Michael says...
We begin 2017 with momentous world events surrounding us, and it seems churlish to talk about what our small gallery in London has planned for you for the year ahead, but having said that, I sincerely believe that in our own small way, we can all individually make a difference by what we do and how we behave. The world will continue to turn and we collectively can all make a difference by striving for excellence in doing what is right and continuing to create good diverse and interesting events around our daily lives. There are lots of positive things happening in the world of photography.
We have great news about Sohei Nishino. He currently has a solo show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which has been extremely popular and well attended. San Franciscans have taken Sohei to their hearts and we thank the wonderful SFMoMA for giving Sohei such a great platform to show his Diorama project. The Museum recently confirmed that they are acquiring his new Diorama of San Francisco which will now be part of their permanent collection.
We are delighted to announce the UK representation of two new artists. Both Manuel Franquelo and Sian Davey have joined the gallery. We will open Manuel Franquelo's first solo show in the UK on the 7th of March. His detailed work was much admired on our stand at ParisPhoto and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston acquired Things in a Room (Untitled#8) for their permanent collection. His first show at the gallery will give you an opportunity to study a large group of his beautifully executed works.
We are equally excited about Sian Davey, who focuses her camera on her children. Sian has an uncanny ability to make consistently wonderful pictures of her teenage daughter and friends and of her beautiful younger child, Alice. Both bodies of work are taking the photography world by storm. We will be showing her prints at PhotoLondon this May and we encourage you to look at her images closely. They are all brilliantly constructed and considered works. I defy anyone not to be moved.
Our first Enrique Metinides exhibition will open on the 9th of February and we are also showing the extraordinary documentary made by Trisha Ziff (of The Mexican Suitcase fame) about this infamous Mexican crime photographer. I have spent some considerable time now with Metinides at his small flat in the heart of Mexico City and it was one of the more memorable artists studios I have ever experienced! Please do book early for the film and I will tell all before it starts. Suffice to say, it is an engaging and sometimes gripping documentary. This is a ticketed event, so do book now to avoid disappointment, as spaces are limited. Screening will take place on Saturday 18th of February.
We were asked last year by the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich to help curate a small show around our first love, 20th c. Japanese photography. The exhibition opened in December and includes work by Eikoh Hosoe, Nobuyoshi Araki and Kikuji Kawada. The Norman Foster building which houses the collection, is a brilliant place to visit. Not only is the architecture pure 1970's Foster, but also for the other displays in the main galleries are quite breathtaking. The exhibition 'Masters of Japanese Photography' is a beautiful show and if it is not too far to go, we would urge you to visit and take in the other collections on display too.
You will have already seen our news about Eamonn Doyle's triumph in Arles last year and his rise continues unabated. He will also be part of the Pier 24 New Topography show in San Francisco. Eamonn's work has fast established him as the man that brought street photography back to life. His work is being talked and written about by many of photography's key commentators. We are also delighted that all his self-published books have all now sold out.
Our exhibition ' The Image as Question?' last year was voted as one of the top ten shows in the UK and our small hand made catalogue also made it into the top ten photo books of the year. We still have a few copies of this publication remaining. We continue to expand our activities on our website which Tom Page manages for us and he will be announcing some new on-line shows very soon. We hope that these continue to entertain and that our website continues to inform - please do not hesitate to contact us for more information on anything you see on www.michaelhoppengallery.com
I also want to mention a few shows that we are indirectly involved with this year. The Rencontres d'Arles will showcase a large Masahisa Fukase exhibition this year under the stewardship of Dr. Simon Baker from Tate. We were delighted to introduce Simon to Fukase's hand painted work last year. Fukase was a man of many hidden talents and his hand coloured works will be shown as well as his other series - Ravens and Bukubuku.
Lucas Foglia will be part of an exhibition at Somerset House where he has been shortlisted for the Syngenta Photography Award. The works are from his series Front Country and we expect to be able to announce our next Lucas Foglia show later this year.
The gallery will decamp to New York twice early on this year - firstly at the Armory Show (2-5 March) and then a month later for the first of the new and improved AIPAD show (30 March - 2 April). We will be showing very different material at both fairs. Do let us know if you plan to be in New York for either event and if you require a pass for the opening night. The tickets are very limited and we can only offer them on a first come first served basis.
We will also be supporting PhotoLondon again this year, and we are curating a BREXIT wall showing the best of England and its photography with Martin Parr, Gerry Cranham, Sian Davey, John Davies and Sirka-Liisa Konttinen being just some of the artists who will be part of this exhibition
