to paint or photograph Cache Valley scenes in four days or less.
To encourage participation by children and young teenagers, she adds, a new Rising Star category has been added to the 2023 contest that will include entries by aspiring artists and photographers up to 16 years of age.
Participants in the plein air contest must turn in their finished and framed painting and photographs on Wednesday, June 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Cache Valley Events Center.
All submitted paintings and photographs will be displayed in the plein air gallery throughout Summerfest. Most of them will also be available for sale during the event’s silent auction.
Prizes in the professional painting division are $800 for first place, $350 for second place and $200 for third place. Prizes in the professional photography division are $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place.
Prizes in the amateur divisions are $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place. Prizes in the Rising Star division will be $15 for first place, $10 for second place and $5 for third place.
For contest rules and other information, interested parties can call 435-213-3858 or visit www.logansummerfest.org
St. John’s Episcopal Church is located at 85 East, 100 North in Logan.
The Summerfest Arts Faire office is located at 69 East, 100 North in Logan.
The Cache County Event Center is located at 490 South, 500 West in Logan.
