Author: dblauadmin

May 19, 2016 — May 22, 2016

 The Labyrinth

Anthropos apteros for days

Walked whistling round and round the Maze,

Relying happily upon

His temperment for getting on.

The hundreth time he sighted, though,

A bush he left an hour ago,

He halted where four alleys crossed,

And recognized that he was lost.

“Where am I? Metaphysics says

No question can be asked unless

It has an answer, so I can

Assume this maze has got a plan.

If theologians are correct,

A Plan implies an Architect:

A God-built maze would be, I’m sure,

The Universe in miniature.

Are data from the world of Sense,

In that case, valid evidence?

What in the universe I know

Can give directions how to go?

All Mathematics would suggest

A steady straight line as the best,

But left and right alternately

Is consonant with History.

Aesthetics, though, believes all Art

Intends to gratify the heart:

Rejecting disciplines like these,

Must I, then, go which way I please?

Such reasoning is only true

If we accept the classic view,

Which we have no right to assert,

According to the Introvert.

His absolute pre-supposition

Is – Man creates his own condition:

This maze was not divinely built,

But is secreted by my guilt.

The centre that I cannot find

Is known to my unconscious Mind;

I have no reason to despair

Because I am already there.

My problem is how  not to will;

They move most quickly who stand still;

I’m only lost until I see

I’m lost because I want to be.

If this should fail, perhaps I should,

As certain educators would,

Content myself with the conclusion;

In theory there is no solution.

All statements about what I feel,

Like I-am-lost, are quite unreal:

My knowledge ends where it began;

A hedge is taller than a man.”

Anthropos apteros, perplexed

To know which turning to take next,

Looked up and wished he were a bird

To whom such doubts must seem absurd.

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Daniel Blau is pleased to present Anthropos at Photo London, an exhibition revealing the human body through physical or political gesture. Movement and gesture have captured artists’ imagination from time immemorial. The artworks presented here all share the exceptional ability to capture various forms of gesture from posed, formal portraits to iconic, candid moments. Indeed, this year’s selection includes a photogram, where the human body had direct contact to light-sensitive material, impressing its outline on the work. The photogram (nudogram) presented here is a unique large-scale work by Floris Neusüss from 1964. This photographic imprint echoes the earliest experiments made by notable pioneers such as Anna Atkins in their cameraless processes, where the work has an inimitable quality and directness.

Photography’s ability to preserve and document was recognised at the point of its invention. Movement posed problems for photographers due to the long exposure times required, thus sculpture and architecture provided photographers suitable subjects. Our 19th century selection includes a spectacular albumen print taken by James Anderson in 1855 of Laocoön and his sons being seized by snakes. Set against a black background, the sculpture obtains a strong theatrical presence. Further 19th century works include Édouard Baldus’ exceptional photographs of statues in the Louvre as well as the Fratelli Alinari’s work and a selection of works by Giorgio Sommer of the human casts from Pompeii. Sommer’s photographs preserve and catalogue the remains of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption from 79 AD, which destroyed and buried the ancient town along with its inhabitants. These early works demonstrate the distinctive engagement with the aesthetic gestures in art and underline the long-standing interplay between the media of photography and sculpture.

Moving into the 20th century, we explore artists whose work oftentimes reintroduces historical methods (direct impressions of objects made onto light-sensitised material) to a contemporary practice: The London-born Adam Fuss’ photogram of a floating baby reflects the aforementioned early photographic explorations of sculpture. As Fuss traces the baby’s outline and the water’s rippling movement he produces a unique and evocative work outlining the human form.

Political gestures are best described through examples such as an early work by Anselm Kiefer from his Occupations series, which is shown alongside various press photographers, unique vintage prints by Weegee, and finally, a selection of vintage NASA prints showing astronauts floating in space. Where Kiefer’s work questions art’s existence and function since fascism, Weegee’s unstoppable urge to capture life’s (and death’s) dramas shows photography’s outstanding ability to fix instances otherwise perhaps invisible to the eye. Combining both sculptural and political qualities, the vintage NASA prints of spacewalks (from the Gemini missions), show dreamlike moments of human weightlessness.

This selection of artists shows the numerous points of intersection between the ‘political body’ and the ‘artistic gesture’.

Somerset House,

Stand G6

Preview Day: 18th of May

The fair is open from the 19th – 22nd of May, 2016.

“The Labyrinth” by W. H. Auden, 1940

Copyright © 1945 by W. H. Auden, renewed, reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

November 12, 2015 — November 15, 2015

Extra! Weegee features new discoveries as well as famous icons of Arthur “Weegee” Fellig’s legendary photographs.

 
Weegee’s unstoppable energy and photographic mastery grants him his prominent position in both artistic photography as well as in photojournalism. His famous use of a flashgun created what he termed “Rembrandt lighting” – a highly contrasted chiaroscuro effect which simultaneously heightened and accentuated visual details,rendering crime scenes less gruesome whilst maintaining photojournalistic standards for print. Weegee’s visions are unique: often showing nocturnal scenery. His varied themes have inspired generations of photographers. Whether visiting a gala event or racing to a crime scene, Weegee’s interest was often directed at onlookers’ reactions rather than at the spectacle itself. His pictures highlight the sensationalist and voyeuristic elements inherent in photography.

We are particularly pleased to reaffirm Weegee’s ongoing relevance as a creative force in this ensemble of vintage prints from the 1930s and 40s that we are presenting at Paris Photo this year.

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Daniel Blau features breathtaking photographs taken in orbit 50 years ago.

On March 18th, 1965, the Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov was the first human to step out of a spaceship during the Voshkod II mission. His 12 minute space walk marked a new level in the already heated competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. It was only a few months later on June 3rd, that Ed White made his space walk debut. This initiated the photographic narratives of the space race between the two superpowers. The camera has always been a silent partner in space. Photography, constantly redefining itself and our perceptions of reality, has played a decisive role in conveying the magnitude of mankind’s achievements. These pictures continue to impact our cultural, spiritual and political understanding of our environment and universe.

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Daniel Blau presents universally awe-inspiring photographs of nuclear explosions.

At 5:30 am on July 16th, 1945, the silence of the New Mexico desert was shattered by the blast of the first nuclear test, code-named ‘Trinity’. It irrevocably changed the world, ushering in the Atomic age. The light emitted by the explosion was sufficient to cause temporary blindness to an observer just half a mile away. Daniel Blau’s focus at this year’s Paris Photo is directed towards photographs of American nuclear tests from the 1940s and 50s.

Life Is Not a Test shows a unique selection of rare vintage prints of test explosions in the Pacific as well as the Nevada desert. These spectacular photographs reveal man’s most destructive forces at work and point to the fusion of art, history and technology caused by collisions of political and ideological differences. These photographs stand as a testimony to the history behind the study of the atom, which began centuries ago with philosophers investigating the structure of matter. It was the Greek philosopher Democritus (ca. 460 – 370 BC) who first formulated a hypothesis on the existence of atoms. The intersections between aesthetics, science and philosophy are dramatically demonstrated in these photographs of atomic explosions.

Exhibition: November Thurs. 12th – Sat. 14th, 12 – 8 pm, Sun. 15th / 12 – 7 pm.

at Grand Palais

Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris

October 14, 2015 — October 18, 2015

Daniel Blau is pleased to show at the launch of the “Collections” section of Frieze Masters. Exhibited here for the first time together, Blau’s impressive collection of Pacific fish hooks can be admired alongside David Bailey’s stunning Uncharted photographs.

“A great catch” is, as we all know, a difficult feat. It is always supported by knowledge, skill and technology. In the Pacific though, it is about survival. The people of the Pacific Islands refined their fishing technique, making it an art form. Their craftsmanship evolved through many generations perfecting how, where and when to catch a particular fish at any given moment. The elegance of these hooks is astonishing: they can all be distinguished by fascinating, sometimes minute, variations in detail as every hook is designed for a specific type of fish. The hook itself is the mesmerisingly inviting bait which, by virtue of its sublime design and material, entices the fish to seize it. Distinctive in their production, the hooks are made using only local materials available to the isolated island societies. Most of the hooks presented here were made without any use of metal since metals had only been introduced to the islands after the first European explorers’ arrival in the last quarter of the 18th century. Unfortunately this ancient knowledge, craftsmanship and skill has become increasingly rare since the introduction of metal fish hooks. As the traditional ways of life on the islands give way to a globalised, 21st century standard of living – these hooks remain impressive and important examples of the distant Pacific Island Cultures.

Bailey’s collection of fragmented Uncharted prints, characterised by their torn edges, gives us insight into his artistic ingenuity and distinctive ability to create unique photographs, despite photography’s inherent reproducibility. Famous for his iconic portraits and inventive fashion photography, this collection of Uncharted prints shows another facet of Bailey’s œuvre. Torn before printing, the rough borders of these prints accentuate specific details whilst omitting others.Bailey makes his compositional choices in the brief magical moment of darkness between focus and exposure, releasing the unpredictable laws of chance in the creation of these fragments of his genius.

Put simply, a great collection represents the wonders of each individual object it houses.

Frieze Masters Stand G6

Regent’s Park NW1 4HA, London UK

Collectors’ Preview Tues. October 13th (invitation only)

Exhibition
Wed. 14th – Sun. 18th October 2015

October 14, 2015 — October 18, 2015

Why NASA photos?

Many of us remember the moment of the Apollo XI landing and the first man stepping onto the Moon’s elusive, dusty ground. It was a glorious moment which, momentarily, seemed to eclipse all our fears and problems. It truly felt like a moment of universal enthusiasm.

Though primarily scientific, NASA’s space program produced some of the most visually enchanting,mystical and intriguing pictures of the 20th century. As the most expensive photographs ever taken, due to the staggering financial costs demanded by the United States space program, these prints stand as visual evidence for some of mankind’s greatest achievements. These pictures are rare, and often unique witnesses to these extraordinary moments capturing the various layers of political, documentary and artistic values in their glorious nostalgia.

Why Grosz drawings?

I know Grosz as the sharpest pen – more often than not nailing the Weimarer German to paper and dissecting the entrails of his soul.
Early in his career, he cut his pens and quills on nudes – edging along their outlines and scratching at their private parts.When I first discovered (probably well-known to the rest of the world) his 1920s drawings of nudes, couples, threesomes and groups, it was truly exciting.

The forcefully pornographic subject matter adds an additional dimension to these brazen drawings. Lines I find in de Kooning, J. Jones or Rauschenberg, but only decades later, are here already, defiling the paper.

Grosz, so gross and yet so magnificent!

PAD London 2015 Stand A15

Berkeley Square London, W1

VIP Preview
Tues. Oct.13 (by invitation only) 3 – 8 pm

Public Opening hours: Wed.14 Oct – Sun. 18 Oct. 2015
from 11 – 8 pm