Edition Announcement #139 - Rachel Papo

Wednesday greetings, collectors near and far! Sara and I are just back from a morning spent trooping around looking at office spaces. The raw, blustery weather chilled us through, making the return to our entirely-too-small-for-us-now office less of a let down, but it'll be awfully nice for all of us to get a little more elbow room. Climate aside, it was a thoroughly pleasant experience — the broker showing us around is a fellow New York native and Stuyvesant alum who shares my affection for the city and its stories. This meant that what could have likely been an awkward annoying morning spent on the receiving end of a high-pressure pitch was instead a pleasant amble around town, which has both Sara and I feeling cautiously optimistic. My affection for living and working here is strengthened by the amazing people I get to work with, talented photographer Rachel Papo being one of them.

Nastya Before Class, St. Petersburg, Russia and Waiting for Hand Grenade Practice, Southern Israel come from two very different bodies of work, but what I find particularly affecting about the pairing is commonalities, both obvious and subtle.

There's an easily accessible harmony in the way the subjects' postures mirror one and other, in their femininity and their youth. There's an enormous amount of complexity present as well though, and that's what makes them more than merely interesting. These are images that I've thought about a lot since we made their selection. They compel me to revisit myself as I traversed the precarious years where youth and femininity clumsily, and sometimes dangerously, intermingle. And with these two young women there's more than that simple trope — ambition, determination and a certain worldliness I sense in both their gazes removes the sugar-coating from their stories.

Another thing that didn't feel so obvious till Rachel and I discussed it was how close they are in age. Three years apart, I think she said. It's just about right when you think about it logically, but their closeness floored me once it was articulated. Three years seems ever shorter as I live my grown-up life, but when considered from the point of view of my younger self, it's a staggering distance.

Speaking of staggering... I've got a staggering list of things to get done by the end of the day since Sara and I will be off on another pleasant urban amble tomorrow. We'll be paying a visit to Aperture and will also pop in to see Brian Clamp, one of my favorite gallerist colleagues. His current exhibition? The not to be missed works of one Ms. Rachel Papo! Desperately Perfect is in the main gallery, and Serial No. 3817131 is in the project room. Seeing more of this work in person is absolutely worthy of an amble of your own, so plan on getting there before the exhibition closes on March 14th.

One more thing before I go — if this newsletter is the first dispatch you've received from me this week, you're missing out! We had a bit of a snafu with yesterday's newsletter which introduced two fun and fabulous editions, Color Work Station and Trash Mountain, from LA-based painter Megan Whitmarsh.

Previous Newsletter : Edition Announcement #138 - Megan Whitmarsh