American Flags by Alison Grippo

Happy 4th of July! Freedom and art for all is celebrated around here this weekend! Hopefully you'll be enjoying the holiday with friends someplace cozy--I'm off for a kayaking adventure on the Hudson in a minute--but wanted to share the perfectly timed image that I found from Alison Grippo on her blog, Inkcapture.

Alison was anointed a Hot Shot and named a Ne Plus Ultra, gaining her representation by Jen Bekman Gallery in 2006. Her two edition prints Untitled (Mott Street), and A Man and His Horse, are available, unlike freedom and art for all, in limited supply.

Wednesday Edition: Mike Sinclair

One-foot-out-the-door Wednesday greetings, my collector friends! I feel like a kid on the last day of school, yes I do. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm heading north for the holiday weekend. What I didn't mention is that I'm going with a very loose interpretation of "weekend" and starting mine today. In theory, at least — there's an awful lot standing between me and the open road at the moment.

Trying to write about Fourth of July #2, Independence, Missouri isn't helping matters any — every time I look at this captivating image from one of our most recently anointed Hot Shots — the very talented midwesterner Mike Sinclair — I find myself slipping off into a daydream and losing track of the very important task at hand.

I had the same problem with Colin Blakely's similarly seasonal edition last year, although with an out-of-town weekend in the offing, I find myself flashing forwards while gazing at Mike's image, rather than back. In the hopes of staying focused on my most immediate future, I'm going to refer you to some of the fine writing that's been done elsewhere about Mike's work.

I'll start close to home with Youngna Park's recent Q&A with Mike, published shortly after we announced 2009's first five Hot Shots. Upon reading it, I was pleased to discover that Mike and I share similar blog-reading habits and found myself nodding in agreement with the sage words of advice offered by his wife: "You don't know what you don't know."

Sara Distin's thoughts on Mike's photography are out in the blogosphere too. She declared Mike the Jen Bekman Photographer of the Month over on Flavorwire. She does a great job of pinpointing what's so insightful about his work, writing that his photographs "contain the sort of deeply-centered observations that seep into the core of what it is to be an American, and eventually find their way out, tickling the skin with warm familiarity."

Traveling further afield to Mike's stomping grounds, I can point you towards a thoughtful review of his recent Kansas City exhibition, a series of images captured at public parks in urban areas. In At the Dolphin, Mike Sinclair sees a City Beautiful, Dana Self opens with some background on the origin of the show's title: "The City Beautiful movement — out of which modern urban planning emerged — engaged architects and municipal leaders in the beautification of industrial America at the turn of the 20th century."

As for my own contribution, I suggest you mosey on over to Personism for the latest installment of my Paired series, which matches Mike's photograph with The Motorcyclists, a poem by James Tate.

I've got my own engine to rev, so bye for now! (But not for long.)

Our darling Noah is a blue blood blogger. His popularity on Flickr, YouTube, and Twitter has granted him entrée onto PDN's The Five Biggest Photographers on the Internet list. Noah is in comfortable company with David Hobby, Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir, Christopher Becker and Jim MacMillan. Not sure who they are? Read all about them--and Noah-- here.

See more of Noah's work on his site and on his blog. Follow Noah on Twitter here.

Noah's 20x200 edition print has limited quantities available: Untitled (LA20070805)

Tuesday Edition: Ann Toebbe

Tuesday greetings, collector friends! The sun is finally shining down upon us here in NYC, and for a few days running no less. I'm considering abandoning my ark-building plans, but not just yet — I'm not entirely convinced that El Nino's done having his way with us for the year. I do have my fingers crossed for a pleasant weekend, though. The Otter and I are headed north as soon as we can, with fresh air and picnicking in mind.

Today's edition seems appropriate for the season — Red Plastic Plates are sure to be set atop many a picnic table this weekend! Ann Toebbe's distinctive style also puts me in an out-of-the-city frame of mind; her folk references and decidedly un-citified subjects remind me of weekends spent with my grandparents in the suburbs and beyond.

Red Plastic Plates also makes me nostalgic for the not-too-distant past. It wasn't long ago that I first introduced 20x200 collectors to Ann's paintings. Back in January of this year, we released the two other editions that you see here: Drying Our Boots by the Stove and Burning Down the Second House. Even more recently, while in Chicago for the NEXT fair, I had the good fortune of meeting Ann in person and I got to see the original work on which our Red Plastic Plates edition is based. What a treat it was!

I am nuts for this painting and seeing it in person strengthened my conviction to add it to our Ann Toebbe 20x200 offerings. Ann was a bit hesitant though; the original had been acquired by a fabulous collection and what would its curators think? Fortunately for all of us, you lucky collectors included, it's the fabulous West Collection that acquired the painting. They're lucky too — it's a truly wonderful piece. And me? I am green with envy — and told the collection's founder, the wonderful Paige West, exactly that. She also immediately gave us the green light to do an edition with the piece — she's been a big fan and supporter of 20x200 from the get-go.

Paige is a huge patron of the arts and her passion manifests itself in a variety of ways. We share a keen interest in supporting emerging artists and collectors, and I've got nothing but admiration and awe for the things she's done on their behalf. She was way ahead of the curve when she founded Mixed Greens* back in 1989 — its program and approach are all about demystifying the art world and supporting new collectors. She even wrote the book on it: Art of Buying Art: An Insider's Guide to Collecting Contemporary Art offers smart advice and lots of eye candy to boot.

It was the West Prize that brought Paige to Chicago for the fair. NEXT was hosting an exhibition of its 10 finalists, including our very own Ms. Toebbe. The highlight of the trip for me was the cocktail party for the prize, which was held at the W Hotel. Jeffrey Teuton, Sarah McKenzie** and I trudged over there, tired from a long day at the fair. Thankfully, the event itself was energizing — I was excited to have a chance to introduce Paige to Sarah and Jeffrey, and also thrilled to run into another West Prize finalist who Paige and I share an interest in, Hot Shot photographer Georg Parthen.***

We didn't get to stay as long as we would've liked; we had a dinner reservation to keep, which meant I had to practically pry Ann and Sarah apart. (They were deep in conversation about their mutual alma mater, Yale.) And speaking of prying apart, it's time to pry myself from the computer and get it together for the rest of the day's engagements. I'm back tomorrow with another seasonally appropriate edition — look for me then!

*Mixed Greens' Coke Wisdom O'Neal is here on 20x200 too! We introduced his work last Fall:
Needle-Needle-Nee by Coke Wisdom O'Neal.
**Sarah McKenzie has a few great 20x200 editions as well:
Support by Sarah McKenzie
Site by Sarah McKenzie
Lift by Sarah McKenzie
***Georg Parthen: coming soon to 20x200!

Happy Monday, collectors! 20x200 darling (and Summer '06 Hot Shot) Kate Bingaman-Burt has dutifully documented her daily consumption for close to ten years. If you are lucky enough to live in Portland, drop by Reading Frenzy this Thursday, July 2nd at 6pm and Kate will help you start your own consumption collection by drawing something you bought that day for free! The free drawing frenzy is part of Kate's solo show, Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?, which will continue for the entire merry month of July.

Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?
Reading Frenzy
921 SW Oak St.
Portland, OR

Kate's site, Obsessive Consumption.
Kate's editions, I Bought All of These and Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1 on 20x200.
Kate in the recently released documentary, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design.
Kate's exhibit at Jen Bekman Gallery.

Giant Sculpture, 2009 by Megan Whitmarsh

Megan Whitmarsh, the "totally badass, awesome, inspiring and intelligent" artist (as described by Jen) is currently in a group show, Strips, Scripts and Scapes: Contemporary Comix in Southern California, at the Riverside Art Museum. The exhibition features artists who are essentially "uncategorizable" and have "no guidelines to delineate their work beyond their interest in the intersection of contemporary art, storytelling and flirting with comic strip conventions".

The show will have a reception this Saturday, June 27, 7 - 9pm, and will remain on view through August 22nd.

Strips, Scripts and Scapes: Contemporary Comix in Southern California
RIVERSIDE ART MUSEUM
3425 Mission Inn Ave
Riverside, CA

Megan also has a new book, Yeti Logic featuring a yeti who lives in a capricious world available at Spoonbill & Sugartown, or online here.

Megan's two 20x200 edition prints, Trash Mountain and Color Work Station, are available to you in all three edition sizes.

Wednesday Edition: Raul Gutierrez

Travels Without Maps
11" x 14" PORTFOLIO EDITION ($300)

The Travels Without Maps portfolio is comprised of 11" x 14" prints of all four images, presented in an archival portfolio folder. Produced in an edition of 30, the portfolios are priced at $300 each. Also: they are awesome.*

--

Wednesday greetings, my collector friends! I'm super duper excited about today's editions, but I'm telling you right now: writing about the photographer in question makes me awfully nervous. As you're probably aware, Raul Gutierrez is the good-wizard version of our man behind the curtain here at JBP HQ. He's the first person who thought the whole 20x200 concept might just be crazy enough to work, and has been a tireless contributor to its success since I first pinged him (over IM, but of course!) back in January of 2007.

Our mutual friend, Eliot Shepard, introduced me to Raul in 2006, but I was already a fan. I'd been following Raul's blog since 2004. His words told the story of the journey that brought him and his wife, Jenn, to Brooklyn; reading from afar, I was amazed by his eloquence, smarts and versatility. One only needed to click over to his portfolio of photographs to discover that he has the rare gift of being able to tell amazing stories in twofold: with words and images.

Shortly after meeting, Raul was selected for the Spring 2006 edition of Hey, Hot Shot! and sometime after that, we started talking about the idea of working together. We weren't sure exactly what we'd do, but it seemed like our respective checkered-career-pasts had the potential to harmonize in interesting ways. To be honest, I was totally flattered that he'd even consider it! Sure, we both started doing internet stuff very early on, but his life has been significantly more adventurous than my own. We've been sitting across from each other in a very small room for a couple of years now, and Raul still strikes me as a bit of a mythical creature. (I can also tell you that he hates that I just wrote that!)

It's hard to believe that this one person, of whom I am so very fond, is all the things he is. He's had a lot of lives in his lifetime: after growing up in East Texas and getting educated in the ivy-est of leagues, he went out to LA. Out there, he lived a life like you see in the movies while working with big producers to make them. He's an uber-nerd (and I mean that in the best way) and a collector and a husband and a dad and a photographer. He's all those things, and he's also someone who's traveled — alone, without maps — through the furthest reaches of a land that I'm unlikely to ever see with my own eyes.

The photographs you see here today represent a small slice of his journeys, and they stand out as some of my favorites. They give form to the stories that he shares with us, which are interspersed throughout our days in the office together. We often repeat them to each other in the elevator afterwards, incredulous as we try to imagine the sweet, sentimental person we know trekking alone along mountainsides, a stranger in a strange land. (Inevitably, there is an "I had NO idea!" conversation with every new person that joins the team. Usually this happens after they've spent a long afternoon alone with Raul at HQ, and it's most likely to coincide with their discovery of his prodigious skills as a DJ.)

It's an honor to be able to share these photographs with all of you. As for the stories, well... those are for his family and friends, and for those of us who are lucky enough to work with Raul.

*Please note: The portfolios are custom orders and might not ship as quickly as our other prints normally do. Orders placed today will be shipped within 7-10 days.

20x200 artist, Todd St. John, has collaborated with Incase to design an iPhone 3G slider case and computer sleeve in faux bois splendor:

HunterGatherer Sleeve and Slider Case available here

St. John's design, illustration, animation and production studio, Hunter Gatherer, was invited to take participate in Incase's exclusive Arkitip line -- "a project aimed at delivering artistically embellished Apple products to users who have an appreciation for the creative arts and technology". Other artists who have designed for Arkitip include KRINK, Steven Harrington, and Parra.

Amazingly, we still have prints of Todd's stylish faux bois 20x200 edition Untitled (Black Blocks) available in all sizes.

Todd's sites:
http://www.toddstjohn.com/
http://www.huntergatherer.net/
http://www.greenlady.com/
http://www.iglooshop.com/

Tuesday Edition: Jessica Eaton

Roy G. Biv-tastic Tuesday greetings, my collector friends! Our NYC sunshine is still somewhere over the rainbow, and considering what a stranger clearing skies have been to these parts lately, I don't expect we'll be finding it any time soon. Rather than singing an off-season SAD song — which would undoubtedly be delivered off-key — I've been cheering myself up with the fictive rainbows of today's edition-maker, Jessica Eaton.

Filter Samples is the photographic artifact of an admirably obsessive endeavor. As Jessica describes it in her statement, "hundreds of swatches from Lee Filter sample packs were arranged on the window, by spectral wave transmission, to turn my living room into a ROYGBIV light box." While I can only wonder what it might be like to dwell in such a living room, I'm very grateful that I get to live with the resulting imagery.

Jessica's a Canadian artist who I've been admiring from afar for a while now via the interwebs. Her high-concept, appealing imagery has made appearances on the websites and blogs of some of my favorite photography friends — Tim's tinyvices features two portfolios of her photographs and Laurel's I Heart Photograph looked twice too.

A blogger herself, Jessica incited a flurry of keyboards tapping with her recent critically acclaimed solo debut at Toronto's Hunter and Cook. I was tipped off to the show by Horses Think; like its author, the talented-his-own-self Ofer Wolberger, I wanted to be able to check it out in person, especially after reading We Can't Paint's enthusiastic review. Daily Value was similarly impressed and had this to say about the exhibition:

Eaton's work re-imagines '70s-era minimalist and conceptual art: a time when artists aimed to strip the aesthetic object down to its most essential state and concept took precedence over traditional aesthetic concerns (a serial work of Eaton's—a diamond pattern captured mid-liftoff from its foundation of grid paper—especially invokes Sol LeWitt). Like her predecessors, Eaton uses a purist's palette, but, rather than baring the aesthetic object, she reveals it in the process of undressing.

Speaking of her predecessors, one of the things that I love about Jessica's work is the long list of associations it generates, connecting her to some of my favorite image-makers. We'll start close to home with 20x200's very own Penelope Umbrico, who shares a kinship of palette and post-photographic practice, and while Michael Lundgren's work is about something quite different, his obsession with the photographic object makes me want a seat at any table that they might gather around together. Another person I'd want to invite to that meal is the amazing Lisa Oppenheim, who I have a huge photo-crush on.

Delving further into Jessica's colorful abstractions, my mind alights on many of the artists included by our friends at Aperture as part of their stunning Edge of Vision initiative. Speaking of photo friends, Blind Spot has offered editions from several other kindred spirits — from Jonathan Lewis and his candy-colored rainbows to John Baldessari and Hannah Whitaker — they've got quite a range of talented, smart photographers considering light, image and object.

Enough about all of them, though! Let's talk about Jessica's recent westward expansion. She's still north of the border, but now clear across the continent; her latest solo exhibition, Variables, just opened at Vancouver's LES Gallery. Filter Samples is included in this reportedly awesome exhibition, which remains on view through July 12th.

Phew, that was a seriously link-tastic email. And now: I am done, although not for long. I'll be back tomorrow with a very special set of images from a very special fella. Look for me then!

Image of Jason's very own typewriter from his book, Eleven of My Things and One of Yours

Good news for a rainy day! Jason Polan has a new book!

From the press release:

Eleven of My Things and One of Yours is a new zine by Jason Polan that features eleven drawings of the artist’s favorite things and a blank space at the end for one more thing. Adding a performative twist, Jason will complete the book for each new buyer, drawing the buyer's favorite thing on the extra page. The book is not complete until the artist draws an image of the buyer’s favorite thing. After the additional drawing, the book becomes One of My Favorite Things and Eleven of His. On Saturday, Printed Matter will act as a stage for Polan to carry out the final production of this zine. Lemonade and snack cakes will also be served in celebration. Please come and bring one of your favorite things for Jason to draw!

Lemonade, snack cakes and Jason? Um, yes please! I'll see you there!

The books will be sold for a mere $20!
Saturday, June 20, 2009 @ Printed Matter, Inc. | 195 10th Avenue
2:00 to 4:00pm

Jason Polan's 20x200 editions:
Insects and Myriapods at The American Museum of Natural History
Sea Creatures at The American Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs at The American Museum of Natural History
132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History
Every Person in New York
Hand Project

Jason Polan's sites:
Jason Polan
The Drawing Project
Every Person in New York
The 53rd Street Biological Society

Howon-Dong by Hosang Park

Hosang Park, talented 20x200 artist whose two images Uman-Dong and Howon-Dong were released on our site in March has just received another much deserved accolade. In addition to being selected as one of two Hey, Hot Shot! Ne Plus Ultras to receive representation at Jen Bekman Gallery at the beginning of this month, we just received word that his work has been chosen for the PDN Photo Annual 2009!

His image Howon-Dong was selected to the Personal Work category in the photography annual alongside Steven Wilkes, Lauren Greenfield, and Christoph Gielen. To view his work as well as many other talented winners, check out the PDN online gallery

A whole-hearted congratulations to Hosang! Also, you can still purchase this winning image, as well as Uman-Dong on 20x200.

Just a while ago I was walking through the archives and wrote about edition prints that shared similar themes. Our collection of art(ists) often have complimentary relationships with others -- be it a penchant for text, color palate, composition, or rhythm. So, in the spirit celebrating similarity (and contrast) I present you with three more twosomes:

Kent Rogowski and Chad Muthard

Untitled #10 by Kent Rogowski
Choose your print size here

The Drive with Christine by Chad Muthard
Choose your print size here

Dustin Amery Hostetler and Superdeluxe

Color Study #4 by Dustin Amery Hostetler (UPSO)
Choose your print size here

Diamonds by Superdeluxe (Adrienne Wong and Karin Spraggs)
Choose your print size here

Don Hammerman and Mark Ulriksen

Rawlings by Don Hamerman
Choose your print size here

The Babe in the Negro Leagues by Mark Ulriksen
Choose your print size here

Sunshine-y Wednesday greetings, my collector friends, and an open-armed welcome to the newcomers among you, of which there are many. This might have something to do with our "striking, affordable artwork" being featured in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living, or perhaps you're here on the advice of Martha's crafts department? Or... maybe Jeff sent you? Jeff Hamada, that is — he being the energetic impresario behind the ever-inspiring Booooooom. (More on that later!) However you made your way here, I'm happy that you've joined us and look forward to sharing lots of amazing art with you in newsletters to come. Let's get started, shall we?

Talented Bay Area painter Sarah Spitler is making her 20x200 debut with today's fine art print, No One Can Live Outside of History. This piece has inspired an odd narrative that totally makes sense to me, and I've got my fingers crossed that Sarah will be pleased and flattered with the tale it tells.

It’s going to seem completely off-the-wall, but in its many layers and techniques I see unruly nature intermingled with tightly-controlled forms that are caught in the space between both graphic design and photography.

In this painting, Sarah's captured a moment in a very funny scene. I see the looseness of the background shades — the smoky blues and greens — as being the plates of the earth shifting, forming continents and roiling the ocean. It's a messy chaotic process, all in all. Then along comes the spirit of Ryan McGinness — seriously, stick with me here — attempting to bring order to the chaos.

The spirit of Ryan is all about order and consistency. It brings both precision and playfulness, adding a layer comprised of human-engineered forms over the messy organic process of nature's progress. The reason I see it as a photo is because the moment captured is an unresolved one, in the best possible way. Everything's still in motion; it's not clear who's winning and you're not even sure who to root for. There's the beautiful mess of splatters and drips, but they're so close to escaping, seemingly untameable. The steady hues and clean lines of the McGinness-like moments offer up the control, comfort and certainty.

I know it's wacky, but hopefully it makes a little sense. And if it doesn't, well that's cool too. You can make your own meaning, and I encourage you to do just that! Once you've got the story Sarah's painting all sorted out, I'll bet you'll be hungry for more inspiration. When that happens, you can do what scads of savvy surfers do and head on over to Booooooom. I'm generally proud of my appetite for imagery, but I have to say Jeff's curation on Booooooom gives me a bit of a complex. He finds so much great stuff, and shares it with unflagging enthusiasm.

We've been keeping an eye on his offerings for a while now, and just recently the eagle-eyed Ms. Distin noticed that he'd featured Sarah's work as well. With many new fans of her work tuning into his site, Jeff announced a give-away last week. I'm happy to announce its two lucky winners here today. Big congrats to readers Haley and Suzan, both of whom will be receiving 11" x 14" prints of No One Can Live Outside History!

With my tales told and prints en route to the lucky winners, my newsletter work for the week is done. I'm going to turn my attention to other things, like picking out a party dress and putting on some dancing shoes!

Tomorrow night Aperture is hosting their first-ever summer benefit, Some Like it Hot — flush with festivities, cocktails and art for all. I've been all about Aperture lately, thrilled to support their excellent programming with our recently-released editions from Penelope Umbrico. Her cyber-celestial works are stunning side-by-side, if I do say so myself.

I'll be attending the party with the talented and charming, Gregory Krum, perennial star on 20x200 and Summer 2007 Hot Shot. Krum was selected as a Hot Shot with the help of HHS! panelist, Aperture's book publisher, Ms. Lesley Martin.

I encourage local collectors to join us, and not just for cocktails and conversation. If you spring for the $150 ticket you'll leave with a limited-edition print from Thomas Allen in hand. Allen, one of several super book-smart artists whose work we'll be exhibiting at the JB Gallery's upcoming Summer Reading exhibition, is a wonderful and highly collectible photographer. So spend some smart money on a good cause and meet us there!

Live With Art by Little Jacket/Mike Burton

11th hour greetings, my collector friends! As I mentioned this past rainy Sunday morning, our 20% More Ridiculous Sale has been extended through the stroke of midnight tonight. That means you've got less than 11 hours to get your art on at even more ridiculouser than usual prices.

You know the drill by now: enter the code RIDONK at checkout for 20% off any of the beee-you-tiful, limited-edition archival prints available in our inventory. Once the clock strikes 12, we're back to being our normal ridiculous selves again.

I've also got an especially special small-batch list-only bonus to share with you — our most faithful collectors — today. The lovely Live With Art* letterpress you see above was created especially for 20x200 by our friends at Little Jacket, in honor of our one year anniversary last September. We have just 50 of these gorgeous little hand-printed babies available, so if you likey (and what's not to like?) you'd better snap one up quick!

Once you've put one in your cart, I suggest that you mosey on over to the Going, Going, Gone page to see which other editions are dwindling down to a precious few. That page is always changing and monitoring its offerings is a new distraction of mine. (As if I need more distractions!)

I've also been keeping a close eye on the choices made by others who have mentioned the sale — I'm definitely not the only one all a-twitter about it! It's really interesting to see who loves what, and the sale has inspired a lot of well-curated selections from our archives.

Starting closest to home, we've got the selections of Ms. Distin, posted to Flavorwire yesterday. She's got her eye on both of our Echo Eggebrecht editions, The Time Machine and Birds of a Feather along with Michael Lundgren's gorgeous Yuha Basin and Penelope Umbrico's luminous 79 Moons from Flickr - 51 Visible.

Creative Commons tweeted a reminder to grab one of Matt Jones' popular Get Excited And Make Things editions, the proceeds of which benefit their fine organization.

Greg Allen points dads towards Jason Polan's Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History on daddytypes and picks Jorge Colombo's iSketch084 among his personal favorites on greg.org, mentioning that they were "famously created, like his recent New Yorker cover, with the Brushes iPhone App."

Our friends at Aperture note that it's prime time to get your hands on Penelope Umbrico's benefit edition, the aforementioned 79 Moons from Flickr - 51 Visible, which is even better when paired with its companion 87 Suns from Flickr - 29 Visible. Penelope's work is currently on display at the Aperture Gallery as part of The Edge of Vision.

Paddy Johnson at Art Fag City picks Brad Moore's Dutch Club, Anaheim, California as a must-grab before the sale ends tonight.

Last but not least, the wonderful 7x7 takes a local angle in their blog post. They've got their eyes on the Bay Area's best, singling out Jessica Snow's colorful Cascade and Mike Monteiro's sage advice: Let's Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, we've cooked up some fun with our blog-friend Jeff Hamada from the always inspiring Booooooom. Once you're done with your RIDONK shopping, pay him a visit and be sure to check us out tomorrow when we're back with some fresh art!

*[Sign up for the mailing list and browse the newsletter archive for a link to the print!]

79 Moons From Flickr - 51 Visible and 87 Suns From Flickr - 29 Visible by Penelope Umbrico

If you caught Lyle Rexer's panel at NYPH'09, you know he's uber-knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject of his new book, The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography, so tonight's talk and book signing at Aperture should be a treat!

Join Rexer at Aperture, 547 W 27th Street, 4th Floor, at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

If you're so inspired after meeting/listening to Rexer and seeing the accompanying exhibition, you should still have time later this evening to bring a little bit of the show home with you, support Aperture and their amazing programming AND save 20% — all at once! Before the stroke of midnight tonight, you can collect two works, created by Penelope Umbrico, exclusively for 20x200, in support of Aperture, at 20% off with the code RIDONK at checkout. Proceeds from the sale of 79 Moons From Flickr - 51 Visible benefit Aperture.

We're into the final hours of the 20x200 site-wide sale. Don't miss out!

Moo Cow by Andrew Hetherington

Yesterday Matthew Furman posted a short and sweet interview with Andrew Hetherington in which I read of our shared passions for snow globe collecting and Martin Parr. Read the full interview here.

Andrew's delightful edition print, Moo Cow, is available in our large edition size for $400 off, thanks to our RIDONK sale, now until 11:59 this evening! Hurry hurry!

Torn by Jonathan Allen

Namaste collectors! By now you are well informed about the RIDONK sale that is on now until 11:59 Tuesday evening. Hopefully you've browsed our archives and have found an edition or two to call your very own. If not, might I suggest the above Jonathan Allen edition -- it is available to you in all three sizes.

Jonathan recently made it into the virtual pages of Vogue in a feature that paired party dresses with fine art:

Jonathan Allen's De plus en plus, 2009 is suggested to be worn alongside this fancy pink frock.

The Vogue feature is in support of the annual Whitney Art Party, a benefit fête for the Whitney Independent Study Program. The festivities will be held this Wednesday, June 17th with a silent auction of original and limited edition work from these illustrious artists. Before you step out, purchase your tickets here.

The Faceted Couroucou by Carrie Marill

Sunday morning greetings, collectors. I am pretty sure that this is the first ever Sunday newsletter; it's definitely the last one I'll write for a long time to come, but with important news to share, I couldn't not write! Drumroll please...

Our 20% More Ridiculous Sale has been extended — you've now got until Tuesday, June 16th to take advantage of our only site-wide sale of the year.

Enter code RIDONK at checkout to get 20% off any prints you purchase.

The sale's return has been enthusiastically received all across the interwebs, inspiring us to extend this rare opportunity a few more days for the procrastinating, yet thrifty (and who isn't thrifty these days?) among you. Don't dawdle much longer though — our stock is thinning and there won't be another site-wide offer like this one till next summer. Here's how the deals break down:

8" x 10" prints, normally $20: now $16
11" x 14" prints, normally $50: now $40
16" x 20" prints, normally $200: now $160
20" x 24" prints, normally $500: now $400
24" x 30" prints, normally $1000: now $800
30" x 40" prints, normally $2000: now $1600

With a wide array of great art to choose from, no matter how you slice it, there's never been a better time to grow — or start — your art collection. It's also a fine time for your blank-walled friends to (finally!) change their ways, so please spread the word!

Our spiffy new Going, Going, Gone! page shows you which editions are thisclose to selling out, and selling they are. My Facebook friend Marla hesitated and lost — she's super bummed that she missed out on the very last 17" x 22" Amish Horses print by JBP superstar Colleen Plumb. The single remaining 30" x 40" print from that edition is unlikely to hang around for long either; our list of remaining prints at that size has been much diminished by the return of RIDONK:

Untitled (Hanoi no.2) by Kelly Shimoda
The Faceted Couroucou by Carrie Marill
Katarina by Karolina Karlic
Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1 by Kate Bingaman-Burt
WORD STUDY by Mickey Smith
Towards Christiana (Copenhagen) by Rachel Sussman
Site by Sarah McKenzie
ny.07.#32 by Jennifer Sanchez
Auditorium by James Rajotte
SOLD!A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul by Carrie Marill
SOLD!Chateau Pool by Gregory Krum
132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History by Jason Polan
SOLD!Cotton Field, Mississippi by Shuli Hallak
Untitled (elephant) by Don Hamerman
In One Ear, Out the Other by Jessica Snow
Amish Horses by Colleen Plumb
Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 by Christian Chaize
Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice, Southern Israel by Rachel Papo

I've got coffee to brew and brunch plans to make, so I'll recap the details of the sale once more, then I'm off!

- Enter the coupon code RIDONK in Google Checkout to redeem your discount.
- Any size print can be purchased with the 20% discount.
- The 20% discount applies to the print price only.
- Gift certificates are not eligible for the discount. (Sorry!)
- The sale ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday.

One more thing before I go: Are you following us on Twitter? If not, won't you please? We'll be announcing an off-list surprise or two there, and I've been posting links to some of my favorite editions from the archives on my personal account.

Happy collecting, bon weekend and see you soon!

We're back to remind you once again that now through Saturday at 11:59 p.m. EST, 20x200's ridiculously affordable prices are even more ridiculouser — ALL prints in ALL sizes are reduced by a whopping 20%.

Enter the coupon code RIDONK in Google Checkout to get 20% off your print order.

8" x 10" prints, normally $20: now $16
11" x 14" prints, normally $50: now $40
16" x 20" prints, normally $200: now $160
20" x 24" prints, normally $500: now $400
30" x 40" prints, normally $2000: now $1600*

Check the last chance page for a list of editions that are just about to sell out, or search the site by tag, artist, or date.

Here's a list of editions with just a single large print remaining. If you've had your eye on one of these larger editions for a while, now is the time to snatch them up -- a steal at the discounted price of $1600:

Untitled (Hanoi no.2) by Kelly Shimoda
The Faceted Couroucou by Carrie Marill
Katarina by Karolina Karlic
Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1 by Kate Bingaman-Burt
WORD STUDY by Mickey Smith
Towards Christiana (Copenhagen) by Rachel Sussman
Site by Sarah McKenzie
ny.07.#32 by Jennifer Sanchez
Auditorium by James Rajotte
A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul by Carrie Marill
Chateau Pool by Gregory Krum
132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History by Jason Polan
Cotton Field, Mississippi by Shuli Hallak
Untitled (elephant) by Don Hamerman
In One Ear, Out the Other by Jessica Snow
Amish Horses by Colleen Plumb
Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 by Christian Chaize
Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice, Southern Israel by Rachel Papo

Make sure to enter the coupon code RIDONK at checkout to redeem your discount and remember, the sale ends at 11:59pm on Saturday.

City Slow Down illustration by Fernanda Cohen for Glamour, Germany

Happy Friday, collectors! Today I'm happy to tell you what is new with one of our wonderfully talented and delightful artists, Fernanda Cohen.

First, Fernanda was featured in 3x3 Magazine's Pro Show, with these two images:

Left: Cross-pollinated Imagination, 2008
Right: Screaming Friends, 2008

Fernanda is originally from Argentina, and was commissioned by the super hip Argentine ad agency, Furia World, to design a poster for the City of Buenos Aires. Fernanda was assigned to illustrate the neighborhood of Agronomia:

Last year I interviewed the bubbly Fernanda, and if you missed it, you can read it here. Fernanda's 20x200 edition print, Hot Dog and I, is available to you here in all three sizes.

Just can't get enough of Fer? Visit her site for more sunshine.

Greetings to you all, my collector friends. I am back with a very special Thursday dispatch. Ridiculously special in fact! And rare as well. Today marks the beginning of our site-wide 20% More Ridiculous Sale. Now through Saturday, we're making our ridiculously affordable prices that much more ridiculouser and discounting prints in all sizes by a whopping 20%.*

Enter the coupon code RIDONK in Google Checkout to get 20% off your print order.

We've only ever done a site-wide shebang like this once before, because let's face it: our prices are ridiculously affordable to begin with. Our last site-wide sale was over a year ago, and it's safe to assume that it'll be at least another year before we do something this bananas again. And it is bananas — a 20% discount saves you lots of dollars. If you haven't done the quick math yet, let me lay it out for you:

8" x 10" prints, normally $20: now $16
11" x 14" prints, normally $50: now $40
16" x 20" prints, normally $200: now $160
20" x 24" prints, normally $500: now $400
30" x 40" prints, normally $2000: now $1600*

If you'd rather pick your favorites before you pick your size, we've got several other ways to browse the inventory:
by date (our default)
by artist
by tag

For all of you newsletter subscribers, we have a secret last chance page — you can sneak a peek and pick-up an edition that is just about to sell out.

Want some guidance in deciding on the work? There's the archive of my newsletters to read through, and the blog contains lots of information about our artists and editions too.

If you've had your eye on a larger print for a while, now is definitely the time to pull the trigger on that purchase. The 20% discount makes them a remarkable value. Many of our most popular editions have just one single large print remaining, and at a discounted price of $1600, a lot of them will be snatched up during the sale. Here's a list of those editions for your perusal:

Untitled (Hanoi no.2) by Kelly Shimoda
The Faceted Couroucou by Carrie Marill
Katarina by Karolina Karlic
Plattsmouth, Nebraska, Carts #1 by Kate Bingaman-Burt
WORD STUDY by Mickey Smith
Towards Christiana (Copenhagen) by Rachel Sussman
Site by Sarah McKenzie
ny.07.#32 by Jennifer Sanchez
Auditorium by James Rajotte
A Dream World Glimmers In The Background Of The Soul by Carrie Marill
Chateau Pool by Gregory Krum
132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History by Jason Polan
Cotton Field, Mississippi by Shuli Hallak
Untitled (elephant) by Don Hamerman
In One Ear, Out the Other by Jessica Snow
Amish Horses by Colleen Plumb
Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 by Christian Chaize
Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice, Southern Israel by Rachel Papo

Good stuff, huh? And no, it's really not too early to start shopping for Christmas... just think of how smug you're going to feel come December when you've got a stack of easy-to-wrap gorgeous art to hand out to your favorite people! (And think of all the panic attacks you can avoid by laying in a supply of prints that are the perfect gift for most any occasion!) It's also a perfect opportunity to get something for the most important person in the world: YOU.

A few notes about the sale before you start your spree:

- enter the coupon code RIDONK at checkout to redeem your discount
- any size print can be purchased with the 20% discount.
- the 20% discount applies to print price only.
- the sale ends at 11:59pm on Saturday.

Ready. Set. GO!

*That's $400 off! Holy guacamole, people.

Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 by Christian Chaize

Praia Piquinia 04/08/07 16h04 by Christian Chaize

Wednesday greetings, collector friends! As I just said on The Twitter, I'm wearing a striped sailor shirt and chomping on a buttery croissant from the newish cafe around the corner, which has got me feeling all "Vive La France!" on this dreary (again, oh woe!) almost-summer day. I've also got a certain French photographer on my mind — our very own Christian Chaize! As reported here, he recently made his solo debut in New York City and I'm very pleased and proud to have 9 gigantic prints of his utterly gorgeous photographs hanging on the walls of Jen Bekman Gallery.

Many 20x200 collectors were hip to Christian's work long before Praia Piquinia made its way to our shores. They read all about it back in February, when I introduced his two exclusive 20x200 editions: Praia Piquinia 02/08/07 15h16 and Praia Piquinia 04/08/07 16h04. We've had lots of new collectors join us since then, so it seemed like a good idea to re-introduce Christian's editions here, especially because I've got so much great exhibition-related stuff to share along with them!

First off, have a look at the installation shots of the exhibition, taken by the extremely over-qualified Joseph O. Holmes. Also, be sure to check out the sweet, sweet video Christian created while he was here in New York for the show. It's almost like being here, which is great for those of you collecting from afar, but for the New Yorkers among you: it ain't nothing like the real thing!

The gallery is quite the oasis these days, so you should really stop by and see for yourself — we're located at 6 Spring Street, between Elizabeth & Bowery. We're open Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m., and are often there otherwise, so don't be shy about calling to arrange an appointment.

The prints in the exhibition measure an impressive 44" x 37"; in the context of the art world at large, their $3500 price is on the affordable end, especially since the editions are small.* Still and all, that's a lot of money for most people and not everyone's got room for prints with such presence. I'm happy that we're able to offer smaller, more affordable prints here. The 14" x 11" prints are quite lovely, especially as a pair, and the 24" x 20" editions make a huge impact in a smaller space. For collectors looking for a print close to the scale of those in the exhibition, we've got one 40" x 30" print remaining on 20x200 that's really quite a steal. In other words, there's art for everyone, which is exactly what we're all about!

Also, if you've got prints that need framing — and I know for a fact that lots of you do — bring them along! We're awfully experienced with framing and have lots of great resources. Jeffrey Teuton, the gallery's Associate Director, will be happy to help you frame your artwork beautifully and affordably.

With all these prints presented for you to ponder, I'm going to take my leave for today, but I'm back once more this week. Be on the lookout for an unusually early dispatch from me tomorrow — we're cooking up a little something special for y'all and I'll share the details with you then.

*We also have a very limited selection of images which are available as 88" x 68" prints — they're absolutely stunning at this size, but obviously high ceilings are a prerequisite!

We were pleased as punch to see Beth Dow's Passage, Levens Hall on the newly-printed pages of Martha Stewart Living. The July issue is out to subscribers and should hit the newsstands soon! Find 20x200 on page 30.

We've been telling you all along but hearing it from the Queen of Divine Domesticity is way better: "Striking, affordable artwork is just a click away"!

With all this attention, Dow's work is sure to be slipping away faster than ever, so pick up your prints while they're still around:

Passage, Levens Hall
The Pinetum, Wakehurst Place
Bags

A sampling of sketches that Jason has made for his ongoing series Every Person in New York

Far too many moons have passed since I last wrote about the hugely talented and industrious Mr. Jason Polan. I'm happy to put an end to this dry spell and let you know that Jason was featured in the New York Observer today.

Musing on his ambitious project to draw every person in New York, Jason opined, “It’s kind of forever, and I think I’m willing to work on it forever”. Amen.

Check Jason's blog for news about his latest projects; there's always something awesome going on that will make you wonder what deal Jason struck to get extra hours in his days.

Jason Polan's 20x200 editions:
Insects and Myriapods at The American Museum of Natural History
Sea Creatures at The American Museum of Natural History
Dinosaurs at The American Museum of Natural History
132 Birds at The American Museum of Natural History
Every Person in New York
Hand Project

Jason Polan's sites:
Jason Polan
The Drawing Project
Every Person in New York
The 53rd Street Biological Society

Pool by Katie Baum's series Chasing Memory

Hello California collectors! Last month we offered two edition prints from photographer Katie Baum. Both images were from her series, Chasing Memory, which, in Katie's words, "remember the past and record it". Images from this nostalgic body of work will be featured in a group exhibition, Perceive and Connect, at the Berkeley Art Center.

Perceive & Connect, will open this Saturday, June 13th with a reception for the artists from 5.30 to 7.30 p.m.

Perceive and Connect: Katie Baum, Jeanine Briggs and Indira Martina Morre
Berkeley Art Center
1275 Walnut Street
Berkeley, CA 94709

Katie's two edition prints, Peeps and Gumball Machine, are available in dwindling supply, so make haste! More images can be viewed at Kate's site.

Secrets of Living 3

Secrets of Living 4

Tuesday Edition: Amy Ross

Rainy Tuesday greetings, collectors. It's gloomy (again!) in NYC, but my day's a bit brighter thanks to the latest from 20x200's favorite mad-scientist inspired painter, the talented Amy Ross. Amy is old-school 20x200; her Manshroom — purchased by a dear friend with a fondness for little brown mushrooms — was the very first print sold on the site. Her Duck Magnolia, released when I was (literally) chilling in San Francisco last July, was part of last summer's Ornithology extravaganza. With few prints left of either and nary a peep from me about birds lately, it seemed high time to hatch some fresh editions from Ms. Ross.

The delicately rendered Secrets of Living 3 and Secrets of Living 4 are the product of Amy's big beautiful brain, which contains an enviable mix of talent, curiosity, intelligence and imagination. As readers of her blog know well, Amy finds inspiration in nature and science. Her flair for the fantastical makes me think of my friend Tim Walker — both of them have the sort of unbridled imaginations that I normally associate with childhood. How great for them (and us!) that their grown-up selves have managed to keep that magic intact! In Amy's case, I have a feeling that her adorable daughter Mia, a frequent co-conspirator in Amy's frequent forays into the field, provides ample inspiration.

Amy and I have worked together for a while now. She first exhibited in a group show at the gallery in 2006 and her solo show, Anima Mundi, opened a few months later. We've shared a lot of good times and adventures along the way too — I love her smarts and her sarcastic sense of humor, and have always found her to be a bit of a kindred spirit. Knowing her, it comes as no surprise that a favorite poem would spark that aforementioned enviable imagination of hers. I'll close out today's dispatch with the e. e. cummings poem that inspired today's editions:

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

Ciao!
I like contrast, so a little bit of snow in June is perfectly fine with me, especially when it comes in the form of a Paula McCartney photograph. Last year Paula won a McKnight Artist Fellowships in Photography, and has made new work as a result,A Field Guide to Snow and Ice, which she will be showing this month in Minneapolis. The opening reception is this Friday June 12, 7-9 pm, and an artist talk will follow on Thursday July 16, 6:30 pm.

2007-2008 McKnight Artist Fellowships in Photography
June 12-Aug 1, 2009
Franklin Art Works
1021 E Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Last year we offered an edition of Snowfall #6 from this series:

Choose your print size here.

More images from the series can also be viewed on Paula's website.

If I recall my undergraduate psychology notes correctly it was Stanley Milgram who suggested that the world is smaller than we believe, and that six degrees of separation exist between us and everyone else. Where might I be going with this? Well, filmmaker, author, and curator Faythe Levine, who is featured in the current issue of ReadyMade, was photographed by our own Kevin Miyazaki, and is connected to another darling 20x200er (and Summer '06 Hot Shot) Kate Bingaman-Burt. Kate is one of many superstars in Faythe's new documentary, Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design . (I wrote about this when the documentary was having its NYC debut.)

Faythe is a huge fan of 20x200 (she named dropped us in the ReadyMade interview!) and Ms. Jen Bekman, who is most definitely a maven in the Gladwellian lexicon, which means that she is connected to thousands more art lovers and collectors. I bet you just might be one of them, so now is the perfect time to sign up for the 20x200 mailing list for advance notice of editions! You just might be seeing a special edition by another talented lady who appears in Handmade Nation, Jill Bliss. I'm particularly excited about this, as I've been a devotee of Miss Bliss for quite a while, and I'm even more of a fan having drooled over her home recently. Nothing quite like a good drool to get me inspired! Speaking of inspiration, Faythe's documentary and book are excellent resources for getting excited and making things!

Thursday greetings, collectors! It might be a bit of surprise to have me pop up in your inbox like this, but I'd be remiss if I didn't share with you the excitement brewing in other provinces of JBP-land. In honor of the day's goings-on, we're featuring editions from a few of our favorite photographers, all of whom happen to be Hot Shots.

As you all know, the photographers that we meet via Hey, Hot Shot! are an important part of our family — they exhibit at the gallery, they've released lots of amazing editions right here on 20x200 and several of them have become dear friends and coworkers. Did you know that Youngna and Raul are both Hot Shots? I think that's pretty cool!

It's not just the photographers of Hey, Hot Shot! that make it great — the panelists are mighty special as well. They're all distinguished in their fields, of course, but what's most impressive to me is their commitment to evaluating all the great work that gets submitted to the competition. And evaluate they did, as did Sara and I, into the wee hours of last night, all in preparation for today's announcement of the first round of Hot Shots for 2009. Please join me in congratulating them!

Michelle Arcila
Daniel Cheek
Mike Sinclair
Parsley Steinweiss
Kurt Tong

Now that they've received the news, they'll be prepping for a group show at the gallery that's slated to open in September and planning editions for 20x200 as well. I'm looking forward to working with them all and I'm especially excited about releasing editions by them.

As we've been working on revising how people browse prints on the site, we've spent a lot of time thinking about how to categorize what we have available. The Hot Shot category is probably one of my favorites; it's incredible to see all those images on a single page — we've met a lot of amazing, talented people via Hey, Hot Shot! You should take some time to get to know them — and their work — too. Have a look at the blog post Sara and Kika just put together which features all the Hot Shots who've done 20x200 editions, and of course if you haven't added the Hey, Hot Shot! blog to your feed reader, there's no time like the present!

Wednesday Edition: Shen Wei

Yi, Beijing

Blessing over the Rice Machine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province

Wednesday greetings, collectors! The Cold of Late Spring '09 still has Mr. Gutierrez and me in its grips, which is beginning to make both of us a little cranky. We've got stuff to do, and we want to suffer no impediments in getting it done. Raul's been busy rolling out all kinds of improvements for the site, modifying the home page to include more images of recent editions and updating the sidebar to include recent media mentions of our talented artists. We're already bumping up against some limitations there — with Alex MacLean, Jorge Colombo and Christian Chaize all worthy of the spots they've earned, we're wondering what we'll do when the next wave of attention hits. For more details check out my recent blog dispatch.

We're also prepping a big announcement, which will land in the inbox of Hey, Hot Shot! list subscribers tomorrow: this year's first 5 Hot Shots! Which means that a day of deliberation awaits me once I'm done introducing today's editions by a Fall 2006 Hot Shot, photographer Shen Wei.

It's both inconvenient and fitting that Shen's midair, en route to China, as I introduce his 20x200 debut. Both of his photographs, Blessing over the Rice Machine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province and Yi, Beijing, are from Chinese Sentiment. In this new series, he's attempting to reconnect to his memories of the homeland he left nearly a decade ago, with a fresh perspective that's influenced by his experiences and accomplishments abroad.

I've known Shen for a while now, and my evolving relationship with him is an excellent illustration of why Hey, Hot Shot! and the gallery are such fulfilling endeavors. The opportunity to work with artists as their careers are taking shape is an honor and a source of inspiration. (And sometimes it's even exasperating!) I watch careers progress with a combination of mama bear pride and curiosity, and I learn a lot from every single artist that I work with. My interactions with Shen have been particularly enriching. Coming as we do from entirely different cultures, I'm continuously fascinated — and often surprised — by how he approaches the world in his work.

Two summers ago, I co-curated an exhibition with Jörg Colberg called A New American Portrait, which included work by Shen. It remains one of my favorite exhibitions, not only because I so enjoyed exhibiting the work that we chose, but also because it gave me cause to consider deeply a genre that's been of abiding interest to me. Releasing Shen's editions has me thinking about it again, and I'm loving the challenge.

A while back, my friend Carolina caught me off-guard with a deceptively simple question. During a conversation about Stefan Ruiz and his amazing telenovelas project, she asked me to compare Stefan's portraiture to Alec Soth's. I started to talk right away, assuming it'd be a cinch to explain because I know both of them and their respective bodies of work pretty well, but I stumbled, and fast. It was hard and I was frustrated, impressed and challenged all at once. What I came around to was this, which I later wrote to Alec in an email:

... when comparing you to Stefan, I decided that your intent is different, and the differences in your intent affect your relationships with your subjects. When I look at your photos, I feel like they [the subjects] are revealing themselves to you, and that the viewer is an outsider who you're allowing to witness that relationship you've forged. With Stefan, I feel like he is persuading his subjects to show themselves to the viewer, and that he is the intermediary who facilitates it. It's hard for me to articulate why exactly, and I wonder how much of my hunch is based on knowing each one of you. I wish I could articulate certain empirical evidence in each of your photos to support the theory, but it's hard to do.

Which brings me back to Shen... his approach, and his results, are somewhere in between those two things. He once explained to me that he uses the fact that he's foreign to disarm people and/or make them feel more comfortable. His accent, his excellent-but-not-perfect-English, his entirely different cultural background — all these things could make him shy and insecure, but instead he uses them to his advantage, making people more comfortable with their own vulnerabilities.

Photographs resulting from this approach form his Almost Naked series. There's an intimacy to these images, often revealing an unguardedness which suggests to me that the subject is perhaps more at ease revealing themselves to a photographer who they see as being "other" — not part of their world, their community at all. I kind of wonder if that assumption extends to who they think his [Shen's] audience is.

That Shen's portraits are suffused with sexuality adds another important layer to the work, especially when you consider the cultural context Shen has emerged from. As he's mentioned in interviews, "Chinese people are much more conservative and isolated than Americans. Chinese people are living in a much stricter society; there are rules and rules that came out of thousands years of history."

These differences are central to Shen's work, and I think it's his enthusiasm about being freed from such conservatism that puts his subjects at ease. His fascination is accompanied by a certain amount of incredulous thrill over the fact that he can ask someone to pose nude and that they will. It's disarming to encounter someone so curious, so genuinely engaged and interested and not in the least bit jaded.

It's not the sensationalism or the taboo that draws him in, it's his appetite for freedom — his own and that of his subjects — which inspires him. With this new project, he is taking everything that he's learned and become through his time in the States and bringing back to his homeland, attempting to recontextualize it there. Both he and his country have changed considerably in the intervening years; what a treat it is to be able to witness the effects of these changes on both shooter and subject.