Foam opens the first museum exhibition of Alec Soth's new series

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, March 29, 2024


Foam opens the first museum exhibition of Alec Soth's new series
Anna Kentfield California 2017 © Alec Soth / Magnum Photos, loan from Loock Galerie, Berlin.



AMSTERDAM.- Magnum photographer Alec Soth (1969) has become known as the chronicler of life at the American margins of the United States. He made a name as a photographer with his 2004 series Sleeping by the Mississippi, encountering unusual and often overlooked places and people as he travelled along the river banks. A major retrospective in 2015 was followed by a period of seclusion and introspection, during which Soth did not travel and barely photographed. His most recent project, I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating, is the result of this personal search, and marks a departure from Soth’s earlier work. The photographer slowed down his work process and turned the lens inward. Foam presents the first museum exhibition of his new series, consisting of portraits of remarkable people in their habitat, and still-lifes of their personal belongings.

Starting point was a portrait Soth made in 2017 of the then-97-year-old choreographer Anna Halprin in her home in California. The interaction with this exceptional woman in her most intimate surroundings meant a breakthrough for Soth. Instead of focusing on a place, a community or demography, he concentrated on individuals and their private settings. Unlike many of Soth’s previous visual narratives, the choice of geographical location was not preconceived, but the result of a series of chance encounters.

The sometimes desperate desire for human contact, or lack thereof, is a theme that runs throughout Soth’s work. In an attempt to approach his subjects, Soth worked at the sitters’ homes with a slow large-format camera, almost exclusively using natural light. This laborious approach to photography is time-consuming and requires the subject to remain still in the presence of the photographer for extended periods. In addition to spending time, Soth used space as another way to overcome (or emphasise) the distance that inevitably exists between photographer and photographed. While windows and doors create a sense of detachment in the photographs, they simultaneously mark a point of entry from the outer to the inner world. The result is an intimate and often contemplative image; a photograph like a day dream.




Soth’s photographs have been compared with poetry. His photo series lack a clear linear narrative. Through omission and suggestion, ample room is left to the imagination. The series title I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating is derived from the 1917 poem The Gray Room by Wallace Stevens, in which subtle and superficial observations lead one to suspect fiery emotions below the surface. As in Stevens’s poem, Soth’s portraits and still-lifes suggest an inner life that is as rich as it is unreachable.

Alec Soth (1969) lives and works in his birthplace Minneapolis. His work has featured in solo exhibitions at prominent museums including Jeu de Paume in Paris, FOMU in Antwerp, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and MediaSpace in London. His photographs are part of important museum collections such as the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, MoMA in New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Soth has published several monographs including Looking for Love (2012), Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004), NIAGARA (2006), Dog Days, Bogotá (2007), Paris/Minnesota (2007), Last Days of W (2008), Broken Manual (2010), From Here to There (2010), La Belle Dame Sans Merci (2011), Songbook (2015), and Gathered Leaves (2015). His most recently published work is I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating (2019). In 2008 Soth launched Little Brown Mushroom: a multi-media enterprise focused on visual storytelling.

Soth has received several distinctions and fellowships, including the Infinity Award of the International Center of Photography in 2011 and the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2013. He is a member of Magnum Photos and is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco and Loock Galerie in Berlin.










Today's News

September 11, 2020

LaiSun Keane opens an exhibition of works by Mexican American artist Christina Erives

Auguste Herbin's Le Remorqueur given to Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Sotheby's to offer a 'perfect' 102.39-carat diamond this fall

French museum sorry after woman forced to cover neckline

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac announces European representation of Sean Scully

Report: Pandemic cuts modern and contemporary gallery sales by 36%

New York to mark 9/11 anniversary amid virus gloom

Diana Rigg, Emma Peel of 'The Avengers,' dies at 82

Mammoth graveyard unearthed at Mexico's new airport

Exhibition brings together over 20 sculptures by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne

Christie's announces London Editions Prints & Multiples Online Sales

Exhibition brings together three new LED works by Leo Villareal

Sudan floods threaten ancient archaeological gem

Forrest Fenn, art dealer who enticed thousands to hunt for hidden treasure, dies at 90

The Met names Abraham Thomas as new curator

Foam opens the first museum exhibition of Alec Soth's new series

Film star 1927 Ford Model T truck for sale with H&H Classics

'Impossible objects' that reveal a hidden power

14a opens an exhibition of recent works by Rachel Rossin

Israeli jazz virtuoso Avishai Cohen jives against pandemic

Von Bartha announces representation of Bernar Venet, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon and Claudia Wieser

Ronald Harwood, Oscar-winning screenwriter, is dead at 85

Sealed Pokémon box set sells for world-record $198,000 at Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions sells Frank Frazetta's influential 1970 painting The Princess of Mars for $1.2 million

7 Best And Budget-Friendly Places To Stay In NYC

Discover Art, Food, And Architecture Near Gare Du Nord Station

What are the advantages of buying with Bitcoin?

Why the Speed Dating Concept Helps Singles to Find Love

How to Create Twitter Polls: Inspiration for Marketing

How Attracting More Followers and Likes on Instagram Can Become An Art?

THE COMPLETE EXPERT GUIDE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COFFEE STORAGE CONTAINERS




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful