Sunday, December 02, 2007

Lame Fine Art Photography

So a few reflections on the state of affairs after browsing the photography section recently....

1. Celebrities : At what point did the sheer act of taking a picture of a famous/pseudo famous person automatically make a photograph worthwhile? Virtually half of the photo monographs currently being published are pointless, slickster fluff pulled from magazines layouts. Seriously, who cares. I propose a new equation for the 21st century: Celebrity=Bad photograph

2. "Erotic" Photography: Alright, so I'm hoping that at some point in a photographers career, they get past the fact that people will often take their clothes off for you if you have a camera. There's nothing wrong with the nude as a subject, but can we stop making naked people into moronic sex icons, and say something meaningful? Swooning women, overly muscled men, body oil, and soft lighting, please, what a joke.

3. Fetish Photography: I realize it sells books, not sure why, but it does. And yes, I know, every woman seems to have a secret desire to be a "Suicide Girl" but god, the photography is terrible.

4. Oh the Witkins: You know the type....death obsessed, morbid, lots of scratchy scratchy on the ol' negative cus it's SCARY! Turn off the NIN album, trade in your copy of Seven and stop wearing leather pants.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Things to Love About Chicago Avenue

1. It's not North Avenue
2. It's not Division
3. Chicken dinners @ FEED
4. Beers @ The Continental
6. Bacci Pizza by the slice
7. It leads to Humbolt Park

Remembering the Burkhart Underground



So word on the street is the Burkhart Underground may be resurfacing this year! For those of you who had the good fortune to go there when it was still in operation, it was a great, creative, vibrant place. It was a little converted house right along Halsted,
surrounded by condos and silly chic, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the place would be demolished to make way for further expensive boredom. I remember making my way into the basement on Sunday nights for coffee, spoken word and dimly lit good times. Oh sure there was always the questionable S&M leanings of Burkharts photography upstairs,
and a strange decidedly goth crowd sometimes, but all in all, a true beauty of a place. Latest word is that Burkhart is busy at work on a new space @ 1228 N. Noble. It'd be a welcome return to the chicago scene and I'll be there with my $5 donation
in hand.

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