!Splashion! - Group Exhibition
Splashion, a fun and informative romp of two everlasting inspirations - fashion and water.
Inspired by the underwater work of Howard Schatz, Jodie Jones and Bob Packert, I compiled a playful group exhibition. I enlisted the assistance of the Howard Greenburg Gallery and included historical silver gelatin prints by Martine Franck, H.C. Gundlach, and Martin Munkasci. The images highlight the intersection of art and commerce and the influence of magazine editorials on fine art photography.
Howard Schatz conducted the gallery talk sharing a back-stage view of his custom underwater studio, even teaching the audience the fine points of holding your breath.
Welcome to the celebration of water and fashion in this group show featuring an international array of fashion photography spanning 70 years. Liquid inspiration takes shape through the changing styles of the times in these bold explorations of two powerful elements.
Featured is the first nude Harper’s Bazaar published in 1935 by Hungarian photographer Martin Mankasci. Freeing fashion photography from the confines of the studio and it’s static representation of women, his seminal image of an athletic model in Claire McCardell sportswear on the Long Island shore, heralded modernism and the concept of beauty in motion.
“Today the world of what is called fashion is peopled with Mankasci’s babies, his heirs.” stated Richard Avedon. Mankasci influenced Cartier Bresson to claim, “I suddenly realized that, by capturing the moment, photography was able to achieve eternity.”
F.C Gundlach defined post-war fashion photography in Germany shooting for Film und Frau and Brigitte. Noted for his economical and precise staging, his strong style became iconic of this era.
Belgian photographer, Martine Franck, shot for Vogue, and was one of the first women members to join Magnum. Known for her exacting compositional style, she is said to never crop negatives but frame her clean and elegant lines in camera.
American photographer, Howard Schatz, built an underwater studio and published his Underwater Study Series in three books: Water Dance, Pool Light and H2O. Exhibited are 5 images included in H2O that exemplify his range of capturing the mystical to expressing wit and power. His ad clients include Ralph Lauren, Escada, Etienne Aigner and Wolford. A regular contributor to Vanity Fair, Schatz’s work also appears in Vogue, Vogue Italia and GQ Italia.
Boston-based photographer/director for stills and video, Bob Packert is a surrealist who creates a phantasmagorical world for models and wardrobe to inhabit. Combining technical precision with serendipity his editorials are featured in Time, Boston Magazine, NorthShore,The Boston Globe Magazine and in international webzines including; Spirited/US, Complexed/China and Labb/UK.
Water features prominently in the life and work of Boston photographer, Sadie Dayton. Organic form and authenticity inform her images including the bracing photos she shot while on assignment on a working fishing boat in the Pacific Islands. Able to convey an etherial exuberance Dayton is published in W, Vanity Fair, and The New York Times.
Conor Doherty is a self-taught fashion photographer steeped in art history and international travel who splits his time between New York and Boston. Curious and bold his images convey a positive strength with uncanny playfulness. His editorial work has been featured in Boston Magazine, Boston Common and Improper Bostonian.
New York-based, Jodi Jones, shoots runway, designer ad campaigns and fashion editorials internationally.Trained as an actor she too is self-taught. A Jones fashion image graced a Times Square billboard this summer. Charitable projects, including a coffee table book for Orange Hearts supporting Dominican children, parallel her passion for photography. Look for her edgy, artful work in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Time and Vanity Fair.