Paris—the City of Lights—so called because Georges-Eugène Haussmann, the Robert Moses of the mid-19^th century metropolis, lit up his newly widened boulevards with thousands of gaslights. The fallout from this offshoot of the Industrial Revolution was another revolution in itself, and perhaps the origin of the notion of celebrity. For the first time, the streets were safe to travel after dark and quickly became a stage for the haute bourgeoisie to stroll at night, showing off their finery and creating a new form of social life.

Walking the boulevards of Paris remains one of the city’s greatest gifts: its public spaces are designed for enjoyment, visually, spatially, stylistically. So when this announcement came in today from “Nicolas at Galerie l'Atelier NY,” I quickly scrapped my original plan for today’s post. This is what he sent:

“It has been over a year since I last went to Paris and I miss my hometown and traveling. I called up the Gallery Artists to each send me their own vision of Paris so I could compose a stereoscopic view of the capital through their eyes. These artists share my same love for the city but express it in such different ways, showcasing a wide range of the photographic medium. I hope you will want to join me on this visual escapade and fall in love with Paris the way these artists have.

“Through her pinhole calotypes, Tricia Rosenkilde creates a distorted and impressionist universe from the Paris landmarks and lesser known places. In her work, suddenly the Arc de Triomphe seems to be animated, walking towards us as she opens up our usual perspective to a new dimension. With Jehsong Baak, we enter a more intimate and personal relation to the city that he adopted and we reach out to these characters crossing his works. With Michel Giniès, and Jean-Luc Olezak, we look at two more humanist views of the Paris from the 60’s through today and we rediscover the city we love. Night photography and Architecture is represented with Nicolas Auvray “Night Attractions” giving us a sense of being invited to walk through these scenes like on movie stages. 

"One notable and very rare common point however is the analog medium used by all these artists. All works shown are originals, printed by the photographer : Silver gelatin prints, except for the Platinum and cyanotypes hand printed by Rosenkilde.”

Paris Wanderlust opens on Thursday, January 14th from 6-8PM. 
rsvp please: contact@galerielatelier.com  Galerie l'Atelier   X   Fremin Gallery, 520 West 23^rd Street, NY, NY. Ground floor, under the High Line

They say when you think you’re about to die, your life flashes before your eyes. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. The day started like any other. I was looking at my phone when it happened. I wasn’t aware until I heard my mom scream. I looked up to see that our car was spinning to the left. Time slowed. I tried to let out a scream but the words wouldn’t come out. I panicked. No sound escaped from my lips. I figured I was already dead. — Mae Stone, (the artist’s daughter) 2018

Friday, January 15: Barry Stone will present a series of photographs in an exhibition entitled Drift in the main gallery at Klaus von Nichtssagend. This new work emanated from a car accident Stone’s family survived while on a summer road trip from their home in Austin, Texas to Bailey Island, Maine. Above: Barry Stone, Floating, Birmingham Alabama, 201

In addition to smashing the family car, the crash caused a portfolio of Stone’s photographs taken the previous summer to scatter across the highway. Despite this harrowing encounter, Stone at once began photographing the scene of the accident, and as the family resumed their journey north, he continued to take pictures of their trip.

This exhibition features the photos taken that day and that summer, including pictures of his damaged portfolio. Databent images, in which Stone creates chance operations through manipulation of the images’ digital code, will hang alongside unaltered photographs, further exploring the collision of life as lived and as represented in photographs.

Barry Stone, Drift, January 15 - February 20, 2021, at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery.

January 15, 7:00 PM, Artist talk | Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer

Join Bob Gruen, author of Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer, on Friday, January 15 at 7:00 PM (ET) for a virtual exploration of the rock music scene through pictures that have captured the world’s attention. Through entertaining stories and iconic images, Gruen provides a unique window into the evolution of American music culture.

Gruen is one of the most recognized and respected photographers in rock and roll. From John Lennon to Johnny Rotten; Muddy Waters to the Rolling Stones; Elvis to Madonna; Bob Dylan to Bob Marley; Tina Turner to Debbie Harry, he has captured the music scene for over forty years in photographs that have gained worldwide recognition.

This program is presented by The National Arts Club. Register here

January 13, 6:00 pm, Artist talk | From Personal to Universal, Artist talk with Rania Matar. Above: Lea, Beirut Lebanon, 2019

Join SF Camerawork to hear from Lebanese-born American artist and mother, Rania Matar. Rania has dedicated her artistic practice to exploring both sides of her cultural background, cross-cultural experience, and personal narrative, in addressing issues of personal and collective identity, through photographing girls and women both in the United States where she lives and in the Middle East where she is from. Focusing on both cultures is especially important to her in the current political climate we live in, where the ‘them vs. us’ rhetoric is so prevalent. Register here

Note from the Home Office:

AP37 Call For Entries is Open – With Reduced Entry Fees! American Photography 37 | Still / Here. Deadline: February 5, 2021. Enter here

Note from the Editor’s desk at the Home Office:

I will be teaching Present Yourself, offered by Sculptors Alliance, February 1-22 on Zoom. Thanks to funding by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, this 12-hour writing intensive is again FREE to NYC residents. Just scan the QR code for info and to register.