Come to My Solo Show Opening Tomorrow!

Love of the Blonde for the Black, 2012

It's finally here! The show is up as of today and I can't tell you what a relief it is to see it all done. Please join me to celebrate the beginning of the end of my MFA program at ICP-Bard: my solo thesis show titled "Dead Ringers."

Chobi Mela VII International Festival of Photography Bangladesh 2013

Copyright ‘Maïmouna’ Patrizia Guerresi

Chobi Mela VII International Festival of Photography will be launched on the 25 January and will be on till 7 February, 2013 in Dhaka Bangladesh. This seventh edition of the festival features 34 diverse and exciting exhibitions with artists representing more than 24 countries and once again shows that it is one of the most demographically inclusive photo festivals in the world. Under this year’s theme of fragility, fine art photographers, conceptual artists and photojournalist explore our tenuous existence, the tortured planet, the subtleties of racial diversity and multiculturalism, while looking at magic and beauty amidst the drudgery of everyday life.

Celebrating diversity this year the prestigious line-up of award winning exhibiting artists include Eugene Richards from US; Gideon Mendel from UK; J. D. Okhai Ojeikere from Nigeria; Lu Guang, Muge and Zhang Hai from China; Graciela Iturbide from Mexico; Max Pam from Australia; Pablo Bartholomew and Richard Bartholomew from India; Ziyah Gafić from Bosnia and Sandra Vitaljić from Croatia.

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Qiana Mestrich ICP-Bard MFA Solo Exhibition Opening Jan 31st, On View Feb 1st & 2nd

"Dead Ringers", Qiana Mestrich 201

It's a mixed emotion kind of day... I'm a little sad because I was supposed to be in Paris right now live blogging from the Black Portraiture[s] conference but due to unexpected delays in the preparation for my MFA solo show, I had to cancel my trip.

Yet it's a GREAT day because I'm excited that my MFA solo exhibition opens in 2 weeks! The show will include my photography, writing and mixed media work around the themes of human duplication and profiling.

I'd like to cordially invite YOU, my fabulous blog readers, to come see what I'm working on right now and maybe even get into some conversation about it over some wine and cheese. If you can't make the opening reception, be sure to come by on Friday or Saturday from Noon to 5pm. Friends, family and lovers are welcome!

Look forward to seeing you at my first solo show... if you can't make it at all, I will be posting images from the show to my website in the days after the show closes. Or follow me on Instagram for some outtakes from my studio during the next two weeks of show prep.

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 31st | 6-9pm ET

On View: Friday, Feb 1st and Saturday, Feb 2nd | Noon-5pm ET

Location: ICP-Bard College MFA Studios (near MOMA PS1)
24-20 Jackson Ave, 3rd Floor Long Island City, Queens

Subway: E, M, G or 7 to Court Square

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"Soul Food Junkies" Film Premieres Nationally Tonight on PBS

I am looking forward to watching filmmaker Byron Hurt's Soul Food Junkies which premieres nationally tonight at 10pm ET on PBS as part of their Independent Lens series.

From the PBS Independent Lens Soul Food Junkies web page:

Hurt sets out on a historical and culinary journey to learn more about the soul food tradition and its relevance to black cultural identity. Through candid interviews with soul food cooks, historians, and scholars, as well as with doctors, family members, and everyday people, the film puts this culinary tradition under the microscope to examine both its positive and negative consequences. 

Hurt also explores the socioeconomic conditions in predominantly black neighborhoods, where it can be difficult to find healthy options, and meets some pioneers in the emerging food justice movement who are challenging the food industry, encouraging communities to “go back to the land” by creating sustainable and eco-friendly gardens, advocating for healthier options in local supermarkets, supporting local farmers' markets, avoiding highly processed fast foods, and cooking healthier versions of traditional soul food.

Before you watch the film, check out this interview with Soul Food Junkies director Byron Hurt on his hopes for what this film can achieve.

PLEASE NOTE: Although Independent Lens airs nationally on PBS, local PBS programmers can air it whenever they feel it will work best for their market. It is important that you check your local listing for the exact date and time in your area. Check these TV listings to see when Soul Food Junkies airs in your area.

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FotoFest 2014 Biennial To Focus On Contemporary Arab Photographic Art

Khaled Hefez (Egypt), The A77A Project: on Presidents & Superheroes 
(still from video), 2009

The FOTOFEST 2014 BIENNIAL will focus on Contemporary Arab Photographic Art, including video and multi-media installations. The Biennial will showcase more than 40 contemporary Arab artists using photography and related visual media to address a broad range of aesthetic and cultural values impacting Arab culture. The FotoFest 2014 International Biennial takes place March 15 through April 27, 2014, in Houston, Texas.

Roundtable: The Black Female Body at Brooklyn Museum

Qusuquzah Standing Sideways, 2012.
Chromogenic photograph.
Copyright Mickalene Thomas

Inspired by the work of Mickalene Thomas (who currently has a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum on view through January 20th), "The Black Female Body" roundtable will discuss how the Black female body has been represented in visual culture and its affect on Black women today.

Speakers include Deborah Willis, Isolde Brielmaier, Carla Williams and Tisa Bryant.

Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 2 p.m. ET
Brooklyn Museum
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor

Next week Deborah Willis will host Black Portraiture[s]: The Black Body in the West, a conference in Paris from January 17 - 20, 2013 which I will be attending. Stay tuned to Dodge & Burn for notes from the conference.

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Black Portraiture[s] Conference in Paris Organized by Deborah Willis and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Despite being busy working on my solo MFA thesis show coming on January 31st (details coming soon), I'm excited to announce that I will be attending the Black Portraiture[s]: The Black Body in The West conference in Paris from January 17 - 20, 2013.

This is the fifth in the series of conferences organized by Harvard University and NYU since 2004. Black Portraiture[s] explores the ideas of the production and skill of self-representation, desire, and the exchange of the gaze from the 19th century to the present day in fashion, film, art, and the archives.

There's a HUGE lineup of photographers/artists I admire speaking on the Black Portraiture[s] panels including Carrie Mae Weems, Hank Willis Thomas, Carla Williams, Lyle Ashton Harris, Renée Cox, Zanele Muholi, Ayana V. Jackson... plus curators, cultural critics, academics, filmmakers and many more!

In anticipation of my trip to Paris, I've finally signed up for Instagram after a long time dragging my feet. Follow me @qianamestrich for some pics from the conference!

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