Gina Genis Blog

Creative Photography Workshop on February 25, 2012

Gina Genis — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:12:58 +0000

Abstract Poppies, an image captured in-camera by Gina Genis

Hello Friends,

Want to have some fun with your camera? Need new inspiration? Sign up for my Creative Photography Workshop on February 25, 2012. This four-hour session is designed to bring out your playful side and enhance your creativity. We will be making “abstract paintings” right inside your camera – no Photoshop! We will turn our digital camera into a pinhole camera to make impressionist looking images, and more. This workshop is great for beginners, intermediates, and advanced photographers who just need to break out of their molds and see in a new and exciting way.

If you are too far away for this on location workshop, consider taking it online. I teach it through The Compelling Image as well.

Hope to see you there.

Invasion Of Privacy – How Far Do We Go? “Voyeur – Repositioning The Gaze”, Art Exhibit at Truman State University

Gina Genis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:07:32 +0000

The Truman State University Art Gallery

I’m having an adventure in the Midwest. More specifically, in Kirksville, Missouri at Truman State University. Why would a Southern California girl be in Missouri? For an exhibit called Voyeur-Repositioning the Gaze which includes nine artists, one of them being me. This exhibit was curated by Brandelyn Dillaway. She addresses the issue of privacy (or rather, lack of it) in our society, and how the gaze throughout art history has shifted. Her goal is to question the extent we are willing to subject ourselves to the voyeurism of others.

The artists are Deedra Baker, Wafaa Bilal, Daniel Coburn, Robert Ladislas Derr, Gina Genis, Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman (who collaborated on a project), Freja Mitchell, and Thinh Nguyen. Derr and Bilal are showing video work, and the rest are photographers.

I have to say, Brandelyn Dillaway did a remarkable job bringing artists from different parts of America together for a powerful statement about contemporary society. What is privacy? Does it even exist anymore? Do our laws need to be rewritten? All of the artists present work that makes us think about how often we are photographed without our permission in daily life. Some examine how we want others to perceive us. Side note #1: as I write this on January 18, 2012, the internet is experiencing a self-imposed black out to protest proposed laws that, if passed would impose censorship on Americans. It is all so intertwined.

Guests at the opening reception of Voyeur - Repositioning the Gaze

I am particularly intrigued with the work of Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman. Geolocation: Tributes to the Data Stream, is a series that uses geotagging to find the physical origin of random tweets. The artists visit and photograph the location. When the images are printed, the twitter post serves as a caption. This scares me. When you read some of the tweets and see exactly where they were posted from, you realize that anyone, anywhere can inspect your life whether you want them to or not. Cyper spying and cyperstalking become frighteningly real. One image depicts the exterior of a home, the corresponding tweet says Amy is dying @ HighlandHospital. Reading the caption drug me inside the house and into the unpleasant personal affairs of a stranger. It was as uncomfortable as if I was in a restaurant and the couple at the next table were having a very loud and angry fight. My own life has plenty to deal with. I am too empathetic to ignore this tweet, so being exposed to it forces me care. Side note #2: I have been told this is the experience others have when viewing my Window Peeping work, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. In another image, an employee wonders if s/he can cut out of work early because the boss is not there. If you were an employer, would you hire this person? It is common knowledge that employers check Facebook and Twitter before deciding if a person would be a good hire.

Artist Statement by Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman

Wafaa Bilil has surgically implanted a camera into the back of his head which “spontaneously and objectively captures the images -one per minute- that make up my daily life and transmits them to a website for public consumption.” This work poses the desire for his life to be viewed, discovered, and even validated. But if you happen to be behind him, you may be placed on public display without even knowing it. Are we as a society ok with this? If you feel like being a voyeur yourself right now, click on 3rdi.me to see his image stream.

Wafaa Bilil Artist Statement

My own work examines the private lives of senior citizens in a retirement community. The series, Window Peeping, documents the loneliness and isolation I witnessed when passing by their windows at night. I wanted to give them a voice. Dave Barton, Senior Art Critic at OC Weekly, writes: “The Pack Rat and Lives Lived In Cubes, Gina Genis’ voyeuristic photos of isolated senior citizens seen through their kitchen and balcony windows, are at once chillingly immediate and distancing, forcing us to acknowledge the subjects’ solitude.”Window Peeping has been exhibited at Cypress College, Laguna Art Museum, Gallery 825, and now at Truman State University. It is scheduled for Biola University in March. Here is my artist statement:

The series “Window Peeping” was born when I had to move into my mother’s house in a retirement community to provide care as her dementia progresses. To get some peace of mind, I began taking walks at night. Open windows display lives in cubicles of warped time. I have become a fascinated voyeur of how these senior citizens spend their evenings. In many cases, you can actually see where time has stopped. Their homes are decorated in the style of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Their TVs are tuned in to game shows of decades past. Some still have rotary dial phones. The most glaring factor is that they are so alone. In a large community of duplexes, three story apartments, and shared-wall condos, rarely did I see more than one person living in a home. Neighbors separated by just inches of drywall do not know each other.

Questions arise. When does a person stop living in the present? When do you start living on only your past memories? Are your memories interesting enough to carry you through your old age? What can we do now to make someone else’s life more pleasant? How will we be remembered, if we are remembered at all? And most important, how is America dealing with the challenges of an aging population?

My two day experience at Truman State University has been quite pleasant. I am impressed with the gallery space and faculty. The hospitality from Aaron Fine, gallery director, is so much more than I imagined. The reception and artist discussion panel were catered. A rarity, thanks to our dismal economy. Brandelyn and I were also treated to lunches and dinners while we were there. I recommend sushi at Bonzai on the town square.

On Tuesday, January 17, I spoke with two of the photography classes. The students were sensitive and interested in knowing about the big bad world of professional photography. On Wednesday, Jan 18, an artist discussion panel consisting of Dan Coburn, Deedra Baker, and myself answered detailed questions about our work. The questions ranged from technique to developing concepts for a series.

Truman State University Art Gallery is located in Ophelia Parrish Hall. It use to be an gymnasium, so it has high ceilings and beautiful arched windows that let in natural light. I had photos and video of the gallery space, the artist lecture, and the curator’s lecture to share with you. Unfortunately, my computer had a heart attach and died in the St. Louis airport and everything was lost with the exception of the few images here that I had already uploaded.

Voyeur – Repositioning the Gaze opened on January 17, 2012 and continues through February 17, 2012. This show is worth the drive to Kirksville. If you can possibly make it, I think you will be pleased with what you see. If you are conservative, you may take issue with some of the work. That’s ok. Opening a dialog about our concerns regarding privacy is what this is all about. Many visitors told me they responded strongly to the work in the show. So go, look, be fascinated, appalled, amazed, and get angry. Then tell me your reactions. I will post them here.

Truman State University Art Gallery:

100 E. Normal | Ophelia Parrish 1109 | Kirksville, Missouri 63501
Phone: 660.785.4417
Fax: 660.785.7463

Philippe Halsman Quote #1

Gina Genis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:56:19 +0000

Jean Seberg with Cat by Philippe Halsman

Of the thousands of people, celebrated and unknown, who have sat before my camera, I am often asked who was the most difficult subject, or the easiest, or which picture is my favorite. This last question is like asking a mother which child she like the most.

-Philippe Halsman, 1906 – 1979

New Generation Canon G1X Camera

Gina Genis — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:32:50 +0000

Camera lovers, I have some exciting news for you. Canon has announced the new G1 X camera. It is completely redesigned from its predecessor, the Powershot G12. I am happy that the G1 X has kept a ton of manual controls. I am a photographer who uses them constantly for creative freedom. A complete review by dpreview.com can be seen by clicking this link. Here’s a quick run down of the improved features:

14MP 1.5″ CMOS sensor

28-112mm F2.8-5.8 lens

Optical viewfinder

ISO 100-12,800

3.0″ swivelling LCD

14-bit Raw shooting

4.5fps continuous shooting

1080p full HD Video in stereo sound

There are times that it is impractical to travel with my bulky DSLR and heavy lenses. I see the G1 x as a suitable substitute. In fact, I already have one on order and am anxiously awaiting the February release date so I can get it in my anxious hands. Check it out and see if it is right for you. If so, here’s a link you can pre-order and it will be shipped to you as soon as the stores begin getting them in stock. Retail price is reportedly $799 USD.

Keep that shutter clicking.

Native American Proverb About The Land

Gina Genis — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:25:34 +0000

We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

-Native American Proverb

Frank Lloyd Wright Quote #1

Gina Genis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:05:26 +0000

Falling Water house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.

-Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, interior designer, writer and educator (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959)

Image via Wikipedia

Exhibition Schedule for Gina Genis, January – June 2012

Gina Genis — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:23:53 +0000

Ceramic Ducks from the Window Peeping series by Gina Genis.

Pass the Red Bull please. Five exhibits between January and June are leaving no time for sleep. Work being exhibited includes images from Window Peeping, a series I shot over a two-year period. It depicts the elderly through open windows of their homes at night. Window Peeping makes a statement about the loneliness of growing old and living in the past. The second is selected images and installation pieces from Things We Leave Behind, which has never been seen before. Things We Leave Behind was photographed inside a deceased man’s apartment who was something of a hoarder. It raises the question if you knew you would never return to your house, what would you leave out for people to see, and what would you hide? Photographs of the apartment will be exhibited along with furniture, writings, books, and other personal possessions of the man. The public may participate in Things We Leave Behind by being filmed answering the above question while sitting on the deceased man’s couch.

Bedroom from the series Things We Leave Behind by Gina Genis

Exhibition Schedule:

Repositioning The Gaze, Truman State University, January 17 – February 17, 2011. Curator’s talk January 17 at 4:30 p.m. Opening reception at 6 p.m. I will be there to take part in an artist Discussion Panel January 18 at noon. Curated by Brandelyn Dillaway. Two 60″ x 40″ works from Window Peeping (The Pack Rat and Lives Lived In Cubes) will be exhibited.

PHOTO + PLUS, Coastline Community College, February 9 – March 9, 2012. Opening reception February 9, 5 – 8 p.m. Curated by David Michael Lee. A large installation and photographic imagery from the series Things We Leave Behind will be shown. Each visitor at the reception who would like to be included in the exhibit will be asked to sit on the couch of the deceased man and asked if you knew you would never return to your house, what would you leave out for people to see, and what would you hide?

Momentum, National Women’s Caucus for Art 40th anniversary exhibition, at Gallery 825, February 17 – March 2, 2012. Opening reception, February 24, 6 – 9 p.m. Juried by Rita Gonzalez, Assistant Curator, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Ceramic Ducks, (40″ x 26 “) from the Window Peeping series will be included in the catalog.

Solo Exhibit of two series: Secret Lives – Images from Window Peeping and Things We Leave Behind, Biola University, March 19 – April 6, 2011. Curated by Barry Krammes. Opening reception March 20, 7 – 9 p.m. Each visitor at the reception who would like to be included in the exhibit will be asked to sit on the couch of the deceased man and asked if you knew you would never return to your house, what would you leave out for people to see, and what would you hide?

Mnemonic Ritual, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Curated by Grace Kook Anderson, Laguna Art Museum. Opening reception June 16, 2012. Exact exhibition dates and reception times will be announced shortly. Work from Things We Leave Behind will be shown.

If you are in the neighborhood, please come join me for the opening receptions and become part of the work itself. It will grow as time goes on. Each successive exhibit will include the video from the participants of the last.

Joel-Peter Witkin Quote #1

Gina Genis — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:55:38 +0000

Joel-Peter Witkin image

I never photograph anything I don’t believe in. If I love working with death, it’s because even in death I find this power of reality that no sculptor or painter could recreate, not even a Michelangelo or a Da Vinci.

-Joel-Peter Witkin

Eve Arnold, Famous Photojournalist Dies at 99

Gina Genis — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:18:35 +0000

Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold

Eve Arnold, one of the first women to join Magnum Photography Agency has died at the age of 99. She passed away in a London nursing home.

She is best known for her candid photos of celebrities, especially Marilyn Monroe. She used a photojournalistic technique when everyone else was staging formal portraits. This gave a fresh, spontaneous look to her work. Photographs from the set of The Misfits are some of her best work, capturing the backstage tension between Monroe and her then husband Arthur Miller.

Eve Arnold has left us with a visual document of the mid 20th century that will be referred to throughout history.

Happy New Year 2012!

Gina Genis — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:41:22 +0000

Dear Friends,

As we reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one, I wish you peace of mind, pleasant travels, and a camera always nearby.