Coveted Photography at AIPAD 2011

On its last day, for the first time ever I attended AIPAD (The Association of International Photography Art Dealers) in NYC's Park Avenue Armory. With over 70 galleries and photography dealers, it seems digestible in one visit but there's no way to truly absorb the print quality, photographic process and power of each image without going back multiple times.

The AIPAD show was a great intro to the fine art photography business and I was surprised to see photographers like Julie Blackmon and Beth Moon (self taught) both had multiple galleries representing their work.

Personal highlights include staring at the saturated color portraits of artist Frida Kahlo by Nikolas Murray @ Photographs Do Not Bend and discovering the book, Official Images: New Deal Photography chronicling the Farm Security Administration's 1935 - 1944 photography program.

Although I was dismayed to see very little work by African American photographers, I did find a print by LaToya Ruby Frazier @ Higher Pictures and an installation of Myra Green @ Catherine Edelman Gallery.

Japanese photographers were well represented by several galleries. Sepia Eye had an impressive collection of work by Miyako Isuhichi, Katsumi Omura, Osamu James Nakagawa, Koichiro Kurita, Go Sugimoto and Minoru Hirata. Prints dominated the booths but there were a few new media pieces like Annu Palakunnathu Matthew's  video on shown on an iPad titled "Re-generations, Sumithra 2010", also @ Sepia Eye.

Throckmorton Fine Art ignited my desire to collect (if only I had thousands at my disposal!) with photographs by the Latin Americans Valdir Cruz, Flor Garduno, Tina Modotti, Luis Gonzalez Palma, Mario Cravo Neto and Graciela Iturbide.


More photographers that caught my eye and held my heart:

• Gen Aihara  and Jen Davis @ Lee Marks Fine Art
  
• Pinar Yolacan @ Rick Wester Fine Art
  
• Nadine Rovner @ Gallery 339
  
• Soo Kim and Luigi Ghirri @ Julie Saul Gallery
  
• Cig Harvey (check out her book, The Hope Chest), Luis Gonzalez Palma and the first Weegee photograph I've seen of African Americans out on an Easter Sunday in Harlem @ Joel Soroka.

Overall, I had more than my fill of photography goodness and hope to attend AIPAD yearly. Did you attend AIPAD? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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