How many pictures of the Cosmo Clock can you fit in an art gallery?
So, this weekend I will be exhibiting some of my Holga photos at an exhibition at the bar about two minutes from my house. My friend Mikey is the "Art Director" for the bar, and normally organizes an art show every month - pop/street/underground stuff - but he had enough enquiries from photographers that he decided to do a photo show. And then the other week he said:
"You know how I feel about photography. I just can't get excited about it, but you can get enthusiastic about that shit. You do it."
Which is how I became the "Photography Director".
Last night we started hanging prints. We were expecting about 10 photographers, but only 4, including myself showed up. Two were sick, one was working, and one (on account of being just over a year old) was asleep. Which left one unaccounted for. Anyway, the first guy I met was a slightly odd one whose girlfriend came along and proceeded to ignore everyone in the room. She reminded me a little of my former self. The first shot he put up was of a forearm into which had been carved the word "Love". Not being a stranger to the odd bit of self-mutilation in the past, I asked him whose arm had been carved up for that shot:
"Mine," he replied.
"Have you got the scars?"
"Not any more." Which also reminded me of my former self and begged the question as to whether or not he'd put new ones over the top, or whether he too is blessed with magic skin. It doesn't bother me that he was taking photos of his own knife-work - hell, I've got notebooks and diaries smeared with my own scarlet miseries - but I wonder how it'll go down with the audience, especially as I would say he only had about 3 very good prints and the rest were...meh. I hear that his other stuff is a bit more sexy, so I wish he'd brought that along.
The rest of the stuff should be hung this week, including my own stuff. I was searching for mounting board today in Shinjuku, as framing pictures is ridiculously expensive. The opening night is Saturday.
Funnily enough, 3 people in that room had pictures of the Cosmo Clock in Yokohama. It's a big old Ferris Wheel which I've always had a desire to snog someone on, but alas, the chance has never presented itself.
