For those of you who expressed interest in purchasing my book, you can do so at A&I’s website. A portion of all sales benefit the Weingart Center.
Fiat Lux ~ Fine Art Nudes by Zoe Wiseman - The Book
Opening Reception
Fiat Lux - Fine Art Nudes by Zoe Wiseman
I will be exhibiting 10 years of fine art nudes at A&I Photographic in Hollywood. Opening reception is February 18, 2010, 7PM to 10PM. A&I will be producing a book for the show, as well as a special limited edition book titled Fiat Lux.
50% of all proceeds will benefit The Weingart Center. They help many people here in Los Angeles transform themselves from being homeless to productive members of our community. I lived in downtown Los Angeles for a year at 4th and Main Streets directly in the midst of skid row in a refurbished artist loft. The brutal inhumanity of it all affected me. I have decided to give 50% of all proceeds to an organization which focuses on transforming these lives and helping them get off the street.
A book signing, beer and wine bar, catered food and over 30 prints from several of her series. Models on the wall include; Ida Mae, Candace Nirvana, Jazmine Dominique, Natasha Kay, Marketa, Carlotta Champagne, Madame Bink, Muse, Kat Love, Ivory Flame, Stephanie Anne, Larva X, Rebecca Lawrence, Vassanta, Rei, Pash, Niecy Moss, Rebecca Fox, Jessamyne, Zinn Star, Soph and Maria Erickson.
933 N. Highland Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90038
Please come out and celebrate! To keep up to date – please subscribe to Zoe Wiseman’s personal website feed.
A&I has posted my exhibition online on their website. You can see all of my prints here. The Weingart Center also posted a wonderful webpage about my show on their website. I’m really looking forward to helping the homeless on Skid Row.
Coma - @2008 Zoe Wiseman - model: Ivory Flame
Before arriving to Australia I found this amazing park online during my searches for locations. I fell in love with it 6 months before our arrival. It’s basically dilapidated ruins of a Spanish estate. Jose Paronella started building this for the public in 1929 and it is a magical feast for the eyes.
The day we arrived, the major paper in the area, The Cairns Post, did a little fluff piece on all of the photographers and models who were there in the area. They interviewed me and my friends, Candace and Cameron – Cameron took the picture for the paper. It was fun. I had picked the paper up at the local news stand on the drive out to the park and read the article and smiled about it.
Whilst in the park there was a particular park ranger who kept eyeing us, especially me, looking me in they eyes and asking what we could possibly be doing standing in one spot for so long, as he was taking a tour group to the bat cave (literally). We just smiled and said we were admiring the sound of the water. And as the tour group passed – Ivory Flame and Stephanie Anne would disrobe as one kept look out for passersby while I photographed the other. (You definitely need more than one person in a place like this.) Our code word was Spider. If people were coming, Ivory Flame or Stephanie would yell “SPIDER.” And then the other would quickly get dressed. It makes for excitement! haha.
We went round with this through the park photographing in various spots as you can see in the photographs. When I took the last frame of Ivory Flame and said that was a roll and started to wind the film… I was crushed. I had gone through the entire park making pictures (so I thought) with no film in the camera. I almost cried. Ivory Flame was so sweet and said… “Oh Zoe, it’s OK… we can just do it again. Don’t worry.” Sincerely concerned and amazingly reassuring to me. So we went round the park again (haha) yelling “Spider” and setting up and such very quickly and made the pictures you see here.
We ran into this park ranger on several more stops he made. Once in the big trees where I photographed Stephanie (with only 2 frames left on the roll, not bad Stephanie!). Ivory Flame yelled “Spider” and Stephanie barely got her dress back on as the tour group with the ranger walked up. She was putting on her blouse over her dress and the ranger said, “Nearly busted.” And Stephanie said, “But not quite!” And with three girls giggling and smiling, what could he do but smile back?
The park has a little restaurant with a beautiful porch where you can sit and overlook the grounds. We grabbed some pies and coffee and sat to rest and eat a bit before driving on back to our spot at the beach. As we were eating the park ranger came up to us with the newspaper I had my picture in and asked, “Is this you?” And I smiled giggled and said yes that it was. So he asked for all our autographs and we all signed the newspaper for him.
And that’s the backstory.
I thought I’d blog about this because I’m sure I’m not the only photographer who has a hard time choosing what images to put in a show. I mean, it’s hard to separate ourselves from our work sometimes. Sometimes we are overtly critical with ourselves, while other times we aren’t critical enough. How do you know when you have a healthy balance? The moon is also in Scorpio (my sun sign) which probably isn’t helping all that much because we Scorps are a passionate lot.
I’m having a showing of my work in Hollywood on February – the 18th being the opening reception. So, I have to narrow down my work to about 30 images. The last time I had a show it was easy… I was teaching a Holga workshop in the gallery and the show needed to be about my Holga work obviously. No problem picking out prints for that. But, now… and 5 years rolling by since that show… I’ve shot A LOT OF WORK! And the photos that were in that last show, they probably won’t even make the cut now. Maybe one.
So I sit here with negatives up to my neck, my hair frazzled like static electricity from the negatives rubbing together then touching my hair (well pulling it out) is creating a funny image of myself.
My plan started with making a mock up drawing with pen and paper of the gallery space. Drawing out how many prints I could fit on the wall. Then once I looked at all the photos I wanted to include, and thought about all the models I didn’t want to disappoint if they weren’t hanging on the wall, and the economy, I thought, “Well, maybe I can make a little piece of the wall a group of 5×7’s that people could afford to take home.” But, subliminally I think it was only so I could add more photos to my show. With 16×20 pictures framed I can fit 30. With a little piece of the wall dedicated to 5×7’s or 4×4’s, I can fit 40. And if I have a couple of really BIG prints say… 36″, I can fit 36. All the things you must think of!
Then I started freaking out thinking I needed to make it all about one project. Or even all about one place or model. (I know it isn’t going to happen, but, in my head that’s what was happening)
So, this is my self doubt blog. Putting it out there and letting it fade away to the confines of cyberspace, if they are even confined.
Please tell me I’m not alone.
The very first model I actually found to work with me, other than my model friends from New Orleans, was Candace Nirvana. I have more photographs of her than any other model I’ve worked with. No offense to the other amazingly talented models I’ve taken photographs of, it’s just that I’ve always worked with Candace… from day one. I know how she moves, where to follow, and how to make her look good. Of course the other models I work with I find this click too, but they aren’t retiring. My work will not be the same without her.
We can get a shot even if there are only 4 frames in which to do it in. Or in this case… I had exactly 17 frames… and I got 17 good photographs. Photographs or affirmation of friendship… or 1/60th of a second permanently captured for eternity… or is it a knowing that makes it work? I don’t know. But I’m glad it works. I’m glad I have had her in my photographic life, but more so as a friend. I’ll really miss making photos with her. I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels this way. She’s given many photographers some of their best work. I salute her!
We made these images this October in Mission Beach, Australia. Normally I wouldn’t show each and every one, but I thought you’d all like to see what she can do in 17 frames.. or what we can do. I guess I’m there too. haha.
I made this book on the eve of Polaroid’s collapse. As I work with Polaroid films for the majority of my work, I was really quite devastated when I learned they were discontinuing all product lines. I worked mainly with Polaroid Type 85 & 55. I have enough to see me through a few projects. Until then I’ll hope for the success of THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT. If you would like to purchase my book please click the badge below.
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