San Francisco-Based Smart Magna Artist Nicolo Sertorio Garners 16 Awards for his Photography
Jan 17
Congratulations to Smart Magna Photographer Nicolo Sertorio on receiving an astounding 16 awards for his work in the last few of months of 2011, along with multiple gallery shows and press attention! Nicolo recently went on a two-month photography excursion to Sri Lanka and returned to the news of the following awards and press featuring his work, which had also been showing in galleries throughout the United States and in Sri Lanka. Click on the links to view the awarded photo series and associated websites:
Inside Out | Athens Group Action: Eyes of Truth
Jan 12
When TED Prize winner, JR announced his wish to turn the world “Inside Out,” inviting people around the globe to share a photo portrait along with a statement about what they stand for, MELD | Athens decided to participate inviting six Greek photographers, including Adamantios Kafetzis, Alexandros Voutsas, Ioanna Ralli, Ryme63/StateofMind, Stavros Makris and Yiannis Chiotopoulos to create face-to-face portraits of children from privileged and un-privileged social backgrounds living in Athens. These portraits will be posted as diptychs in public spaces in central Athens on October 15th, 2011, as a parallel event as part of TEDxAcademy, which will take place on October 10th, 2011.
Eyes of Many Truths
Dec 01
Photography Dimitris Zarkadas
Eyes of Many Truths
by Kalliopi Minioudaki, Ph.D.
“Community is what takes place always through others and for others.
It is not the space of the egos—subjects and substances that are at bottom immortal—but of the I’s, who are always others (or else are nothing).”
Jean-Luc Nancy
A message of love, or better yet, a powerful appeal for real human community, was recently sent from Athens through the eyes of children who “occupied” by proxy an Athenian wall—rather than Wall Street—on the cold afternoon of October 15. Seventy-six posters featuring boys and girls aged 2-14 were pasted on a wall on Thessaloniki Street, in the historic center of Athens and opposite Technopolis—an emblem of the Athenian art scene—turning an ordinary wall into a public gallery, a cheerful archive of some of the city’s most innocent inhabitants. An art event in and of itself, the wall-papering was part of the street realization of Eyes of Truth, a group action organized by the art platform MELD in response to and as part of the Inside Out Project of legendary street artist JR.
Nathan Johnson photographs Broadway's new musical, Bonnie and Clyde
Nov 30
BONNIE & CLYDE / backstage from POM on Vimeo.
Photography: Nathan Johnson. Video: Patricia Martinez.
Smart Magna Photographer Nathan Johnson recently completed a job as the photographer for the new Broadway musical, Bonnie and Clyde, opening tomorrow, December 1, 2011, in New York City's Schoenfeld Theatre. Nathan's photographs can be seen on billboards in Times Square, as well as in all other press and promotional materials for the show. Below, Nathan shares about the experience:
"In the Summer of this year, I had the great privilege of shooting all the materials for Bonnie and Clyde on Broadway. I had seen the show before when it was making its out of town debut before coming to the Great White Way, and it is a killer show...Literally. In my meetings with Serino Coyne, the brilliant advertising agency behind the design, we decided that we wanted the shots to really be about the two criminals, and make them larger than life. They needed to be sexy, a little sweaty, and a little gritty and dark.
Ira Jesse Pfeffer's Fighter Portraits Featured in New York's Dumbo Arts Festival
Nov 10
Smart Magna photographer Ira Jesse Pfeffer recently had his photographs featured in the Dumbo Arts Festival in Brooklyn, New York City. Each year at the festival, the streets, parks, stages, and studios of the Dumbo neighborhood become host to visual and performing artists. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to see the exhibitions. This year, Ira's Fighter Portraits were on display at the iconic Gleason's Gym, which is famous for having trained such fighters as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Jake LaMotta. Scroll down for a special preview of Ira's Fighter Portrait series:
:
Meet the Best in the Business this November at NYCFotoWorks Fusion Portfolio Review
Oct 19
November 1st – 3rd, 2011
New York, NY
www.nycfotoworks.com
Photographers & Illustrators: NYCFotoWorks is hosting an exclusively professional portfolio review, bringing an impressive list of reviewers together, including art buyers, creative directors, editors, agents, galleries and design firms to meet 1-on-1 with artists. Over the last four years, NYCFotoWorks has become a premiere source for professional artists to make personal connections with other creative professionals in the business. As the NYCFotoWorks Portfolio Reviews have gained traction and proved to be an asset for artists, photographers and illustrators from around the world have started making their way to New York to take advantage of meeting with so many creative professionals over three days.
Michael McCabe Shoots a Film in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Oct 05
Smart Artist Michael McCabe reports on his trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a film shoot:
"I’ve always enjoyed getting off the grid for shoots. Even when shooting for fashion magazines, I like to fly in, pack up a truck and drive off.
I’m currently filming a documentary in the Congo with my brother, Daniel. What is unique, to me, about the Congo is how difficult it is to get anything done. Gaining access to shoot in the country was a big hurdle. The government is very suspicious about photographers, and people often thought we were army or CIA. While traveling, we were stopped many times, detained, and even arrested. A few times we had our cameras taken away and were told to delete photos.
Once we got in sync with the way things worked, Congo revealed itself as a country filled with abundant natural and cultural beauty.
Andre Miripolsky featured as a "Downtown Legend" with Art Share LA, event August 4
Jul 28
Smart Artist Andre Miripolsky is being featured as a "Downtown Legend" as a part of Art Share Los Angeles gallery events, honoring five outstanding downtown artists! Come and catch the last event on August 4: the Downtown Legends Closing Reception and Benefit Auction in LA, where you can meet Andre and view and bid on his work.
Robert J. Saferstein Photographs Argentina
Jul 08
Smart.MAGNA artist Robert J. Saferstein, theater and travel photographer, documents a trip through Argentina:
“This past Spring I had the opportunity to journey to Argentina where I spent one week hiking in San Carlos de Bariloche, two days exploring Puerto Iguazú, and one week drinking maté, dancing the tango, and engaging with the locals in Buenos Aires.
“The Cult of Beauty”: The aesthetic movement (1860-1900) at the Victoria & Albert
Jun 11
Until 17th July 2011 the exhibition “The Cult of Beauty” at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London shows the development of the Aesthetic Movement in art and design through the decades from the 1860s to the 1890s. The exhibition is arranged in four main chronological sections and features paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, fashionable dress and jewellery of the era.
Andre Miripolsky's Largescale Public Murals Featured in Los Angeles and Monterey
May 27
Smart.MAGNA artist Andre Miripolsky's large commissioned public murals will soon be seen not only in Los Angeles, but also in Monterey, California.
In conjunction with the revolutionary redevelopment of Downtown Los Angeles, Andre Miripolsky was commissioned in 2005 by the Central City Association of L.A. to create a large 3-D wall sculpture depicting his vision of the exploding Downtown L.A. skyline. In 2006 he introduced this image coupled with his phrase “Viva L.A.” which has blossomed to much acclaim and is very well on its way as part of the branding of the renaissance of Downtown Los Angeles. This renaissance is expected to continue through the next decade.
NYCFotoworks Event, June 2011: Exposure for Visual Artists
May 06
NYCFotoWorks is quickly becoming the premiere professional networking source for professional and emerging visual artists. This innovative company helps artists gain the exposure needed to maintain or launch a successful career. Through Portfolio Reviews and Juried Shows, NYCFotoWorks brings the work of talented photographers and illustrators to the attention of editors, creative directors, art buyers, photo agents and galleries. This year, Smart Magna will be participating as reviewers in the NYCFotoworks June Portfolio Review.
“This is where professional connections for visual artists happen.”
New Smart.MAGNA artist: Alex Nowak
Mar 30
Alex Nowak is the latest artist to join the Smart.MAGNA team. We asked him to talk to us about his life, his style and his thoughts on illustraion:
"My main purpose is to make my living from illustration and design, to learn more with every stroke I draw and to push forward into new fantastic worlds.
Virginia Woolf (25th January, 1882 – 28th March, 1941)
Mar 28
