Paris Photo LA 2013: –Regen Projects

Regen Projects (Los Angeles) presents a selection of abstract photographs by gallery artists. These divergent bodies of work push the limit of photography employing techniques that range from cameraless photography, to a renegotiation of the photographic device in relationship to the subject, to an exploration of the physical and social conditions under which the works were created. Included in the selection are works from the “Fluid Dynamics” series by James Welling, created through manipulating fluid and light exposures in the darkroom; recent landscapes by Catherine Opie, which take recognizable topography and render it unidentifiable through the mechanism of the camera; “Light Studies” by de Rijke/de Rooij, an exploration of light used in making the narrative film “Mandarin Ducks”; “Transparencies” by Walead Beshty, created by carrying unexposed photographic film through x-ray machines at airports; and photographs from Doug Aitken that use chemicals to create vibrant reactions on cracked glass; Also exhibited are Marilyn Minter’s early photographic series (also on view at the gallery), “Coral Ridge Towers,” consists of nine black and white photographs of her mother on an ordinary weekend at home in her Florida condominium. She is pictured performing her daily rituals of beautification and torpor by addiction. This series of images of Minter’s pill-addicted mother sets the stage for her career-long exploration into the pathology of glamour. Taken in 1969 when Minter was an art student, her classmates ridiculed her for her photographs of her mother, while a visiting professor, Diane Arbus, took note. Minter released these works for the first time in 1995. Also exhibited is Jack Pierson.